Fushan Roast Chicken

Fushan Roast Chicken

　　Fushan Roast Chicken is a specialty of Fushan District in Yantai City, Shandong Province. The chicken is tender and flavorful, with a high protein content that is easily digested and absorbed by the human body, offering nourishing and energy-boosting benefits.

　　Fushan Roast Chicken is a traditional dish from Fushan District, Yantai, Shandong Province. The dish of roasted young chicken is said to have been widely popular among the local people during the Ming Dynasty.

　　Legend has it that during the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty, Guo Zhonggao, a native of Fushan, served as Minister of War in the imperial court in Beijing. Known for his integrity, attentiveness to public sentiment, and courage in speaking the truth, he earned both the emperor’s favor and the people’s admiration. On one occasion when the emperor visited Guo’s residence, Guo Zhonggao prepared a family banquet following the customs of Fushan. The chefs in his household were all from Fushan, and according to local tradition, any feast had to include chicken and fish: chicken symbolizing good fortune and success, and fish representing abundance and prosperity for the coming year. The first dish served was “Steamed Young Chicken.” However, the apprentice in charge of the stove became distracted and accidentally burned the pot dry. With the banquet about to begin and the head chef furious, there was no choice but to serve the chicken, which had turned golden brown. To everyone’s surprise, the emperor and his ministers found the uniquely flavored chicken delicious and sang its praises. The emperor even called the chef over to ask the name of the dish. Flustered and unable to recall a proper name, the chef, realizing he was from Fushan and that the pot had been burnt dry, stammered out “Fushan Roast Chicken.” And so, the dish “Fushan Roast Chicken” was born. Because mastering the roasting technique was tricky, the chef later refined the method, perfecting the recipe, and the dish eventually became part of the imperial menu. It is said that in the late Qing Dynasty, an imperial chef from Fushan shared the cooking technique and recipe of Fushan Roast Chicken with a cousin who ran a restaurant in Beijing, thus bringing the dish to the general public.

　　The main ingredient of Fushan Roast Chicken is a locally raised breed of chicken, which undergoes careful preliminary processing before being deep-fried and steamed. Because the chicken is small and typically a young bird of the year, it is also known as Roast Young Chicken. In the early years of the Republic of China, the “Shunxiangzhai” restaurant in Yantai was particularly famous for making it. Today, the “Songzhulin” restaurant has inherited and further developed the traditional method. The roast chickens they produce are beautifully shaped, glistening red and shiny, with tender, fragrant meat that is rich, mellow, soft, and delicious—making it a long-lasting classic delicacy.