Dao Kou Roast Chicken

Dao Kou Roast Chicken

Dao Kou Roast Chicken is a protected geographical indication product.

　　The town of Dao Kou in Huaxian County, Anyang City, is nationally known as the "hometown of roast chicken." Dao Kou Roast Chicken is produced by Yixingzhang Roast Chicken Shop in Dao Kou Town and is one of Henan’s famous specialty foods. Its shape, color, flavor, and tenderness are hailed as the "four excellences," offering endless aftertaste whether served hot or cold. Dao Kou Roast Chicken was first created in the 18th year of the Shunzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1661), and has a history of more than 300 years. In the 52nd year of the Qianlong reign (1787), Zhang Bing, an ancestor of the current roast chicken master Zhang Cunyou, encountered an old friend who had once worked as a chef in the Qing imperial kitchen. From him, Zhang Bing learned the secret recipe of using “eight seasonings and aged broth” to cook roast chicken, which led to a surge in its fame. He renamed his shop “Yixingzhang” to commemorate the friendship and mutual support that helped him succeed. When Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited the south and passed through Dao Kou, he tasted the “Yixingzhang” roast chicken, found its fragrance refreshing and invigorating, and praised it as a delicacy fit for the heavens. Since then, “Yixingzhang” roast chicken became a tribute item. In 1955, Zhang Heli, the sixth-generation direct descendant of Yixingzhang, publicly revealed the family’s secret recipe that had been passed down for over 300 years at a meeting of the Henan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. On National Day in 1956, Dao Kou Roast Chicken was served at a state banquet. Since then, people from all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country have flocked to Huaxian County to learn the craft. Between 1981 and 1987, Dao Kou Roast Chicken won quality product certificates issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the provincial government at various national and provincial food competitions. Since 1978, the Huaxian County Government has actively expanded the production scale of Dao Kou Roast Chicken, building the state-owned Dao Kou “Yixingzhang” Roast Chicken Building and establishing a scientific assembly line. In 1984, the China Dao Kou Roast Chicken Corporation was established in Huaxian County to manage the roast chicken industry uniformly, conduct scientific research and development, and establish a large-scale Huaxian Roast Chicken Canned Food Factory. A roast chicken technical school was also set up, along with training manuals. At the same time, composite aluminum foil soft packaging was successfully developed, opening new possibilities for the long-term storage and long-distance transport of roast chicken. By 1985, there were over 430 factories and shops processing Dao Kou Roast Chicken in the county, with an annual output of up to 3,500 tons.