Salt and Ash Baked Chicken

First you should butcher your chicken, you can of course ask your local butcher for this or you can truss the bird and pack everything in salt bake. Another alternative is roasted chicken which we will talk about below.

To get your bird ready for salt bake, first things is place its breast side down on the cutting board and make a long slice down the back. From here you can release the skin and pull out the legs, cut these off and reserve for confit. Cut off the wings, and with scissors removed the back.

Now you have a breast on the crown ready for roasting or salt bake, place this in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours to dry the skin.

For confit you’ll want a food processor or a mortar and pestle. Add all ingredients together and mix until green and fragrant.

Bury chicken legs for 5 hours in cure. Rinse, pat dry and place in the fridge uncovered for 1 to 24 hours to dry.

From here you can bury the legs in chicken or duck fat, cover the tray with aluminium foil and bake at 160 for 1 hour. Let cool in fat for a day. You can pick the meat and reserve for use that week or leave the confit covered and refrigerated for 1 month in the fat.

For rice, rinse your grains and let drain. Place rice, salt, and stock or water in medium pot on the stove and bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to a low simmer, let stand for 45 minutes. Fluff and let cool.

For salt bake, whip your egg whites to a stiff peak, add 50g of ash and whipped till mixed well. Add in your salt, make sure to wear gloves and mix everything together, making sure to leave no pockets of egg or salt behind. Reserve in fridge for up to 3 hours before baking.

For chicken Jus, add chicken bones to a roasting pan and place in the oven at 180 °C and bake for 30 minutes and they are caramelised. Add shallots to the large pot and sauté until they begin to colour,,are sure not to burn but continue to cook until they are all a bit roasty, add in chicken bones and deglaze with red wine. Cook for test minutes and add in chicken stock or water. Bring up to a simmer and skim until the stock has reached a consultancy you like. Steep with fresh ginger for 30 minutes and strain.

On a sheet tray with parchment add a layer of salt bake and then your chicken, cover and pack in salt bake until there are no holes and the salt bake is even all around. Bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes, let rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile add your rice to a pot with chicken stock to cover, season with salt and let simmer. Add in your picked chicken, once warm add your mustard greens and toss until they are just barely wilted. Plate immediately.

When you’re ready to slice the chicken, crack the bake with a spoon all around and take off the top, this is a moment to take in the aroma of your chicken. Remove your bird and place on the cutting board brushing all the salt off. You can slice the breast right off the crown, brush with chicken fat and place on the plate. Steam your cabbage in chicken stock and brush with lemon juice and zest, place on the plate, save your jus for the table. Alternatively if you would like to roast your chicken, set your oven to 180 °C and roast the breast on the crown for 30 minutes, let rest for 15 before slicing into the bird.