Dezhou braised chicken () is a famous Chinese dish from the city of

Dezhou Dezhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Liaocheng to the southwest, Binzhou to the northeast, and the province of Hebei t ...

in Shandong Province, China.

Introduction

Braised chicken is a traditional dish from Dezhou, and it is also known as "Dezhou Five-fragrant Boneless Braised Chicken" (). It was developed by the Deshunzhai (, ''Déshùnzhāi'') Restaurant in Dezhou in the era of Guangxu of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

. The main procedure is as follows: Deep-fry a chicken (about one kg) until it is slightly burned. Add

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

s, premium soy sauce, clove,

amomum villosum ''Wurfbainia villosa'', also known by its basionym ''Amomum villosum'', ( Chinese: ( Chinese: 砂仁; pinyin: shārén) is a plant in the ginger family that is grown throughout Southeast Asia and in South China. Similar to cardamom, the plant is ...

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are r ...

, angelica dahurica,

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

, and malt sugar. The finished dish is lustrous, tender, fleshy and savory. The more chewy, the more appealing. It gained popularity and became nationally known. In the past 100 years or so, this dish has been favored by domestic and international visitors.

History

The dish is named for its origin in Dezhou, Shandong province. The full name of Dezhou braised chicken is "Dezhou five-spice bone-shed braised chicken" because the chicken is tender. It was reported by Dezhou City Annals and the Dezhou History that in 1616 the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...

began to use several fragrances to stew bone chicken, which was transmitted from generation to generation. When the Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799) of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

traveled to Dezhou, he ordered the Han Chinese to cook braised chicken and praised it as "a miracle of all dishes". Dezhou braised chicken became the royal tribute. In 1911, Han Shigong improved traditional cooking methods and modified the cooking methods to add more ingredients. After the improvement, the chicken was more delicious. In the early 1950s, more than 20 descendants of the Han Chinese had built a partnership to produce the braised chicken. Then they opened a shop in a local train station, selling their specialty to tourists. The dish quickly became popular: travelers spread the word about the delicious chicken, and soon it gained national fame. In 1956, their descendants joined the Dezhou branch of the China Food Company. They work together to make this dish more appetizing. In 2006, the production of Dezhou braised chicken was listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Shandong Province.

Cooking method

1. Select a hen about one kilogram. 2. Process the chicken, hollow out its belly, and place the chicken leg into the cavity. 3. Mix maltose and water. Spread evenly over the chicken. Fry in oil until chicken skin turns golden. 4. Add enough water to the pan to cover the chicken. Add chicken and

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spice ...

bags, and add ginger, salt, soy sauce, etc. The spice bag consists of 16 spices, including

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and so on. 5. After boiling water, turn down the heat and cook for 6–8 hours for a younger chicken, and 8–10 hours for an older chicken. Serve immediately.

References

External links

* Short Intro Dezhou Braised Chicken Co. Lt

* Soy-braised chicken ~ Yummylicious Cuisin

{{Shandong topics Shandong cuisine Chinese chicken dishes

Introduction

History

Cooking method

See also

References

External links