Ingredients and Recipe for Authentic Spicy Chicken Hot Pot

Preparing the Chicken

Rub the chicken thoroughly with rock salt, both on the skin and inside the cavity. If you have ginger wine, use it to prep the chicken for added fragrance.

Afterward, rinse the chicken well, let it dry, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

In a mortar, pound about 5-6 bird's eye chilies, 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, and 1 tablespoon of rock salt to use as a marinade for the chicken. Additionally, marinate with:

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon chicken seasoning powder
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix well and let the chicken absorb the seasoning for about 15-20 minutes.

Preparing Other Ingredients

Remove the stems from the bird's eye chilies, wash them, and let them dry. If you can handle more heat, lightly crush or slice the chilies to release their spice when cooking the hot pot.

Peel the shallots, scrape off any blackened or dried parts of the ginger, and mince them both.

Peel off the tough outer layers of the lemongrass, wash, then crush and cut into 2-3cm pieces.

Rinse the dried red dates and let them dry.

Soak the shiitake mushrooms in water until soft, then rub them with a bit of rock salt, rinse well, and remove the stems.

Shiitake mushrooms have a strong aroma, so be careful not to use too many.

Rinse the kaffir lime leaves.

Peel and cut the onions into wedges.

Pick and clean the vegetables for dipping in the hot pot, then soak them in salted water and drain well.

If you're serving the hot pot with vermicelli, blanch it briefly in boiling water and drain.

Fry the dried tofu skin until crispy; this will give it a delicious texture when dipped in the hot pot.

Cooking the Spicy Chicken Hot Pot

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pot. When the oil is hot, sauté the shallots, ginger, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Add a bit of fish sauce to enhance the aroma.

Next, add the chicken and increase the heat slightly to sear the meat.

You should use the head, neck, small wings, and bony breast pieces to make the broth. Keep the pieces with intact skin and nice cuts on a separate plate for dipping in the hot pot later. This makes the hot pot more appealing than cooking all the chicken in the broth.

Sear the chicken until it's just cooked, then pour in the fresh coconut water (1.5 liters) and add water to make the broth. You should estimate about 3.5-4 liters of liquid for a hot pot serving 4-5 people.

When the broth boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the chicken is tender. Be sure not to cook it over high heat as this will reduce the richness of the coconut water. Occasionally skim the foam off the surface for a clear broth.

When the chicken is nearly tender, add the dried red dates, cook for another 10 minutes, then add the bird's eye chilies, shiitake mushrooms, and onions.

Season the broth with chicken seasoning powder, MSG, and fish sauce to enhance the flavor. Be sure to add about 3-4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice to create a mild, refreshing sourness in the broth. Adjust the sourness to your family's taste.

Here at Cookbeo, we season the broth with 2 tablespoons of chicken seasoning powder, a small amount of MSG, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 4.5 tablespoons of fresh lime juice.

Remember not to season the broth too strongly, as the flavor will intensify as you dip more ingredients into the hot pot. If the broth is too salty from the start, it will become overly salty later.

Once the broth returns to a boil, turn off the heat and transfer it to a specialized hot pot pot. Keep the broth simmering gently as you dip the vegetables, noodles, and other accompaniments.

The Spicy Chicken Hot Pot is characterized by its distinctive heat, which can be adjusted based on the amount of bird's eye chili you use.

Additionally, the chicken hot pot broth has a gentle sweetness and a refreshing aroma, especially from the kaffir lime leaves. For the perfect pairing, dip the chicken in a sauce made from salt, pepper, lime, and chili.

Making the Dipping Sauce

Add 4-5 bird's eye chilies and some additional hot chilies if you prefer more heat, along with 4-5 chopped kaffir lime leaves, to a pan. Add 2 tablespoons of rock salt. Toast this mixture over medium-low heat, which will enhance its aroma and mellow out the salt's harshness.

Once the salt is dry, remove from heat and grind the mixture finely. Then, mix in 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, or a bit more if desired. Stir well and add 1 teaspoon of ground pepper.

Transfer this mixture to a small bowl. Garnish with a few thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves. When ready to eat, squeeze in fresh lime juice and stir well.

Aside from the rock salt, you can also use seasoned salt (like Hảo Hảo brand) mixed with lime, chili, and pepper, or soy sauce for dipping the chicken and other ingredients from the hot pot—these options are equally delicious.