Unlike traditional grilled chicken dishes, clay-coated chicken not only impresses with its different processing but also attracts diners with its strange and delicious taste.
Clay-wrapped chicken is actually grilled chicken but wrapped in lotus leaves, cooked by braised in clay and grilled over charcoal. This method helps the chicken to be tender, fragrant, and intriguing to diners.
However, not only attracted by the unique form, what makes the clay-coated chicken attractive is also the way it is marinated and processed.
Mr. Pham Thang – owner of a chain of business establishments selling clay grilled chicken in Hanoi and Hai Phong said that he has been selling this dish for more than a year.
Mr. Thang has 15 years of experience as a chef. However, when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the restaurant closed, this man discussed with some close brothers, and came up with the idea of making clay-coated chicken to sell online.
“I remember the image of a chicken wrapped in clay in the movie Land of the Southern Forest. This is also a dish that reminds me of childhood, associated with the village and field, so I decided to sell it.
At first, I only intended to sell to acquaintances and friends around in small quantities to cover the epidemic season, but gradually, this dish was supported by many diners,” Thang said.
Mr. Thang also applies his many years of experience in the kitchen to create a clay-roasted chicken dish with a unique flavor that is suitable for the taste of both adults and children.
Chickens are selected by him from our chickens, weighing from 1.7 to 1.8 kg/head. Chicken must be a bit old, not too young so that after the process of brazing and baking, it is not soft or mushy.
The clay must be dried and then kneaded with water, treated so that it is clean and flexible to facilitate wrapping the chicken.
Although chicken wrapped in clay is not strange, it requires meticulous and elaborate processing. Thanks to that, the grilled chicken is still soft, not dehydrated, and the meat is sweet, bringing up the aroma of lotus leaves.
First, the chickens are plucked, cleaned, left whole and the gizzards are filtered separately. Then, marinate the chicken with a mixture of sauces prepared according to its own recipe, including traditional spices such as salt and pepper, and a little more ingredients such as star anise and cardamom.
Thanks to that, this grilled chicken dish evokes the aroma of many different ingredients and has an attractive color.
The gizzard inside after cleaning is also chopped by Mr. Thang, non-aromatic along with some rustic ingredients in the countryside such as onions, ginger, lemon leaves, … Then mix the gizzards with delicious glutinous rice, wrapped in lotus leaf and stuffed into chicken belly.
This method helps the sticky rice and gizzard to cook evenly, spreading the attractive aroma throughout the chicken belly. Thanks to that, the chicken is also richer and tastier.
Wait for the chicken to absorb the spices evenly after marinating and stuffing the belly with gizzard sticky rice, then wrap the chicken with lotus leaves. Next, cover the outer layer of foil and cover the outermost layer with clay mixed with straw.
According to Mr. Thang, the process of wrapping the chicken needs to be clever so that the layers of leaves, foil and clay are not punctured, avoiding exposing the meat, and at the same time ensuring the aesthetics of the dish.
After covering with clay, the chicken is grilled for about 1-1.5 hours on biochar to avoid smoke and create more aroma. Baked clay has the ability to retain heat for a long time, so that the chicken is fully braised, blended with the aroma of spices and lotus leaves.
Anh Dao Minh Quan (in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) moved nearly 8km from his house to Kim Nguu street to buy clay-coated chicken. This is the second time I have tasted this dish.
“The first time because I was curious, I bought it to try it, it was delicious when I came back, the whole family liked it, so now I’m going back to buy it again. I used to eat other grilled chicken dishes in Hanoi but it didn’t suit my taste and found the chicken wrapped in soil. clay has a more exotic taste. The chicken is soft, succulent, not too dry and retains its heat,” said Quan.
On average, every day, in Hanoi, Mr. Thang sells more than a hundred clay-roasted chickens. If the guest requests to treat the clay on site, he will remove the outermost layer, leaving the grilled chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and foil for guests to enjoy at home.
The best way to enjoy clay-roasted chicken is to tear it off by hand instead of chopping it into pieces. The chicken is tender, fragrant, sweet, and seasoned with salt or chili sauce.
Photo: Internet