Dezhou braised chicken facts for kids

Dezhou braised chicken offered on a China Railway High-speed train

Dezhou braised chicken (simplified Chinese: 德州扒鸡; traditional Chinese: 德州扒雞; pinyin: Dézhōu pá jī) is a super famous and delicious Chinese dish from the city of Dezhou in Shandong Province, China. It's also known as "Dezhou Five-fragrant Boneless Braised Chicken" (Chinese: 德州五香脱骨扒鸡; pinyin: Dézhōu Wǔxiāng Tuōgǔ Pá Jī). This special chicken dish is known for being shiny, tender, and full of flavor. People love it because the more you chew it, the more delicious it tastes!

What is Dezhou Braised Chicken?

Dezhou braised chicken is a traditional dish that comes from Dezhou, a city in China's Shandong Province. It's made by deep-frying a whole chicken until it's slightly golden. Then, it's slowly cooked with many special ingredients. These include mushrooms, soy sauce, and a mix of amazing spices. Some of these spices are cloves, cardamom, fennel, and a sweet syrup called malt sugar.

When it's ready, the chicken is very tender, so much so that the meat almost falls off the bone. It has a rich, savory taste that has made it popular for over a hundred years. Both people from China and visitors from other countries enjoy this unique dish.

A Taste of History

This famous chicken dish gets its name from its hometown, Dezhou. Its full name, "Dezhou five-spice bone-shed braised chicken," tells you how tender and flavorful it is. The story of this dish goes way back to 1616. That's when people in Dezhou started using different fragrances and spices to stew chicken. They passed down their cooking secrets from one generation to the next.

A very important person in Chinese history, the Qianlong Emperor, lived from 1711 to 1799. When he visited Dezhou, he tried the braised chicken. He loved it so much that he called it "a miracle of all dishes!" Because the emperor liked it so much, Dezhou braised chicken became a special dish served to the royal family.

In 1911, a man named Han Shigong made the traditional cooking methods even better. He added more ingredients to make the chicken even more delicious. In the early 1950s, many of Han Shigong's family members teamed up. They opened a shop at the local train station, selling their special chicken to travelers. Word quickly spread about how tasty the chicken was, and soon it became famous all over China.

Later, in 1956, these families joined a bigger food company in Dezhou. They worked together to make the dish even better. Because of its long history and special way of being made, Dezhou braised chicken was listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Shandong Province in 2006. This means it's a very important part of the region's culture and traditions.

How Dezhou Braised Chicken is Made

Making Dezhou braised chicken is a careful process that takes many steps. Here's a simplified look at how this delicious dish comes to life:

Choosing the Chicken

• First, a healthy hen that weighs about one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) is chosen.

Preparing the Chicken

• The chicken is carefully cleaned. Its belly is hollowed out, and one of its legs is tucked inside the body. This helps it cook evenly and look nice.

Frying for Flavor

• A mix of maltose (a type of sugar) and water is spread all over the chicken.
• Then, the chicken is fried in hot oil until its skin turns a beautiful golden color. This step adds a lot of flavor and a nice texture.

Slow Cooking with Spices

• After frying, the chicken is placed in a large pot. Enough water is added to cover the chicken completely.
• Next, a special bag filled with 16 different spices is added to the pot. Some of these spices include fennel, pepper, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Ginger, salt, and soy sauce are also added to give the chicken its rich taste.

The Long Simmer

• Once the water starts boiling, the heat is turned down very low.
• The chicken then cooks slowly for a long time. A younger chicken might cook for 6 to 8 hours, while an older one needs 8 to 10 hours. This long cooking time makes the chicken incredibly tender and allows all the flavors to soak in.
• Once it's done, the chicken is ready to be served and enjoyed!