Shikou Five-Spice Braised Chicken

Shikou Five-Spice Braised Chicken

　　Shikou Five-Spice Braised Chicken is a specialty of Shikou Town, Dongying District, Dongying City, Shandong Province. The ingredients and preparation techniques of Shikou’s Five-Spice Braised Chicken are unique, resulting in a dish that is vibrant in color, beautifully shaped, richly aromatic, and delicious.

　　Shikou Five-Spice Braised Chicken has a history of over a hundred years. Originally introduced from Yantai, it has been continuously improved and innovated to become a local delicacy known for its vibrant color, beautiful shape, rich aroma, and distinctive flavor. The production process of Shikou Five-Spice Braised Chicken is highly intricate and meticulous. High-quality meat chickens are carefully selected and undergo four initial processing steps: slaughtering, defeathering, eviscerating, and trussing, before being boiled and braised. When boiling the chicken, pre-measured amounts of cardamom, angelica, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn are added to the pot along with the aged broth, along with an appropriate amount of salt and soy sauce. The chicken is then simmered over low heat until the leg meat becomes tender and begins to separate. For braising, oil is first applied to the bottom of the pot, followed by a suitable amount of brown sugar placed about a chopstick’s height above the base. An iron rack is then placed on top, and the boiled and drained chickens are arranged on the rack before the braising process begins. The chicken is roasted until it turns red, indicating it is ready. Once taken out of the pot, the cooked chicken is brushed thinly with sesame oil using a small brush. Special attention is given to coating the broken areas of the chicken legs—a step called “sealing,” which helps preserve the chicken and prevent spoilage. In recent years, the sales of Shikou Five-Spice Braised Chicken have continued to rise, making it a widely renowned local specialty. Currently, there are over 200 households in the town engaged in the production of this braised chicken.