Step 1

Remove the chicken innards, then exfoliate the skin and cavity with coarse salt. Rinse well and pat dry. Leave the chicken head intact.

Step 2

Rub the chicken all over with marinade ingredients and allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Step 3

Remove the skin from the ginger and slice it thinly.

Step 4

Remove the skin from the shallots and garlic, then bruise slightly with the blunt surface of your knife.

Step 5

Add the glaze ingredients together to form a syrup for later use.

Step 6

Wash the spring onions and set aside.

Step 7

In a deep medium-sized pot, heat up 1 TBsp of oil over medium heat. Then add in the garlic, shallots, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaves and fry until aromatic.

Step 8

Next, add in the 1 litre of water, 1.5 cups of dark soy sauce, spring onion and rock sugar, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Step 9

Once boiling, hold the chicken by its neck and lower it into the sauce, then lift it back out. Repeat this process three times.

Step 10

Finally place the whole chicken into the pot ensuring 3/4 of chicken is immersed in the soya sauce mixture. Cover the pot and cook the chicken over low fire for about 20 minutes, turning it every 10 minutes.

Step 11

Turn the heat up to high fire for 10 minutes to complete the cooking process. Check if the chicken is cooked through (see tips), then turn off the fire and allow the chicken to steep in the sauce for 15 minutes.

Step 12

Transfer the chicken to a plate and brush it all over with maltose syrup. Then brush it over with Chinese rice wine or Rose Rice Wine.

Step 13

Once the chicken is cool, chop it into pieces and serve with rice or noodles.