Shahe Station Hou Family Roast Chicken

Shahe Station Hou Family Roast Chicken

　　Hou Family Roast Chicken is one of the famous dishes in Shahe Station Town. It was created by Hou Yian from Shabei Village, Shahe Station Town, during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of over a hundred years. Its characteristics are: intact appearance, tender and falling-off-the-bone interior, rich and fragrant taste, well-balanced seasoning, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

　　China has a long history of using chicken as food. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, chicken was already listed as one of the six domesticated animals. The "Huainanzi · Shuoshan Xun" records that "the King of Qi would only eat chickens he had hunted himself, and would not feel satisfied until he had eaten dozens." The "Chu Ci · Zhao Hun" from the Warring States period mentions "dew chicken." The Tang Dynasty had golden chicken dishes, the Song Dynasty had steamed chicken, and by the Qing Dynasty, various chicken dishes were recorded in classics such as "Suiyuan Shidan," "Tiaoding Ji," and "Qing Bai Lei Chao."

　　Chicken meat is tender in texture, rich in nutrition, and contains a relatively high amount of fat between muscle fibers, making it easy to digest and absorb. It can be used as a main dish or an accompaniment, suitable for any kind of preparation or cooking method, and adaptable to any seasoning. It works for both grand dishes and snacks, hot dishes and cold platters. Particularly, chicken meat is rich in inosinic acid and guanylic acid, which give it a strong umami flavor, making it an ideal ingredient for broth. It can also be cured, air-dried, pickled, or brined for long-term storage or transport. There are nearly a thousand different chicken dishes in Chinese cuisine, each with its own unique flavor.

　　Chicken meat contains 24.4 grams of protein and 2.8 grams of fat per 100 grams, along with minerals and vitamins such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that chicken meat is sweet in flavor and warm in nature, and has the effects of warming the middle energizer, benefiting qi, and nourishing essence and marrow. It is beneficial for conditions such as physical weakness due to overwork, poor appetite due to spleen deficiency, insufficient breast milk after childbirth, post-illness weakness, and malnutrition-related edema. It is commonly used in folk remedies as a nourishing food when stewed. Chicken gizzard contains about 22.2 grams of protein, 1.3 grams of fat, and 1.3 grams of ash per 100 grams. Chicken fat is sweet in flavor and cold in nature, and can nourish yin and clear heat, and is used to treat burns.

　　The production method of Hou Family Roast Chicken involves selecting one-kilogram free-range chickens raised within the year. Before slaughtering, the chickens are kept without food for half a day, and after slaughtering, their blood is fully drained. Then they are scalded in hot water to remove feathers, a hole is made at the tail to remove the internal organs. The chicken is then deep-fried until golden yellow. It is then simmered in brine with more than ten seasonings including cinnamon, galangal, cardamom, Sichuan peppercorn, dried tangerine peel, clove, and salt. The chicken is cooked in aged soy sauce broth, first through high-temperature braising, then slow simmering over low heat to achieve tender yet connected meat. The finished roast chicken is glossy and moist, fully cooked but not broken, with meat that falls off the bone yet remains connected, offering excellent color and flavor.

　　In the past, Hou Family Roast Chicken was mostly sold loosely packed, with annual sales of less than 10,000 chickens. Now, with expanded production scale and advanced equipment, the product undergoes high-temperature sterilization and is vacuum-packed, making it convenient for travelers to carry and ready to eat upon opening. Annual sales have greatly increased, making it comparable to Dezhou Braised Chicken.