Beggar's Chicken

We all like things that come in pretty packages. But sometimes, it’s the plainest wrapped one that holds the best gift of all. That’s no truer than with the classic Beijing dish of Beggar’s Chicken at Betelnut in San Francisco.

Encased in a tomb of foreboding dark gray clay, it’s almost alarming to look at. But break it open with a mallet to reveal an intoxicating aroma of earthy-herbaciousness, and chicken flesh so tender it just falls off the bone.

Few restaurants dare to offer this dish regularly because it’s so laborious. But then again, Betelnut likes to push the envelope, with the likes of grilled venison with butternut squash, and housemade mochi “truffles’’ for dessert.

The Beggar’s Chicken requires marinating a whole chicken in soy sauce, stuffing it with mushrooms and Chinese sausages, then wrapping it in lotus leaves, before encasing it in clay. It bakes in the oven for 90 minutes, then rests for the same amount.

It’s not listed on the menu, but a few are offered nightly. Be quick on your feet, though. Once they are ready to be served, the chickens go to the tables that claim them first.

Or put dibs on one ahead of time by pre-ordering a Beggar’s Chicken when you make your restaurant reservation.

Take a look at the Beggar's Chicken served tableside.