Instructions: 1. Wipe chicken with a damp cloth. Dry well with paper toweling; or hang up to dry in a cool, airy place 1 to 2 hours.

2. Place salt in a heavy iron pot slightly larger than the chicken. (If the pot is too much larger, the salt will shift too much.) Then heat over a medium flame, stirring frequently, until salt is very hot (about 30 minutes or more).

3. Scoop out some of the hot salt, leaving a layer of at least 2 inches in the bottom of the pan. (Transfer the scooped-out salt to another pan temporarily.) Place chicken, breast-side down, on the layer of salt; then return remaining hot salt, packing it around the bird with a spoon so that only the rump end is visible.

4. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to very low. Let cook undisturbed 1 hour. Remove bird and brush off any salt that adheres.

5. Let cool slightly. Then with a cleaver, chop chicken, bones and all, in 2-inch sections; or carve Western-style. Serve hot or cold.

NOTE: This chicken turns out to be not salty at all but surprisingly sweet, tender and juicy. The salt itself can be reused later.

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