Recipe: Chicken in a Packet

Chicken in a Packet

Makes 30

Chicken in a Packet Not a frozen microwave wonder, these are homemade little bundles of chicken and ham, fresh from the oven and ready to be a contender for the best starter you have ever prepared.

Marinade
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken,
cut into 30 bite-size pieces
2 ounces ham or chinese sausage (lop cheong)
2 ounces sliced bamboo shoots
6 slices ginger, julienned
2 green onions, julienned
30 cilantro leaves

30 pieces foil, each 5 inches square

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Cut the ham into matchstick pieces. If using the Chinese sausage, boil in water for a minute or two before cutting.

On each piece of foil, place one piece of chicken, ham, bamboo shoot, ginger, green onion, and a cilantro leaf. Fold the foil in half to form a triangle. Fold the edges to seal.

Place the packets in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is opaque when cut, 10 to 12 minutes.

Buy the Book!

Martin Yan's Invitation to Chinese Cooking
By Martin Yan
Bay Books, 1999
Paper, $24.95
240 pages, 138 recipes, 50 plus color photographs
ISBN: 1-57959-504-9
Recipe reprinted by permission.