My Chinese flavor brining combo (for 4 lbs chicken. Recipe can be easily doubled)
1inhead garlichalve half
8Chinese red datesalt. 6 medjool or Himalayan dates
3star anise
¼cupfresh sliced gingerunpeeled
2bay leavesdry
Halfone wholelime peel
¼cupcoarse sea salt
7cupswater
Instructions
A day before:
Combine the ingredients listed under “My Chinese flavor brining combo” in a 5 liter size large soup pot. Bring it to boil and then wait until the liquid is cool to room temperature before submerge the whole chicken in the brining liquid. Breast side down. Cover the soup pot with a lid and store in the fridge for 24 hours.
Baking the chicken:
Whisk ingredients under “orange chicken skin coating sauce” in a medium bowl and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400/410 degrees F
Drain and pat dry the chicken. Rub melted ghee or duck fat all over the chicken and underneath the skin. Be careful not to break the skin.
Sprinkle the entire chicken and cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with orange and lemon wedges and 2-3 garlic cloves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string.
Position a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken first for 40 minutes then rotate the roasting pan to bake another 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the “orange chicken skin coating sauce”.
Continue roasting the chicken until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170 degrees F without touching the bone.
Got extra sauce in the baking pan ?
If you like, place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining orange coating sauce and simmer until the sauce is reduced, stirring often, about 2-3 minutes. Strain into a glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.