White Cut Chicken
Gently poached chicken, chilled silky, with a ginger-scallion dip.
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Salt-Baked Chicken
A whole chicken wrapped in paper and buried in hot coarse salt until its skin turns golden and its juices stay put — no water, no steaming, no fuss. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 盐焗鸡, report 141. Not the Fujian Minxi salt-baked chicken made in another batch.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 盐焗鸡_141.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 40 minutesTotal: 1 hourServings: 3–4 (adaptation: the source portion is one ~500 g chicken)Difficulty: MediumRegion: Hakka (Guangdong)Flavour: Salty-savoury, gingery
Why this works
Salt-baking is dry-heat cooking with a trick: the salt is not a seasoning but an oven. Two kilograms of coarse salt, heated and heaped over a paper-wrapped chicken, conduct steady, even heat from every side while the wrapping traps the bird's own juices, so the meat effectively steams in itself without a drop of added water. The result is skin that turns a deep gold and meat that is seasoned right through rather than only on the surface. Three controls decide it: the salt must be heated to 70–80 °C before the bird goes in, the salt layer must be at least 3 cm thick all over so no part cooks faster than another, and the bird must be flipped halfway so the heat stays even. The temperature check is non-negotiable — the thickest part of the thigh must reach 74 °C and hold it for ten seconds. Serve it with rice and a light vegetable, and let guests pull the meat apart at the table.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole three-yellow chicken, giblets removed, about 500 g | 1.1 lb | 500 g | A small roasting chicken works; a much larger bird needs longer baking (adaptation). |
| Coarse sea or rock salt, for baking (reusable) | 4.4 lb | 2,000 g | The source notes the salt can be reused 3–5 times; store it dry and discard if it smells of chicken fat gone stale (adaptation). |
| Coarse salt, for rubbing | 2 tsp | 10 g | — |
| Ginger, sliced | 1 oz | 30 g | — |
| Scallions, cut into lengths | 0.7 oz | 20 g | Plus extra to garnish. |
| Shaoxing wine | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Greaseproof paper or parchment, for wrapping | 2 large sheets | 2 large sheets | Two layers, as in the source, to stop juices leaking into the salt. |
Equipment
- Heavy pot with a lid large enough to bury the chicken in salt
- Instant-read thermometer (essential for the 74 °C check)
- Greaseproof paper
Steps
- Prep and rub. Bring the chicken to room temperature, remove giblets, head and feet, and pat dry inside and out. Rub 10 g coarse salt evenly over and inside the bird, add the wine, ginger and scallions, and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Wrap and heat the salt. Wrap the chicken tightly in two layers of greaseproof paper. Heat the 2,000 g coarse salt in the pot over medium heat until it reaches 70–80 °C — hot enough to feel scorching from 10 cm above the surface.
- Bury the chicken. Scoop out half the salt, set the wrapped chicken in the pot, and cover it with the remaining salt so the layer is at least 3 cm thick everywhere.
- Bake in salt. Keep the pot over medium-low heat so the base stays at 150–160 °C, and bake for 40 minutes, flipping the chicken once at 15 minutes for even cooking.
- Check, rest and carve. Lift out the chicken and unwrap. Check the thickest part of the thigh with a thermometer: it must be at least 74 °C held for 10 seconds — if not, re-wrap and return to the salt for 10 more minutes. Rest for 2 minutes so the juices settle, then chop or tear into pieces, scatter scallions and serve. OVEN ADAPTATION: wrap as above, bury in salt in a roasting pan and bake at 190 °C for 50–60 minutes to the same 74 °C check.
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Technique: salt as an oven, paper as a seal
Salt conducts heat evenly and holds it, so the bird cooks from all sides at once instead of from the bottom up — that is why the layer must be thick and unbroken. The paper matters just as much: it keeps salt off the skin while trapping steam from the bird's own moisture, so the meat stays juicy in what is otherwise a dry method. Without the wrap, the chicken would be salt-cured on the outside and dry inside.
Variations
- Chopped or torn: the source allows chopping or hand-tearing; tearing suits a family table, chopping suits a banquet plate.
- With a dip: serve with a ginger-scallion oil dip. An addition, not in the source.
Frequently asked questions
Can I reuse the salt?
Yes — the source says 3–5 times. Let it cool, store dry, and discard it if it smells stale or greasy.
Why is my chicken underdone in the middle?
Usually the salt layer was thin in places, the base temperature dropped, or the bird was larger than 500 g. Check with a thermometer and give it more time in the salt.
Is this the same as Minxi salt-baked chicken?
No — a different regional version is made in another batch of this site (minxi-salt-baked-chicken). This page is the Hakka salt-baked chicken of report 141.
Storage
Best eaten warm from the salt. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated; reheat until steaming hot throughout (centre at least 74 °C). Do not reuse salt that has been in contact with raw chicken juices outside the wrapping.
Salt-Baked Chicken — Recipe Card
Whole chicken buried in hot coarse salt until golden, juicy and seasoned through.
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 40 minutesTotal: 1 hourServings: 3–4 (adaptation: the source portion is one ~500 g chicken)
Ingredients: 500 g whole chicken; 2,000 g coarse salt for baking; 10 g coarse salt for rubbing; 30 g ginger; 20 g scallions; 15 ml wine; greaseproof paper.
Steps: 1) Rub chicken with 10 g salt, wine, ginger, scallions; marinate 15 minutes. 2) Wrap in two layers of paper. 3) Heat salt to 70–80 °C, bury chicken under ≥3 cm salt. 4) Bake at base 150–160 °C for 40 minutes, flip at 15 minutes. 5) Check thigh ≥74 °C, rest 2 minutes, chop or tear.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 盐焗鸡 (data/reports/141.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Original poster image: clouchef.com (盐焗鸡_141.jpeg). This is the Hakka salt-baked chicken of report 141, not the Minxi version (minxi-salt-baked-chicken) in another batch. The oven adaptation, the 3–4 serving presentation and the salt-storage note are adaptations and are labelled as such.