Oven Roasted Peking Chicken

Marinate the chicken

1. Lightly dust the inside of the chicken with 1/2 tsp of five spice powder.
2. In a large ziploc bag, combine the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken. Massage a few times so the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, up to overnight. (Preferably overnight)

Prior cooking

1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Transfer the chicken from the ziploc bag to a big plate. Remove the ginger from the marinade and add it to the cavity of the chicken. Reserve the marinade for cooking the basting sauce.

Basting sauce

1. Transfer the leftover marinade into a small pot. Cook it on the stove stop over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the maple syrup (or honey) at the end and remove the pot from the stove. Set aside for basting the chicken at the end of baking.

Roast chicken

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C).
2. Set up a baking tray with an adjustable roasting rack (highly recommended, or a regular grilling rack) and set the chicken on it. If you don’t have a rack, you can crumple up foil balls and set the chicken on them. Or alternatively, you can cut onions into big pieces and set the chicken on top
3. If you are using a probe digital thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the chicken, usually into the thigh without touching the bone. (Not between the leg and the thigh, but the thigh itself)
4. After 20 minutes, you should see oil drippings. Baste the chicken with the oil every 20 minutes or so, for an hour. If you don’t get any oil drippings, you can use 1-2 tablespoon of oil.
5. For the last 30 minutes, start basting it every 10-15 minutes with the basting sauce. Note, make sure to close the oven door every time you’re basting the chicken, to prevent the oven temperature from dropping too much. The total baking time can range from 1 hour and 20 minutes (for a small chicken under 3 lbs / 1.4 kg) up to 2 hours (for a big chicken that’s 5 lbs / 2.3 kg).
6. Remove the chicken when the internal temperature hits 165F (74C). If you don’t have a thermometer, slice the skin between the chicken thigh and body cavity. You should be able to pull the thigh easily from the body and the chicken meat near the joint should be white. If the chicken is not cooked, return it to the oven and let it cook until cooked through.
7. Once done, let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
8. Serve the chicken as a main dish over steamed rice. Enjoy!