Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken

Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken

　　The Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken, a historic and traditional delicacy of Shandong, was first created in Yucheng. It is widely renowned for its unique craftsmanship, premium ingredients, tender and boneless meat, and rich nutrition. Legend has it that it gained nationwide popularity during the Qianlong era and was listed as one of Shandong’s tribute foods. In 1919, it was recorded in the "Local Surveys of Counties in Shandong" and ranked first among the 145 famous dishes in the "Chinese Recipe Collection," with the note “Boneless Braised Chicken, originating from Yucheng.”

　　According to the "Yucheng County Annals," the earliest maker of braised chicken was Wang Mingkui, a villager from Yueyawan in the northern part of Yucheng. His ancestors made a living by cooking chicken. His family would cross the chicken’s legs inside the cavity, insert the wings through the knife cut at the neck with the wingtips sticking out from the mouth, then season it with common spices—this was called “braised chicken.” Later, to attract more customers, he asked an old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to blend five seasonings: cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and fennel. The resulting chicken was so appetizing that it was then called “Five-Spice Braised Chicken.” One evening in the autumn of 1891, when Wang Mingkui was 18 years old (the 17th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty, 1891 AD), he put over 20 chickens into a pot, added extra firewood to the stove, lit the fire, and went to rest. Exhausted, he woke up to find it was already bright outside—the chicken had been overcooked and collapsed in the pot. When he lifted a leg, the bone separated easily from the meat. Amused and bewildered, he carefully scooped the chicken out with an iron strainer into a basket and brought it to the county town to sell. He named the overcooked chicken “Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken.” After shouting a few times in front of the county government office, the term “boneless” caught everyone’s attention, instantly drawing many diners. From then on, his family always braised the chicken until it became boneless, forming a unique cooking technique. Thus, Yucheng’s Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken gained great fame and became well-known across the country. Early the next year (1892), he opened a small eatery in Dezhou that specialized in boneless braised chicken, thus introducing Yucheng’s Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken to Dezhou. Additionally, Wang Mingkui had a son named Wang Jisan. Father and son, with their exceptional skills, successively opened braised chicken shops at Yucheng Railway Station, Dezhou, Jinan, Zhanhua, and Lijin, further spreading the fame of Yucheng’s Five-Spice Boneless Braised Chicken.

　　Since the first year of the Xuantong reign in the Qing Dynasty (1909 AD), with the construction and opening of the Tianjin-Pukou Railway, more people in Yucheng began making a living by producing braised chicken. Among them was an experienced chef named Wang Yuting from Matun Village in Chengguan. He continuously improved the cooking process, and the quality of his braised chicken surpassed that of Wang Mingkui, further promoting this culinary delight. By the time of the Republic of China, Yucheng Railway Station had gradually added braised chicken shops such as “Fuheju,” “Xiangshengju,” and “Babachu.” At that time, there was a saying: “Get off the train drawn by the aroma, and enjoy the taste without delay.”

　　After the liberation of China, under the care and leadership of the Party and government, the braised chicken industry in Yucheng developed even faster. In 1956, it transitioned from a public-private partnership to the state-owned Yucheng Braised Chicken Factory. Building on this foundation, Yucheng braised chicken continuously improved its processing techniques, enhanced quality, expanded production scale, and increased economic returns. After the reform and opening-up, especially in recent years, to further develop Yucheng braised chicken and promote this historic delicacy, the Yucheng Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided to implement a production chain of “breeding parent stock — incubating chicks — raising broilers — processing braised chicken — specialized sales,” which boosted the development of the city’s braised chicken industry. By the end of 2002, the city had developed 10 leading braised chicken enterprises, over 100 processing households (shops), with an annual production and sales volume of more than 2 million chickens. Processing enterprises and their products such as Jinshuai, Lexing, Shaxiao’er, Tujì, and Yunting Braised Chicken have gained widespread acclaim. In particular, Jinsui Brand Braised Chicken produced by Dezhou Jinshuai Food Co., Ltd., an industrial leading enterprise in our city, became the first “Shandong Famous Brand” in the history of braised chicken in 2005. This elevated the quality and output of braised chicken to a new level. It was selected as a private label product by international supermarket giants such as Walmart, and the product is sold in 70 major cities across 21 provinces and cities in Walmart supermarkets nationwide. It has been widely favored by consumers. News media such as Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, and Hong Kong’s "Popular Daily" have all done special reports on Yucheng braised chicken, thus making Yucheng braised chicken famous both in China and abroad, earning praise everywhere.

　　Information source: Office of the Yucheng City Local Chronicles Compilation Committee