Hed Chef: Chicken Chilli Bak Kwa

Too busy spring cleaning to queue for premium bak kwa? It is not too late to grab a couple of chicken legs and make your own.

Yes, that's right - chicken legs (thigh plus drumstick) to get on the theme to celebrate the Year of the Rooster.

Revisiting a previous recipe for pork bak kwa, I tweaked it using chicken meat.

I threw in a little chilli to spice it up, but the effect is pretty mild, so it is still palatable for children. You can use two ground-up chilli padi if you want to take the spiciness up a notch.

I chose to use chicken legs as the meat is tender and moist. The fat content also keeps the meat from drying out during the cooking process.

The quantities of the ingredients in this recipe yield about 24 slices (800g) of chicken bak kwa.

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EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Food processor
• Baking paper
• Cling wrap
• Rolling pin
• Baking tray measuring 37cm by 26cm by 1.5cm deep

INGREDIENTS

• 1.3kg deboned chicken legs (with skin)
• 240g fine sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 3 drops of Chinese rose wine
• 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine
• 3 red finger chillies (deseeded, finely chopped)
• A pinch of red food colouring

METHOD

1. Rinse the deboned chicken legs, drain the excess water and place them in the fridge for two hours to dry.

2. Remove the chicken legs from the fridge and place half of them in the food processor. Pulse to mince them. Remove and pulse the remaining chicken legs.

3. Place all the meat in a deep dish.

4. Add the sugar, salt, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder, Chinese rose wine and Chinese rice wine. Mix well.

5. Add in the chopped red finger chillies. 

6. Add in a pinch of red food colouring. Mix well.

7. Leave the meat to marinate overnight.

8. Cut four sheets of baking paper, each to fit the 37cm by 26cm tray.

9. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C.

10. Line the tray with a sheet of baking paper.

11. Take 325g of the meat and place it on the baking paper. Cover the meat, including the entire sheet of baking paper, with cling wrap. Use a rolling pin to flatten and spread the meat to cover the sheet of baking paper. Aim for a thickness of about 5mm.

11. Remove the cling wrap.

12. Using the middle rack, place the tray of meat in the oven and bake for 13 minutes.

13. Remove from the oven. Use a pair of scissors to cut the meat into six pieces.

14. Place the tray back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

15. Remove from the oven, turn over and bake for another two minutes.

16. Remove from oven, place on wire rack and allow to cool. Store in an air-tight container.

17. Repeat the baking process for the remaining meat.