Zhenping Roast Chicken

Zhenping Roast Chicken

Zhenping Roast Chicken is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Zhenping Roast Chicken, also known as Zhenping Hou Family Roast Chicken. The roast chicken boasts bright colors, tender meat that falls off the bone, fragrant skin, and succulent flesh that is rich yet not greasy. Its creator, Hou Xishan, originally from Linyi, Shandong, learned the art of making roast chicken in the 1920s from a renowned master in Dezhou. In 1942, during the Japanese invasion of China, he relocated to Zhenping with his wife and children, where he continued to make and sell roast chicken. Since then, Hou Family Roast Chicken has gained widespread fame and maintained enduring popularity.

Zhenping Roast Chicken is unique in color, aroma, taste, and presentation. During braising, aged broth and an appropriate amount of brine are used in a continuous cycle, along with over 20 types of traditional Chinese herbs including cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, angelica, cloves, and star anise. The resulting roast chicken has a glossy, vibrant red hue, an intense and enticing fragrance, intact and non-fuzzy skin, an elegant shape, and tender meat that falls off the bone when lifted, with neat, bite-sized pieces. It is soft, juicy, and tender, loose and easy to chew, rich without being greasy, and light without being bland—suitable for all ages. It is not only a renowned delicacy but also an excellent health supplement. It is widely sold in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, as well as Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, where demand often outstrips supply, and its aroma wafts across the nation.

The production process of Zhenping Roast Chicken is as follows:

1. Preparation of Ingredients: The ingredients include the following: honey, linden seed oil, aged broth, brine, and over 20 types of traditional Chinese herbs such as cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, angelica, dried tangerine peel, galangal, cloves, saltpeter, and star anise.

2. Selecting the Chicken: Male or female young chickens aged over six months, weighing more than 2 jin (approximately 1 kg).

3. Slaughtering: Sever the blood vessels, trachea, and esophagus cleanly, with precise cuts to ensure all blood is drained and the chicken body remains undamaged.

4. Feather Removal: While the slaughtered chicken is still warm, immerse it in hot water at around 60°C for one minute to loosen the feathers, ensuring a clean and bright appearance.

5. Evisceration: After removing the feathers, make a small incision at the base of the neck to expose the esophagus and trachea. Then, cut a 7–8 cm long opening between the legs on the lower abdomen (near the tail), sever the esophagus and trachea from the upper opening, remove the neck sac, take out the internal organs, cut off the anus, and rinse away any remaining blood or impurities.

6. Shaping: Place the cleaned chicken on a cutting board, belly side up. Break the ribs and vertebral bones apart using a knife, then bend them by hand. Prop up the belly with a small wooden stick. Make a small opening under the lower abdomen, cross the legs and insert them inside the cavity, and cross the wings and insert them into the beak. Bend the neck and rest the head under one wing to form an attractive ingot-like shape. Let the surface dry, then remove the wooden stick.

7. Frying: Evenly brush the prepared chicken with a 40%–60% honey-water mixture to give the skin a glossy finish, then fry it in linden seed oil heated to 160°C–180°C until it turns golden-red, then remove it.

8. Braising: This is the final step. After frying, place the chicken in another pot containing aged broth, brine, and a cloth bag of herbs. Simmer it over low heat until fully cooked, which takes about 3–5 hours.

The finished Zhenping Roast Chicken can be preserved for 2–5 days without spoiling, is easy to carry, and requires no slicing or reheating before eating—making it an ideal gourmet delicacy for travelers.