Tea-smoked chicken

Votes: 2

Time: 5 hours 16 minutes
Complexity: average
Servings: 4-6

Even if you don't have a smoker, there's a great way to treat yourself to some real, homemade hot-smoked chicken. You can cook it on the stovetop in a deep pan lined with foil and filled with a mixture of black tea, dry rice, and brown sugar. Place a steamer rack over the mixture, cover the entire pan with a lid, and heat over high heat. To give your smoked chicken a wonderful Asian flavor, rub it with a Chinese spice mix beforehand, and then, when it's done, brush it with a soy-ginger sauce. This chicken is spicy, savory, and perfect for appetizers.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder
2 tablespoons coarse salt
450 g of skinless and boneless chicken thighs
1/4 cup white rice
3 tablespoons of Chinese black tea
2 tbsp. l. brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or semi-dry sherry
2 tbsp soy sauce, preferably dark (see Note)
1 tbsp. peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Half a head of iceberg lettuce
Sriracha sauce or other Asian chili sauce, to taste
Juice of half a lime

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly, then grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle with the salt and five-spice powder until very finely ground. Rub the chicken thighs with the spices. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
Bring the chicken to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking.

Line the bottom of a wok, skillet, or heavy pot with a double layer of aluminum foil. Combine the rice, tea, and brown sugar and pour onto the foil. Place a steamer on top and distribute the chicken evenly on the rack. Cover and set over high heat. Smoke the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
While the chicken is smoking, combine Shaoxing wine or sherry, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame seeds in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, remove from the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. Brush the finished chicken with the sauce.
To serve, cut the chicken into very small pieces. Toss in a medium bowl with the green onions and peanuts. Cut the lettuce into 40 squares or triangles. Drizzle a little chili sauce into each salad bowl and top with about 2 teaspoons of diced chicken. Drizzle with lime juice and the remaining soy-ginger sauce. Serve.

Note

Dark soy sauce is thicker and slightly sweeter than other sauces. It adds a depth of flavor that pairs perfectly with chicken. It can be found in Asian stores or supermarkets with a good Asian food section.