Anyone know a recipe for a whole chicken baked inside of a melon?

Question

I remember hearing about someone preparing chicken this way in a book I read. A whole chicken and vegetables were put inside a hollowed out melon of some kind and the baked slowly in the oven. Anyone know an actual recipe for something like that?

Answer 1

How about this famous Chinese dish:
------ Winter Melon Chicken Soup

1. Take one end of a winter melon, clean the center seeds, stand it up to look like a bowl, the depth is similar to a spaghetti cooking pot, or enough to put whatever meat and vegetables inside. (Slice a little off the bottom so it is flat and stands stably.)
2. Take away the center seeds. Decorate the edge of the melon bowl by cutting zigzag cuts (similar to decorating a pie crust edges.)
3. Put a whole or a half or a quarter or pieces of chicken inside (preferably already washed with boiling water)
4. Add a handful of dried shrimps, a handful of shiitake mushrooms, 10 ginger slices, some green onion, salt, and heated stock or water up to one inch below the edge.
5. Steam for an hour and the soup will be great, and don't forget to scrape the melon with a spoon down into the soup to eat with the chicken.

sample pictures:

http://edu.ocac.gov.tw/culture/chinese/culturechinese/vod15html/images/vod15_32-2.gif
http://gate.tycool.com:82/gate/big5/www.ndcnc.gov.cn/datalib/2003/Food/DL/DL-161954/Food/elegantPic/0/imageView/__end_key__

Answer 2

Honestly I don't know of a melon (bsides a watermelon) that could hold a chicken...

Answer 3

I think you will just have to give it a go it that is what you want to eat!!!