Serves four to six
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed or minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, crushed or minced (no need to peel)
- 2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1⁄4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 six- to eight-pound roasting chicken
Did you know?
Classic five-spice powder includes star anise, fennel seed, cloves, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorn. But some blends include ginger or anise seeds or cardamom, and some substitute white pepper for the Sichuan kind.
Place your oven rack in its lowest position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Stir together the crushed or minced garlic cloves, crushed or minced fresh ginger, five-spice powder, honey, and soy sauce in a nine- to fourteen-inch wok with heatproof or removable handles.
Place the chicken in the wok and lightly rub the mixture over the entire chicken. Turn the chicken so that it is breast-side down and place the wok in the oven (remove the handle or handles if they are not heatproof).
Roast the chicken for forty-five to sixty minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.
Turn the chicken over so that it is breast-side up, and bake for another thirty to forty-five minutes, until the meat is cooked through but still moist and the skin is dark and crispy.
This story first appeared in the Fall 2018 issue of Bowdoin Magazine.
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