Instructions: The chicken is so flavorful and tender, and so easy to prepare, that this single recipe is reason enough to buy a box of oven bags. You can remove the skin from the chicken before serving it or let your guests take it off themselves. If youre really in a hurry you can omit the marination step.

Just rub the seasonings on the chicken, inside and out, fill the cavity with the green onions and put it in the oven. This way you can have it ready to eat in a little over an hour. It takes so little time to assemble this recipe that I often prepare two chickens just to have leftovers.

Remove the skin and bones from the leftover chicken and cut it into bite-size pieces. Store it in a tightly covered container or a zipper-type storage bag in the refrigerator. Save any leftover cooking liquid after skimming the fat from it. You can use the chicken the next day in salad or soup. You also can mix the chicken with the liquid and serve it over pasta, rice or a baked potato. The defatted cooking liquid can be mixed with a little rice vinegar for a delicious salad dressing.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Chilling Time: 4 hours

1. Put flour in large (14- by 20-inch) oven bag and shake well. Leave flour in bag to protect against bursting and set aside. Wash chicken and pat dry.

Combine 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, ginger and five-spice powder; mix well.

Rub mixture into cavity of chicken and place green onions inside cavity.

2. Combine hoisin sauce, honey, sherry, remaining salt and pepper; rub all over outside of chicken. Place chicken in bag, pour in any remaining sauce.

Place bag in baking dish at least 2 inches deep. Close bag with nylon tie packed in carton of bags; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top of bag. If possible, refrigerate at least 4 hours before baking to allow chicken to marinate.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken until legs can be easily pulled away from sides, about 1 hour.

4. Remove chicken from oven and allow to stand 10 minutes. Carefully cut bag open using scissors.

Remove chicken from bag, and pour cooking liquid into medium bowl. Place bowl in freezer until fat congeals on top and remove. When chicken is cool enough to handle safely, cut off wings and legs. Cut down center of chicken lengthwise and cut each half, crosswise, right through bone, into many pieces.

5. To serve, place all chicken pieces on serving platter. Pour defatted liquid over top.

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