Smoked Tea Chicken
Tender chicken slowly smoked with tea and spices, golden‑red skin, crispy outside, juicy inside, a ceremonial classic.
Ingredients
15 items- Whole chicken 1 (about 3 lbs)
- Tea leaves (black or oolong) 30 g
- Sugar 50 g
- Rice 50 g
- Light soy sauce 3 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Cooking wine 2 tbsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Five spice powder 1 tsp
- Ginger 10 g
- Scallion 20 g
- Cinnamon stick 1
- Star anise 2
- Sichuan peppercorns 1 tsp
- Sesame oil 1 tbsp
Nutrition
Steps （9 steps）
Pat chicken dry. Rub inside and out with soy sauces, wine, salt, five spice, ginger, scallion, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan pepper. Massage 5 min, marinate in fridge 4 h.
Line a heavy pot with foil. Mix tea leaves, sugar, rice on the foil.
Bring half a pot of water to a boil. Blanch chicken 2 min, drain and pat dry.
Place chicken on a rack inside the pot, above the smoking mixture, about 2 cm above.
Cover pot and heat on high 3 min until yellow smoke appears and tea scent is strong, then reduce to medium‑low heat.
Smoke on medium‑low for 20 min, keeping lid sealed. Even smoke from edges is normal.
Turn off heat, let rest 5 min, then uncover and carefully remove chicken; skin should be golden brown.
Immediately brush sesame oil over skin for gloss and fragrance.
Let chicken cool, then chop into serving pieces. Serve with garlic‑vinegar sauce if desired.
Tips
Keep lid sealed during smoking to prevent smoke escaping; use black or oolong tea for best flavor; longer marinating yields deeper taste.
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