Hakka Salt-Roasted Chicken
One of the 1000 Things to Eat is a method of cooking a chicken in a salt crust. The chicken is first rubbed with vinegar and left to dry out in the refrigerator overnight. The idea is to draw the moisture out which I then find curious since salt crusting is designed to hold the moisture in. In addition, all the wonderful juices get soaked up in the salt and have to be thrown away. If you spend any time on the internet you will see people who will both love and hate salt cooking. One of my most favorite quotes comes from a Bon Appetit article on using salt coating on fish (and of course you can do this with chicken, fish, vegetables, etc.). The quote comes from Chris Hall: “Cooking a whole fish in a salt crust is a fine idea—if you don’t own any cooking vessels and live on the edge of a salt marsh. Otherwise, it’s sort of a gimmick”. I am going to say I sort of agree. You lose the juice; you waste the salt and it creates a mess you have to clean up. Give me a roasted chicken sans salt any old day BUT it is a 1000 Things to eat so you can give it a try. Want some more info on cooking with salt crusts? Give one of the links a read.
Salt Baking is the Key to Juicier Birds, Meats and Seafood
