Tea Smoked Chicken Recipes

TEA SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wash the chicken and pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Combine Szechwan peppercorns, salt, and fivespice powder in a small bowl. Rub the seasonings into the outside and inside cavity of the bird. Place the chicken in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Fill the lower part of a steamer with enough water to come within an inch of the cooking rack. Bring the water to a rolling boil, place the chicken on the rack, and cover the steamer. Steam the chicken for 45 minutes, keeping the water at a boil and replenishing it as it boils away.
• Line a large wok or a heavy Dutch oven with tightfitting lid with heavyduty aluminum foil.
• Combine the smoking mixture ingredients and spread over the foil in the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat under the pot to high and place a rack about 3 inches above the smoking mixture so that the chicken does not touch it. Place the chicken on the rack, breast side up. Line the inside of the lid with more foil, leaving an excess of 3 inches around the lid. Cover the pot tightly and crimp the foil down so the lid fits securely and smoke doesn't escape.
• After you detect smoke, smoke the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the smoke subside, about 5 minutes. The chicken should be a rich, golden brown on the outside.
• Lift out the smoked chicken and transfer to a cutting board. Immediately brush the sesame oil lightly over the outside. Allow chicken to cool, about 10 minutes. To serve, cut off the wings and legs. Divide the body of the chicken in half lengthwise by cutting through the breast and backbone. Lay the halves flat on the cutting board, skinside up, and use a cleaver to chop through each half, bones and all, into 3 to 4 equal pieces. Chop the wings and legs into pieces as well. Arrange the chicken pieces on a large platter, and garnish with the scallion brushes.

TEA-SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a dry, small, heavy skillet toast peppercorns over moderate heat, shaking skillet, 5 minutes. Cool peppercorns and with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder coarsely grind. In a small bowl stir together peppercorns and salt.
• Pat chicken dry and rub inside and out with peppercorn mixture. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to a steamer and steam over boiling water, covered, 25 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through.
• While chicken is steaming, line bottom and lid of a wok with heavy-duty foil. In wok stir together loose tea and brown sugar until combined well.
• Arrange a metal rack about 2 inches above tea mixture and transfer chicken, breast side up, to rack in wok. Heat wok, covered, over moderately high heat until wisps of smoke begin to appear, 2 to 3 minutes, and smoke chicken, covered, 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and smoke, covered, 6 minutes more. Remove wok from heat and let chicken stand, covered, 15 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board and brush lightly with oil.

TEA SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly, and then crush in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle with the salt and five-spice powder until very fine. Rub seasoned salt all over the chicken thighs. 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. Mix the rice, tea and brown sugar together and mound on the foil. Set a steamer on top, and evenly space the chicken on the rack. Cover and cook over high heat. Hot smoke the chicken until smokey-brown colored and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• While the chicken cooks, whisk the Shao-sing wine or sherry, soy, ginger, and sesame together in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. Brush over cooked chicken.
• To serve: Dice the chicken into very small pieces. Toss with the scallions and peanuts in a medium bowl. Cut the lettuce leaves into 40 squares or triangular scoops. Place a drop of Sriracha on top of each lettuce cup, and top with about 2 teaspoons of the diced chicken. Squeeze lime juice over the top, and drizzle the remaining soy-ginger sauce over the chicken. Serve.

TEA SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toast the salt and peppercorns together in a skillet over a low flame until it starts to smoke.
• Let cool and grind in a mortar and pestle.
• Rub the mixture all over the chicken, inside and out.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Steam the chicken in a large pot for about 45 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pricked. I use one of those collapsible steamer inserts in a soup pot. Do save the resulting broth, it's quite flavorful.
• Line a wok and its lid with heavy-duty foil.
• Combine the tea and sugar in the bottom of the wok and place a rack over the mixture.
• Heat the wok until the mixture begins to smoke.
• Pat the chicken dry and place on the rack.
• Cover the wok tightly and smoke the chicken for about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let the covered wok stand for another 30 minutes.
• Cut the chicken into serving pieces and brush with the sesame oil.

TEA-SMOKED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH POMEGRANATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Zest one orange and peel other; set zest and peels aside. Cut oranges in half and squeeze juice through wire mesh strainer into a bowl. Reserve juice.
• Scatter orange peels, tea, star anise and cinnamon around center of bottom of smoker. Cover with drip tray and wire rack. Arrange thighs on rack and season generously with pepper and salt. Place on stove over medium heat and after first wisp of smoke appears, cover tightly with lid. Smoke for 20 to 25 minutes. Shut off heat and rest for 5 minutes with lid on.
• While chicken is smoking, combine zest, hoisin, pomegranate molasses and sriracha in a small bowl. Add about half reserved juice, more if sauce is too thick. Set glaze aside.
• Pour oil in a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium high heat. When hot, add chicken, and cook about three minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium low, brush both sides of chicken with glaze, and cook for another few minutes until crisp. Serve immediately, with extra sauce on the side.