Zhao's Braised Chicken

Zhao's Braised Chicken

　　Zhao's Braised Chicken

　　Zhao's Roast Chicken is a famous local delicacy from Linzi. With its golden color, aromatic fragrance, and tender yet not greasy texture, it won the Special Prize at the city-wide Shandong Cuisine Quality Exhibition in 1998.

　　To make Zhao's Roast Braised Chicken, the first step is to ensure strict control over the quality of ingredients by selecting healthy one-year-old roosters. During the slaughtering process, the feathers around the chicken’s neck are first thoroughly removed to prevent any stray feathers from falling into the blood, then the chicken is slaughtered and the blood is fully drained to ensure cleanliness. The chicken is then placed in water heated to 70°C–80°C to soak until wet, after which it is taken out and put into a feather-plucking machine. Due to the mechanical plucking process, up to 99% of the feathers can be removed cleanly. After plucking, the chicken is rinsed in clean water to remove any remaining feather stubs or toe feathers, then placed in a cleaned and sanitized container in preparation for gutting. When gutting, two cuts are made on either side of the chicken’s neck to remove the trachea, esophagus, and crop. Then, a horizontal cut is made along the lower abdomen to remove the heart, liver, stomach, intestines, and other internal organs, resulting in a fully cleaned chicken. The next step is shaping. First, the chicken’s two thighs and breast are disjointed, then the two drumsticks are crossed and inserted into the abdominal cavity. The right wing is threaded through the chicken’s mouth and folded back, while the left wing is simply folded back — completing the shaping process. The third step is coloring: cooking oil is added to an iron wok and heated over high heat until smoking, then the heat is reduced to low. The chicken is then dipped in a mixture of water with honey or sugar (avoid using artificial coloring) to coat evenly. Once coated, the chicken is placed in hot oil and fried until golden brown, then removed. The final step is steaming and boiling. The broth is brought to a boil and any impurities are skimmed off. The fried raw chickens are then placed into the pot in a clockwise direction (counterclockwise is also acceptable), which helps prevent damage to the skin when removing them later. A spice bag is then added, with spices mixed in exact proportions to maintain the dish’s signature flavor. Commonly used spices include star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, cinnamon, nutmeg, black cardamom, cardamom, licorice, dried tangerine peel, fennel, cloves, ginkgo nuts, dried orange peel, dried ginger, and others. The spices are measured and placed in the spice bag, then added to the pot along with an appropriate amount of salt. The broth is brought to a boil over high heat, then simmered for 1–2 hours before the chicken is removed.