Five-Spice Chicken

Preparation : Pull off and discard skin from chicken. In a shallow dish just large enough to hold chicken, combine soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic, and five-spice powder. Add chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours. Add scallions to marinade during last 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F or prepare a medium-hot fire in a barbecue grill. Remove chicken from marinade. Bake chicken in a shallow pan or grill, turning occasionally. In either method, brush with marinade from time to time. Cook until juices run clear when chicken is pricked, 35 to 40 minutes. During last 10 minutes, lay scallions on top of chicken in oven or grill over coals just until softened and browned. Serve chicken with scallions.