Forbidden City Chicken

This is a fusion recipe that doesn’t try to be authentic to any one cuisine, and it’s better for it. Chicken halves get coated in a thick glaze of soy sauce, melted butter, curry powder, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and hot sauce, then baked low and slow until the skin turns golden and lacquered under a crust of sesame seeds.

The spice combination is what makes this memorable. Curry powder brings warmth and earthiness. Cinnamon adds a sweet, woody depth that you don’t usually find in savory chicken dishes. Ground ginger sharpens everything. And three-quarters of a cup of soy sauce provides a salty backbone that caramelizes into the skin as it bakes.

Chilling the coated chicken for an hour before baking lets the glaze set up and grip the skin. Without that rest, the sauce slides off in the oven and pools at the bottom of the pan instead of forming that sticky, flavor-packed coating.

Baking at a lower temperature for a full hour gives the skin time to render its fat and crisp slowly while the glaze reduces and concentrates. A higher temp would burn the soy sauce and sugar before the chicken cooks through.

Chef Tips

• Arrange the halves skin-side up in a single layer. Overlapping pieces steam instead of roasting and the skin stays flabby.
• Sprinkle the sesame seeds on right before the chicken goes in the oven so they toast during baking rather than burning.
• The soy sauce provides plenty of salt. Don’t add any extra.
• Baste once or twice during baking with the pan juices for an even thicker, stickier glaze.

Variations

• Use chicken thighs or drumsticks instead of halves for easier serving and more even cooking.
• Add a tablespoon of honey to the glaze mixture for a more pronounced sweet-salty contrast.
• Swap the curry powder for Chinese five-spice powder to lean more toward a traditional Chinese flavor profile.