Eight-Treasure Chicken

Eight-Treasure Chicken

　　Ingredients:

　　1 young hen, 1 piece of ginger, 15g wet starch, 5g salt, 50g glutinous rice, 20g soaked shiitake mushrooms, 25g cooked chicken gizzard, 20g lotus seeds, 1 section of scallion, 25g dried scallops, 25g tender bamboo shoots, 15g dried shrimp, 4g MSG, 15ml Shaoxing wine

　　Preparation:

　　1. Slaughter the chicken, clean it, remove the feet, and debone the whole chicken. After deboning, restore the chicken to its original shape and rinse again.

　　2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, wash, and dice. Wash the glutinous rice and lotus seeds. Rinse the dried scallops, place them in a bowl, add 100ml cold water, and steam over high heat for about 30 minutes until cooked. Soak the dried shrimp in boiling water and set aside. 3. Dice the ham, chicken gizzard, and bamboo shoots separately, then mix them with the glutinous rice, mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried scallops, and lotus seeds. Add 3g salt and 3g MSG, stir well, and stuff the mixture into the chicken cavity. Tie a knot at the chicken’s neck to prevent the stuffing from spilling out.

　　3. Blanch the chicken in boiling water for 3 minutes to tighten the meat, then rinse it with cold water. Place it in a large bowl, add scallions, ginger, Shaoxing wine, and water. Steam in a steamer over high heat for 2 hours until tender, then remove.

　　4. Pour the juices into a saucepan, add salt and MSG, bring to a boil, thicken with wet starch to make a light sauce, and drizzle over the chicken.

　　Characteristics:

　　The chicken is deboned while retaining its whole shape. It has a bright appearance, tender meat, premium ingredients, and is highly nutritious. It is one of the 36 renowned Hangzhou dishes recognized by Zhejiang Province in 1956.