San Hua Kao Ji Three Flower Roast Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let chicken stand at room temperature 1 hour. Pat dry, then rub with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Toss together sweet potatoes, cauliflower, pancetta, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread around chicken (they won't be in a single layer). Roast 25 minutes; remove from oven.
• Turn vegetables and add capers. Return to oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of chicken thigh (without touching bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let chicken rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss vegetables with pan juices and return to oven, if additional browning is desired, 5 minutes. Serve chicken with vegetables.

Steps:

• Marinate the chicken: Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse into a coarse paste. Wash chicken and pat dry, then prick the thick part of the breast, legs and thighs with a sharp fork. Rub cavity and skin with paste; put chicken in a resealable bag and let rest about 10 hours or overnight.
• Poach the chicken: Combine all the poaching seasonings with 3 quarts water and bring to a boil in a 5-quart heavy pot. Add chicken, breast side down, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let chicken stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover it again and let stand another 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let it drain. Allow to cool slightly.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Steep tea leaves in hot, but not boiling water (about 180 degrees) about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving wet leaves. Stuff chicken with half the leaves and the remaining ingredients. Coat chicken with remaining leaves. Discard tea.
• Loosely wrap chicken with a large piece of foil and set it on a baking sheet. Poke 4 to 5 small holes in foil to allow steam to escape and liquid to drain.
• Bake chicken 30 minutes on the middle rack, then remove from oven, discard foil and drain any liquid. Return chicken to baking pan, breast side up, and bake until dark brown, 45 minutes to an hour. Cool slightly, then gently pull chicken meat in coarse strips. Discard skin, bones and stuffing. Serve chicken warm or cool with some of tea leaves.