Cut the chicken with a large sharp knife or a cleaver, separating the
wings, legs, thighs, and back from the body. Cut all of these into 2-
inch pieces*, slicing through the bone, including the back. Save the
breast for another use.
In a large bowl, toss the chicken with a splash of olive oil, a big
pinch of salt, the rice wine, cornstarch, soy sauce, white pepper,
ginger, scallions, sugar, and shallots.
In a small pot or skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil and add the garlic.
As it becomes fragrant, add the preserved black beans and cook for
a minute, stirring, until the flavors combine. Pour over the chicken,
stir everything together, and allow the dish to sit, covered, for 2 to
3 hours at room temperature.
Transfer the chicken to a clay bowl that’s wide and deep
enough to hold everything along with the juices that will come out
when it cooks. Fill a wok halfway with water and bring to a
simmer over medium-low heat. Place a bamboo steamer in the
water and put another bamboo steamer on top; the second steamer
will not touch the water. In that steamer, place the clay bowl and
cover with the bamboo top. Allow to cook like this, monitoring
the water (you don’t want it all to evaporate), for about 30
minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
When it’s ready, very carefully remove the clay bowl from the
steamer. (It’s hot!) Garnish the chicken with some cilantro leaves
and serve with steamed rice.
* It’s important that the pieces be relatively the same size so