Scallion-Baked Chicken (Xiang Cong Ju Ji)

Why people make this dish

Wenchang chicken is a well-regarded breed native to Hainan province, fed partly on coconut, and known for its tender, flavorful meat. It is wonderful as Hainanese chicken rice, served with ginger paste, green onion, a touch of salt and soy sauce, and a squeeze of lime. But on days when you want something even simpler, nothing beats this method: a pound of spring onions, a whole bird, a rice cooker, and no oven required. The result is a dish fragrant enough to make the whole kitchen smell wonderful. This is the Cantonese home cook’s answer to the question: what is the most flavorful thing I can make with the least effort?

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for most healthy adults and families as a regular everyday meal
• Choose certified organic or free-range chicken (Bro Niu recommends brands raised without growth hormones, such as those from organic farms) — especially important for women and for cancer patients in recovery
• Those undergoing active chemotherapy should exercise caution with conventionally raised chicken; Bro Niu suggests organic free-range options and eating breast meat only, with the skin removed
• People with high cholesterol should avoid internal organs and eat only the lean meat

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Spring onions / green onions (xiang cong): Beyond their flavor, green onions are traditionally considered warming and dispersing — they help move qi, support digestion, and gently warm the stomach. A full pound of onions here serves both as a steaming bed and as a seasoning, permeating the chicken with fragrance without any added oil.
• Young chicken (nen ji): Young birds have more tender flesh and lighter fat than older chickens, making them well-suited to this gentle steam-bake technique. Free-range breeds are preferred for flavor and to minimize exposure to hormones.
• Sea salt (hai yan): Compared to refined table salt, sea salt retains natural trace minerals, which Bro Niu considers a meaningful difference in everyday cooking.
• Sand ginger powder (sha jiang fen): A mild, aromatic powder from Kaempferia galanga — different from regular ginger — that gives the chicken a distinctive warm, slightly floral note. It also complements the warming nature of green onion.

Ingredients (3–4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Spring onions / green onions	500 g (1 jin)	Remove roots; wash well; cut into sections
Young free-range chicken	1 whole bird	Wenchang chicken or any quality free-range bird
Sea salt	To taste	Enough to rub the cavity and surface generously
Sand ginger powder (sha jiang fen)	A small pinch	Available at Chinese grocery stores; substitute: a small amount of galangal powder
Light soy sauce	A small splash	Optional, for serving alongside

Method

1. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Rub sea salt and a pinch of sand ginger powder generously over the entire surface of the chicken as well as inside the cavity. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours to allow the seasoning to penetrate.
3. Trim the roots from the spring onions, wash thoroughly, and cut into sections.
4. Line the bottom of a rice cooker with a layer of scallion sections.
5. Stuff the remaining scallion sections into the chicken cavity.
6. Place the stuffed chicken on top of the scallion bed in the rice cooker. Lay any remaining scallion pieces over the top of the chicken.
7. Close the rice cooker lid and press the cook button. Allow the cooker to complete its cycle and switch automatically to “keep warm.” The chicken is done.
8. Remove the chicken, chop into pieces, and serve with the fragrant juices from the pot.

Bro Niu’s tips

This method is as easy as it gets — no fire-watching, no oven, no added water. The chicken and scallions release their own moisture as they cook, creating a natural steam environment inside the rice cooker that keeps the meat incredibly juicy. Chilled free-range chicken from a supermarket or butcher works perfectly well for this dish. If you want a slightly more complex marinade, Bro Niu suggests 2 teaspoons of sand ginger powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine — or swap the sand ginger for lemongrass powder for a Southeast Asian note.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Irene): Do I need to add water when baking the chicken? Bro Niu: No water needed at all. The chicken and the scallions will release their own juices as they cook, providing all the moisture the dish needs.

• Q (angel): What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt? And is it true that eating too much chicken can cause uterine fibroids? Bro Niu: Sea salt retains natural trace minerals that refined table salt does not — it is closer to what your body recognizes as a natural mineral source. As for chicken and fibroids: most commercially raised chickens today use growth hormones, and excess estrogen from these hormone-fed birds has been associated with a higher risk of uterine and breast tumors. That is why Bro Niu prefers hormone-free organic free-range chicken — eating the breast meat without skin from these birds is fine.

• Q (fytsoi): Can cancer patients eat chicken? My family member is undergoing chemotherapy. Bro Niu: Because most commercially raised chickens are fed with hormones, cancer patients currently undergoing chemotherapy should avoid them. Even after treatment, eating them sparingly is wise. However, certified organic free-range chicken can be eaten in moderation — choose the breast meat and remove the skin. Brands from organic farms are the safest option.

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Published November 8, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.