Salt Baked Chicken, an Easy Version

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• What is salt baked chicken
• Ingredients
• Cooking process
• Serving ideas
• Other chicken recipes
• 📋 Recipe card

What is salt baked chicken

Salt baked chicken, known as Yán Jū Jī/Yum Guk Hai/盐焗鸡 in Chinese, is a signature delicacy of Hakka cuisine (客家菜). Like Peking Duck, it’s renowned not only for its distinctive aromatic flavor but also for its unique cooking procedure.

The traditional version of this dish involves cooking a whole chicken wrapped in paper and buried in a generous amount of hot salt. Although the word “baked” is used to translate “Jū/焗”, this dish isn’t traditionally cooked in an oven, but rather on the stovetop in a tightly sealed pot over low heat (note that ovens aren’t common equipment in traditional Chinese kitchens).

The simplified version

Today’s recipe is a simplified version that I’ve tested with great success. This method doesn’t involve wrapping the chicken or using a large amount of salt. Plus, the cooking is done in the oven, requiring minimal attention.

 

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you need:

• A whole chicken, preferably organic corn-fed for a better taste
• Salt
• Sand ginger powder (learn more in the section below)
• White pepper
• Turmeric (optional, learn more in the section below)
• Scallions
• Ginger

About sand ginger

Sand ginger (or aromatic ginger), known as Shā Jiāng/沙姜 or Shān Nài/山奈 in Chinese, belongs to the ginger family, but it tastes very different from regular ginger, so they’re not interchangeable.

Sand ginger powder, which is ground from dried sand ginger, gives salt baked chicken its iconic flavor profile, distinguishing it from other chicken dishes.

You can find it in most Chinese/Asian grocery stores or popular online shopping platforms.

🌟 Can’t find sand ginger? Try other whole chicken recipes on my blog, such as Five Spice Chicken, or Smoked Chicken.

About turmeric

Turmeric is used to replace dried cape jasmine fruits (黄栀子), a natural coloring ingredient used in the traditional version of salt baked chicken. It lends an appetizing yellow tone to the chicken skin. Please feel free to skip it as this won’t alter the taste of the dish.

Cooking process

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

Use kitchen paper to gently pat dry the skin and the cavity of the chicken.

Mix all the seasonings (sand ginger powder, salt, white pepper, turmeric) with a little cooking oil to form a sticky paste.

Use your hands, with food-grade gloves if available, to rub the marinade paste all over the chicken, including the cavity. Massage gently enhance penetration.

Leave to marinate for 4 hours or overnight. Remember to take the chicken out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking, allowing it to come back to room temperature for more even heat distribution.

Step 2: Cook in the oven

Preheat the oven at 390°F/200°C/Gas 6 (Fan-assisted 360°F/180°C).

Transfer the marinated chicken to an oven-proof pot or a deep baking tray. Put scallions and ginger slices inside the cavity of the chicken. 

Cover the pot with a tight lid, or use kitchen foil if you’re using a baking tray. This creates a closed environment to ensure minimal moisture escapes from the chicken during cooking.

Put the pot/tray on the middle shelf of the preheated oven. Leave to cook for 1 hour.

If you use a heavy cast iron pot that retains heat very well (similar to the one shown in the picture),  take it out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes (remain covered). 

If using a regular baking tray covered with kitchen foil, leave it inside the oven for 30 minutes after you turn it off.

Step 3: Make a sauce

Take out the chicken and keep the juice for the sauce. Once it’s cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into small chunks. Alternatively, tear the skin and flesh into shreds, like how you serve Bang Bang Chicken.

Put finely chopped scallions and ginger paste into a small bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of the chicken juice (heat it if it has gone cold). Mix well and use it as a dipping sauce, or pour it over the chicken to serve.

Serving ideas

This salt baked chicken makes a wonderful center dish for any special meal, such as the Chinese New Year Feast. Pair it with dishes made with other meats, or seafood, and several vegetable sides.

For a quick meal, simply serve it over steamed rice, accompanied by blanched vegetables like Gai Lan and a generous amount of the sauce for extra flavor.

🌟 TIP: If you have any leftover chicken juice, let it cool and congeal into aspic. Use it in the fillings for soup dumplings or pan-fried buns.

Other chicken recipes

Looking for more delicious ways to cook chicken? Try these classic Chinese recipes:

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