Kongji Roast Chicken

Last updated 2026-11-15 — Kongji Roast Chicken is a renowned delicacy famous across the country. It gets its name from its place of origin — West Kongji in Luyi County. With a long history, Kongji Roast Chicken boasts unique characteristics: it has a bright color, yellow tinged with red, tender and juicy meat with crisp sinews, rich yet not greasy, and an enticing aroma. The bones of young chickens are soft enough to eat, while those of older chickens easily separate from the meat. Moreover, in the height of summer, flies avoid it, it stays fresh for days, and it even offers medicinal benefits such as warming the middle energizer, dispersing cold, strengthening the spleen, and stimulating the appetite. As a result, it is highly popular among the public and has gradually developed into a distinctive traditional delicacy. Today, Kongji Roast Chicken has become a premium dish at local banquets and a favored gift among family and friends. During festivals, it even finds a place on the offering tables of the Jade Emperor and the Kitchen God. Thus, it enjoys fame across the nation, selling well throughout China — from Beijing and Tianjin in the north to Fujian and Guangdong in the south — and has even made its way into the Asian Games Village and been featured at the White Cloud Restaurant. It is said that during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era, Kongji Roast Chicken, along with other local specialties such as ShiLiang dog meat and Luyi straw plaits, was once offered as tribute to the imperial court. Another notable feature of Kongji Roast Chicken is its relatively unguarded preparation technique, leading to many producers. With the deepening of reform and opening-up and the continuous improvement of living standards, the social demand for Kongji Roast Chicken has grown significantly, making it a widely recognized delicacy and gift. (Zhoukou)