Last year, I was determined to make Cantonese roast duck at home – but after browsing multiple recipes, I quickly realized I wasn’t up for the challenge. Between sewing the duck shut and inflating it with air, I figured this was a dish best left to the professionals.
Leave it to Calvin Eng to create a genius workaround: Roast Duck (Without A Duck). Swapping out the duck with the easier-to-fine whole chicken, the bird is spatchcocked and slathered under the skin with a deeply flavorful hoisin and oyster sauce marinade seasoned with white pepper, five-spice, sugar, MSG, and onion powder.
After an overnight marinade, to let those flavors absorb and the skin dry out, the chicken is roasted in a very hot oven until it’s cooked through and beautifully browned. The backbone, removed during spatchcocking, gets chopped and simmered with onions and carrots to create a rich hoisin jus that’s drizzled over the top.
This might just be the best roast chicken I’ve ever made: ultra-crispy skin, juicy, tender meat, and bold, savory flavor. All in a fraction of the time it takes to make traditional Cantonese duck.
Book: Salt Sugar MSG, page 210
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: Hoisin sauce
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe not online.
