Zhengding Ma's Marinated Chicken

Zhengding Ma's Marinated Chicken

Zhengding Ma's Marinated Chicken is a protected geographical indication product.

Zhengding Ma's Marinated Chicken is an intangible cultural heritage of Hebei Province.

　　Ma's Old Chicken Shop's marinated chicken is a famous local specialty in China. The product line includes marinated chicken, marinated chicken gizzard, marinated chicken feet, marinated chicken wings, and marinated wing roots. With a unique recipe, the chicken boasts excellent color, aroma, and taste. The product uses tender, live chickens in accordance with Islamic regulations, slaughtered by the mosque's imam and inspected and approved by health and animal quarantine authorities. It is made using a variety of premium meat ingredients, iodized salt, aged broth, and carefully selected seasonings through traditional craftsmanship. High in protein, low in fat, and rich in nutrition, the chicken is fully cooked, tender, crispy, and soft—suitable for all ages, making it an excellent choice for home dining, travel, pairing with alcohol, or picnics.

　　Ma's marinated chicken originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and has a history of over 300 years. In the eighth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1869), Ma Luofa, the documented first-generation inheritor, named the family’s traditional marinated chicken "Ma's Marinated Chicken" and opened Ma's Old Chicken Shop in Zhengding Prefecture, gaining considerable fame. Since being tasted and praised by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1901, Ma's marinated chicken was once served as a tribute, greatly enhancing its reputation. For the past century, the recipe has been passed down through generations. The current legal representative, Ma Xuezhong, is the sixth-generation inheritor. He has preserved the traditional methods while innovating new products such as marinated chicken wings, marinated chicken feet, and marinated chicken gizzards. Advanced sterilization and multi-layer vacuum composite preservation techniques have also been adopted to develop a series of soft-packaged products.

　　The production process of Ma's marinated chicken is rigorously controlled. ① Selective Ingredients: Only live chickens are used, mostly free-range local chickens around one year old, primarily roosters, with no pre-processed semi-finished products purchased externally. ② Strict Slaughtering: The live chickens used are thoroughly inspected by animal quarantine authorities before and after leaving the farm. Qualified chickens are slaughtered strictly in accordance with Islamic regulations by the mosque's imam, then defeathered, gutted, cleaned, and drained. ③ Unique Shaping: The poached chicken is arranged with one wing inserted into the mouth, the neck bent back, the other wing folded, legs tucked up, and claws tucked inside, forming a lute-like shape. ④ Century-old Broth: The broth is the key and core technique in making marinated chicken. The recipe has been passed down for generations, forming a century-old broth that is never discarded even after a decade, but instead sealed in yellow wax and buried deep underground. As a result, the broth is rich in gelatinous amino acids and aromatic compounds. Each time new chickens are boiled, fresh ingredients are added, along with more than 20 kinds of premium spices such as cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and angelica, combined with iodized salt, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, fennel, and other seasonings. The heat is adjusted according to the age of the chicken. After each boiling, the broth is settled and filtered to remove impurities, maintaining its delicious flavor. ⑤ Appetizing Appearance: The cooked marinated chicken is golden-red, bright in color, fragrant with oil, and has a refreshing and long-lasting aroma. The taste is rich, tender, and delicious. The chicken is beautifully shaped, smooth and flat with oil sheen, skin intact, bones firm, not greasy, and remains enjoyable even after frequent consumption—liked by both young and old.

　　Ma's Old Chicken Shop's marinated chicken is a renowned local specialty in China. The product line includes marinated chicken, marinated chicken gizzard, marinated chicken feet, marinated chicken wings, and marinated wing roots. With a unique recipe, the chicken boasts excellent color, aroma, and taste. The product uses tender, live chickens in accordance with Islamic regulations, slaughtered by the mosque's imam and inspected and approved by health and animal quarantine authorities. It is made using a variety of premium meat ingredients, iodized salt, aged broth, and carefully selected seasonings through traditional craftsmanship.

　　Ma's marinated chicken has successively won the titles of "Trusted Product by Hebei Provincial Consumers Association", "Recommended Product by Hebei Provincial Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute", and "Gold Award for Excellent Product at the First Hebei Traditional Flavor Food Exhibition".