In winter, people often like to eat medicated diets to nourish their bodies. Eight Treasure Chicken is a good choice, belonging to Zhejiang cuisine. It has the beneficial effects of nourishing qi, invigorating the spleen, and warming the stomach.
【What seasonings are used in making Eight Treasure Chicken】
First, slaughter the chicken, wash it, and remove the chicken feet. Remove the stems of the shiitake mushrooms, wash them, and dice them. Place the dried scallops in a bowl, add 100g of water, and steam in a steamer on high heat for 30 minutes until cooked. Soak the dried shrimp in boiling water until soft. Cut the cooked ham, cooked chicken wrists, and tender bamboo shoots into nail-shaped slices. Mix the glutinous rice, winter bamboo shoots, dried scallops, dried shrimp, lotus seeds, monosodium glutamate, and salt, and stuff them into the chicken cavity.
Tie a knot at the neck of the chicken to tighten the meat. Remove and wash with cold water, then place in a large bowl. Add onions, ginger, Shaoxing wine, and 250g of water. Steam in a steamer on high heat for about 2 hours. Take out the chicken and place it with the belly facing up on a long plate. Thicken the original sauce and pour it over the chicken.
【Food incompatibilities with Eight Treasure Chicken】
Chicken + glutinous rice: Eating together can cause discomfort in the body.
Chicken + carp: The flavors do not counteract each other, but the functions are multiplied.
Chicken + dog kidney: Can cause diarrhea.
Chicken + rabbit meat: Causes diarrhea.
Chicken + sweet potato: Eating together can cause abdominal pain.
Chicken + chrysanthemum: Eating together can cause poisoning.
【Three common methods of cooking Eight Treasure Chicken】
First method:
1. Cut out the chicken fat and set it aside. Marinate the remaining chicken with a little salt, starch, soy sauce, sugar, and monosodium glutamate for about ten minutes.
2. Soak the pitted red dates, wolfberries, de-stemmed shiitake mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms in water until the mushrooms become soft.
3. Heat the pot, add a little oil, and then stir-fry the chicken fat that was set aside earlier. Be careful as the pot may catch fire due to the high heat.
4. Then add ginger shreds, garlic, red dates, wolfberries, enoki mushrooms, and chili to stir-fry until fragrant.
6. Add soy sauce, sugar, starch, and sesame oil to thicken the sauce slightly. Then add shredded red pepper and shredded spring onion. Cover the lid and it's ready.
Second method:
1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, lotus seeds, and dried shrimps in warm water beforehand. Rinse the glutinous rice and set aside.
2. When buying the chicken, ask the seller not to open it. Cut from the tail and remove the internal organs. Clean it thoroughly.
3. Boil a pot of water, blanch the chicken for 2-3 minutes, remove and drain the water.
4. Flatten a large piece of ginger and cut it into scallion segments. Rub the chicken all over with the ginger to remove any unpleasant smell.
5. When slightly dry, rub the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
6. Dice the carrots, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimps.
7. Put the glutinous rice in a plate, add all the ingredients and mix well.
8. Then add a little salt, cooking wine, Maggi soy sauce, a little sugar, chicken bouillon, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
9. Stuff the eight treasure ingredients into the chicken's belly until it is about 70-80% full (leave some space as the glutinous rice will expand).
10. Use white cotton thread to sew the chicken's tail securely.
11. Steam over low heat for 2 hours until the chicken meat is tender and the eight treasure ingredients are cooked. Remove from heat, pour the steamed chicken juice, and sprinkle some chopped spring onions.
Third method:
1. Cut a 6 cm long opening from the back of the chicken's neck, cut the chicken bone, remove the internal organs, gizzard, esophagus, wing bones, breastbone, and thigh bones.
2. Soak the cooked lotus seeds and glutinous rice, and wash the Job's tears rice. Remove the hard tendons from the dried scallops, add a little water, and steam for half an hour. Wash the cooked ham, lily slices (100g), shiitake mushrooms (20g), chicken gizzards, chicken livers, and green bamboo shoots, and cut them into 0.6 cm square dices.
3. Put the chicken in a large casserole dish, add spring onions (cut into sections), ginger (sliced), cooking wine, soy sauce, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off any foam. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, turning the chicken over and adding lily slices (50g, sliced) and shiitake mushrooms. Simmer for another hour, then remove and place on a large plate, remove the stitched seam and the spring onions and ginger.
4. Heat the wok over high heat, add the original soup, caramel color, and monosodium glutamate. Thicken with water and starch (10g starch mixed with 10g water). When the soup turns into a thick red sauce, pour in lard and pour the thick sauce over the chicken.
