Daokou Roast Chicken

　　Daokou roast chicken

　　Daokou roast chicken is a roast chicken from town Daokou of county Hua of northern province Henan. Daokou roast chicken is a well-known cuisine with the most-popular brand name as “Yixingzhang”. Daokou roast chicken is crispy and fragrant, fatty but not greasy. The bone and flesh can be separated by shaking. Regardless hot or cold, it is the same delicious. Daokou roast chicken had a history of over 300 years, started from 18 years of Shunzhi of Qing Dynasty (1661). According to records, initiated over 100 years ago, the business did not run well, until Qianlong 52 year of Qing Dynasty (1787), the owner met an old friend, a cook of imperial kitchen of Qing Dynasty, the imperial cook passed the skill “for tasty roast chicken, eight seasonings with meat soup are needed”. Since then, Daokou roast chicken began popular both domestically and exotic and became a tribute of Qing Dynasty. The manufacture skill was passed around one generation after another generation and had its own unique style. In 1955, in national council of province Henan, cook Zhang passed the recipe of Daokou roast chicken of over three hundred years to the public. In 1981, Daokou roast chicken was reputed as the national high-quality product by ministry of commerce. Daokou roast chicken has the same reputation with Peking roast duck and Jinhua ham and ranked as “the second chicken in the world”.

　　After Yixingzhan was quite famous, Zhang, bingyi tested repeatedly, he found a special skill of choosing chicken, killing chicken, shaping the chicken, boiling, using soup and firing. He only chose two-year young chicken. The chicken he found were needed to be kept for a while for alleviating tension and regaining normal condition, bleeding thoroughly, and keeping original color. Both condiments and boiling are key steps. The fried chicken are needed to put into pot, added with proportioned meat soup, condiments, first boiled by big fire, then simmered by little fire. The shape of the chicken is unique too, open the body by sorghum stalk, thus the two end sides of the chicken are in shape of half round. “Yixingzhang” ran business of over three hundred years and passed skill one generation after another generation. Until now it still keeps the original good flavor and bears four unique skills of color, fragrance, taste and mashed.

　　People loves Daokou roast chicken for rich taste, crispy, mashed, appropriate salty, fat but not greasy. The newly-cooked Daokou roast chicken has the shape of gold ingot with bright golden-color.

　　Daokou roast chicken needs orange peel, cinnamon, clove, angelica, beans, caoguo, Amomum and galangal, those eight condiments. Crispy, soft and mashed are three reasons for Daokou roast chicken so popular. It takes around 3 to 5 hours for boiling chicken with appropriate adjustment of fire. Thus it requires high in cooking skill.

　　The flesh and bone of cooked Daokou roast chicken can be separated only by hand-shaking. Regardless Hungary or not, it will add appetites.

　　There is a fable regarding Daokou roast chicken. In year Jiaqing of Qing Dynasty, when Jiaqing passed through Daokou, the pleasant smell of chicken got his attention and he asked “where the pleasant flavor comes from?” Then he was served with the roast chicken. After tasting, he appraised for the best taste, pleasant color and sweet flavor. Since then Daokou roast chicken became a tribute to emperor. Zhang, bing and his offspring inherit and develop the excellent skills and maintained “yixingdian” keep original flavor. From 1970s, many governments leaders including Canadian Prime Minister, Zambia president, Denmark Prime Minister all remarked highly on Daokou roast chicken.