Shangtang Braised Chicken

Shangtang Braised Chicken

　　Shangtang Braised Chicken is a specialty of Shangtang Town, Qingyun County, Dezhou City, Shandong Province. It is an improved version of Dezhou Braised Chicken, made with free-range chicken using traditional cooking methods such as roasting, smoking, tenderizing, frying, and braising. The result is tender, full-flavored meat that even penetrates the bone.

　　Shangtang Town is located in the southern part of Qingyun County, and Shangtang Braised Chicken is one of the local specialties of Qingyun. A healthy live chicken is slaughtered, bled, plucked, and gutted, then processed into a cleaned carcass. It is then arranged in a sitting position with the neck curled and wings tucked in, cooled thoroughly, and coated evenly with caramelized sugar. The chicken is then deep-fried in boiling oil. Next, depending on the tenderness of the chicken, it is placed in a pot and simmered with salt, soy sauce, the pot’s original broth, and spices such as cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. The chicken is cooked over high heat and then low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Once removed from the pot and cooled, it is ready to serve. Because various medicinal ingredients are used in the cooking process, it is referred to as “five-spice.” When the cooked chicken is lifted by the leg and shaken, the meat separates easily from the bone — this is known as “boneless.”