Daokou Roast Chicken
Ingredients
Main Ingredients and Seasonings:
- Fat young chicken: 1
- Sand ginger: 15 grams
- Amomum villosum (shà rèn): 30 grams
- Cinnamon: 90 grams
- Honey water: as needed
- Dried tangerine peel: 30 grams
- Cloves: 3.5 grams
- Angelica dahurica (bai zhi): 90 grams
- Melia toosendan (dou kou): 15 grams
- Saltpeter: 15 grams
- Refined salt: 3000 grams
Cooking Method
- Slaughtering and Scalding: After slaughtering and removing the feathers from the chicken, clean it thoroughly by scalding it in water at 60-70°C for about 5 minutes while the chicken is still warm. This process helps to achieve a clean and shiny appearance. Remove the chicken claws and make a small incision above the neck to expose the esophagus and trachea. Cut a 7-8 cm long incision between the tail and both legs, cut off the anus, and rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove any remaining blood and impurities.
- Shaping the Chicken: Place the cleaned chicken on a cutting board with the belly facing up. Use a knife to cut through the ribs and spine in the middle, then fold it with hands. Insert a small wooden stick into the abdominal cavity to support it. Make a small incision at the tip of the lower abdomen and cross the legs into it. Cross the wings into the cavity to form a semi-circular shape with pointed ends. Air dry the surface.
- Frying and Cooking: Coat the dried chicken with honey water (60% water, 40% honey). Fry it in a hot pan at 150-160°C until it turns pink, then transfer it to another pot. Add the prepared marinade and all the spices, dissolve the salt in water and add it to the pot. Press the chicken with a bamboo sieve to fully immerse it in the marinade. Dissolve the saltpeter and bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot. Use proper tools and coordination of hands and eyes to ensure the chicken maintains its shape and appearance.
Key Techniques
- Swift slaughtering and feather removal ensure a clean and shiny appearance.
- During the marinating process, simmer for approximately 4 hours from boiling, and the marinade soup can be reused, known as the aged marinade.
Flavor Characteristics
- “Daokou Roast Chicken” from Daokou Town in Weixian, Henan, also known as “Yixing Zhang” Roast Chicken, has been renowned for over 300 years. It is famous for its beautiful appearance, fragrant tenderness, and aromatic flavor that lasts without spoiling. It was awarded as a famous dish at the 1956 National Food Exhibition and recognized as a high-quality product by the Ministry of Commerce in 1981. It has been exported to Beijing, Xinjiang, Wuhan, Guiyang, and other places, with branch stores in many cities and canned versions sold overseas.
According to the “Weixian Chronicles,” “Yixing Zhang” Roast Chicken was first created in the 18th year of the Qing Dynasty Shunzhi era (1661 AD). In the 52nd year of the Qianlong era (1787 AD), imperial chef Yao Shoushan passed down the secret of using “eight ingredients plus aged broth” to Zhang Bing (descendant of Yixing Zhang), detailing the use of dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, melia toosendan, cloves, angelica dahurica, sand ginger, amomum villosum, and their methods. Zhang Bing followed the instructions and successfully produced Roast Chicken that was fresh, tender, and uniquely flavored. From selecting chickens, slaughtering and scalding, shaping the chicken, to frying, cooking, mastering heat, using ingredients, and marinade, he developed a comprehensive set of experiences. Its color, aroma, taste, and tenderness were praised as the “Four Excellences.” When diners pick up the chicken leg, the bones separate effortlessly from the meat. Since then, “Daokou Roast Chicken” has gained great fame, passed down through generations, widely praised, and enduring.
- This chicken has a light red hue with a slight yellow color, intact skin and meat, savory with a hint of sweetness, fragrant and deliciously tender, where the chicken bones easily separate upon touch.
