Peking Chicken And Shiitake

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Drain the mushrooms and pat dry. Cut offand discard the stems. Cut the caps into medium-sized slices and set aside.

Place the onion on a cutting board, using a sharp knife and cutting from thetop down, but not all the way through, cut the onion into sixteenths. Pulleach section from the root end separate its layer. Set aside. Rub 2tablespoons of the oil over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the meat with saltand pepper and place the chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan and bake for45 to 50 minutes, or until both sides are crisp and brown and the chicken iscompletely cooked. To prepare the sauce, dissolve the sugar in the whiskeyand soy sauce. Set aside. A few minutes before the chicken is done, heat theremaining 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the onion andstir-fry for 1 minute. Add the mushroom slices and continue stir-frying for3additional minutes. Add the sauce to the wok. Toss and cook, stirring 30seconds. Arrange the chicken pieces on an attractive serving platter. Spoonthe vegetables over them, and sprinkle with the chopped coriander. Serveimmediately.