Chicken Cooked in Clay (Beggar’s Chicken)

Chicken Cooked in Clay (Beggar’s Chicken)

I’ve spent 25% of my life living in China. When I first got there over 10 years ago I was taken out to dinner and this is the dish we were served (Beggar’s Chicken). The clay covered chicken arrived on a cart and they let me go up and crack it open with a hammer. It completely blew my mind and I remember absolutely loving it. It’s funny though, that was the first and last time I ever ate it while living there and I had forgotten about the experience until recently.

Where did Beggar’s Chicken come from?
There’s a few different stories but this is generally how the story goes. Thousands of years ago a beggar was able to get his hands on a chicken but lacked any pots, pans or utensils. So he covered it up in some clay and cooked it in a fire.

Is it practical?
Wrapping the chicken so many times prevents steam from escaping and the lotus leaves make a dramatic difference in flavor. You could certainly achieve similar results with modern day equipment. But honestly there is nothing more fun than cracking open a clay covered chicken with a hammer.
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#chicken #beggarschicken #chickenrecipe #chickendinner #wholechicken #recipe #trysomethingnew

[Just_Felix_Btw]

"Man, who the fuck terracotta'd my chicken?"

[mirandamarie]

You know what? I really respect that he gives us the full instructions knowing damn well none of us are ever going to do this.

[kyle_]

"tie her up"
"Lay her down"
"Incredibly juicy"
💀💀😭😭😭😭

[Dorimuzu]

WOW the years that Max spent in China is really showing, although usually you would dig a hole and cook the chicken in there, this is also a fantastic recreation! Very nice Max!

[phatboi]

"How do you like your chicken?"

*Fossilized*

[xavierkoh]

Instructions unclear, accidentally brought the chicken back to life

[spencey]

imagine if it wasn’t fully cooked and you had to cover it all again

[snowman]

"Dad can we get a pet chicken"
"NO"
*Gets chicken anyways*
*Dad and the chicken the next day*-

[lilac]

Me remembering that one hannibal scene where he cooks abel gideon's leg in clay: At least he's doing it with a chicken now

[Abadid-jcxl]

"Man, who the fuck armoured my chicken with 1278.68 mm of steel?"

[diegolopezzz]

Just remember to buy food grade clay y’all, don’t poison yourselves with regular sculpting or modeling clay

[salviac]

Imagine hearing your parents say "Diners ready!" And when you came down there is just a lump of clay on a plate

[happyjohn]

I actually did this myself once but I soaked the paper wrapping around the chicken with broth and covered the chicken with a crap ton of herbs. I used butcher paper instead of newspaper though.

The clay seals in all the moisture so the meat doesn't dry out Probably the juiciest chicken I have ever made.

[cl]

I loveee beggars chicken, I ate it a lot when i was younger. It’s a Chinese dish called 乞兒雞. The story behind it is that a beggar stole a chicken but had no pots or tools to cook it with so he wrapped it in lotus leaves and clay and set it underground next to where he lit a fire and the next day he dug it up and the meat was tender and juicy😋😋

[burgers]

"Mom, why does this taste like clay?"
"Don't worry son"

[SasugaAda]

Random knowledge for those who wants to know: The way in the video is more of a modern way of making beggar’s chicken because it’s harder to make beggars chicken in the traditional way. Beggar’s chicken was traditionally made with freshly stolen and killed chicken with feathers un-plucked. The main reason for this is because they had to get rid of the chicken fast before they get caught so no time to pluck. You season the clay (yes, the clay) and cover the chicken as a whole, put it in fire until it’s all cooked. The seasoning in the clay will melt into the chicken, and the clay itself will stick to the chicken feathers, so that when you crack and peel the clay, the feathers will come right off leaving a nice cooked, seasoned chicken. You might still get some dirt in your mouth, but Beggar’s can’t be choosers 😂

[crtz]

If you wonder where this chicken came from, it's a recipe from various very know chinese adventure books. The chinese name of the chicken translated is beggar's chicken 叫花鸡。
Here is the origin of it:
According to the history, a long time ago, a beggar got a chicken by chance, but he had no cooking utensils and seasonings, and he couldn't even find boiling water to sludge the chicken. The beggar had a sudden idea and put the broken belly of the chicken with hair on it and put it into a pile of firewood to roast. After the soil is dry and hard, smash it into pieces. The chicken feathers will fall off along with the mud, and the chicken will smell fragrant. Later, this practice was imitated by others and became a famous dish in Changshu. It was named Beggar's chicken after his creator.

[snowman]

"Dad where is my clay?"
"I can't answer that son"

[deadsheep]

"So... we demolished grandpa Max's house yesterday. Found this in the the wreckage."
Is that a mummified chicken?"

[Yonizeni]

This is one of the coolest recipes... love ya Max, keep it up