Soy-Ginger Roast Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups soy sauce
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh ginger
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 chicken (6 to 8 lb.)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup cilantro sprigs, rinsed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup mirin (see notes) or sake
• 1 tablespoon prepared hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
• * 2 pounds fresh shiitake mushrooms (2-in. caps)
• 1 pound green onions

Preparation

1. In a 10- to 12-quart pan, combine 1 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, 1/4 cup
ginger, 6 cloves garlic, and 4 quarts water; mix well.

2. Remove giblets from chicken and reserve for other uses. Pull off and discard
lumps of fat. Rinse bird well inside and out; pierce skin all over with
a fork. Lay chicken breast down in brine; cover and chill at least 4 or
up to 12 hours, turning bird several times.

3. Discard brine and rinse chicken thoroughly under cold running water, rubbing gently; pat dry. If desired, fold wing tips under first joint. Set bird breast up
on a V-shaped rack in an 11- by 17-inch pan.

4. Starting at the neck, gently ease your fingers under skin to loosen it over breast.
Push 1/4 cup chopped cilantro under skin and spread evenly over breast.
Place cilantro sprigs in body cavity; add 2 tablespoons ginger and
remaining 4 cloves garlic. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and
pepper.

5. Roast in a 425° regular or convection oven for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2
tablespoons ginger, and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro with broth, vinegar,
mirin, hoisin, and sesame oil. Rinse and drain shiitake mushrooms; trim
and discard stems. Rinse and drain green onions; trim and discard ends.
Cut off green tops and chop; also chop white bottoms. Mix mushrooms,
chopped white parts of onions, and all but 1/2 cup chopped green tops
with soy mixture. Lift out with a slotted spoon and distribute around
chicken in pan; reserve soy mixture.

7. Continue to roast chicken, turning vegetables with a wide spatula after about 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted through thickest part of breast to bone
reaches 170°, or 180° through thickest part of thigh at joint, 3/4 to 1
1/4 hours longer.

8. Insert a carving fork into body cavity, piercing carcass; lift bird and tilt to drain juices into pan. Set chicken on a rimmed platter. With a slotted spoon, arrange vegetables around chicken. Let rest in a warm place about 15 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, skim and discard fat from pan. Add reserved soy mixture and
stir often over high heat, scraping browned bits free, until reduced to
3/4 cup, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a
small pitcher or bowl.

10. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with remaining 1/2 cup chopped green onion tops. Carve chicken and serve with vegetables and pan juices. Add salt and pepper to taste.