Gaoming Hanging Roast Chicken

Gaoming Hanging Roast Chicken

　　Gaoming Hanging Roast Chicken

　　No one knows who came up with the name “Hanging Roast Chicken,” or whether this cooking method is used elsewhere. Its origin is most likely from Taiwan — in Taiwanese TV programs, it’s called “standing chicken” (the local nickname), and it’s said to be the ideal dish for bosses to serve their staff because the chicken’s head is held high.

　　The chicken isn’t roasted over an open flame but rather cooked by indirect heat in a pot. The owner takes the slaughtered chicken into a small wooden shack, closes the door, and when he comes out, the chicken is already seasoned — presumably with a secret recipe. Roasting the chicken takes over forty minutes. The resulting meat is firm and definitely from a free-range chicken. The skin is very crispy, and at the bottom of the serving dish is a sauce that includes the chicken’s innards. Aside from seasonings, the sauce also contains chicken oil that drips during roasting. Don’t waste this sauce — use it to mix with rice, and you’ll find it absolutely “unbeatable.” It’s not greasy at all, and has the aroma of chicken fat, a fragrance that definitely doesn’t come from spices. You won’t have a problem eating several bowls of rice.