Jin Feng Braised Chicken

Jin Feng Braised Chicken

　　Jin Feng Braised Chicken first began in 1908. The operators of Ma’s Chicken created the brand name “Jin Feng” in the early 1980s and officially registered the Jin Feng Braised Chicken trademark in 1984.

　　“Jin Feng Braised Chicken” dates back to 1908, when a Hui couple named Ma Hongchang opened a Ma’s Chicken shop on Daqiao Street in Shijiazhuang. The braised chicken they made had a distinctive flavor. Although the shop was small, business was exceptionally brisk. Whenever the steaming hot braised chicken was taken out of the pot, the store would be packed with customers both inside and outside. Due to high demand and limited supply, customers who arrived late often couldn’t get any. “At that time, it was still called Daqiao Street Ma’s Chicken, and the store was also known as the Daqiao Street Braised Chicken Shop.” According to Ji Ruixue, the inheritor of Jin Feng Braised Chicken and currently the head of the meat processing division at Shijiazhuang Loshi Food Co., Ltd., the ingredients used to prepare the chicken consist of eighteen kinds of spices, all of which have dual purposes—as seasonings and also as traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, all recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica. “Although there have been some changes over time, the century-old broth is still used today. Every day, the clear broth is refreshed by removing the floating oil and old residue, and new ingredients are added. The recipe is a closely guarded secret; in the past, it was passed down through a single line of inheritance, and even the waste removed had to be burned. Even now, only a few people know the full recipe, and the preparation is handled by designated personnel, with others kept away.” According to Ji, there is also a legend of “stealing the recipe,” claiming that the founder originally worked as an apprentice at another chicken shop but, unwilling to remain subordinate, innovated on the stolen chicken recipe and thus established his own school, creating “Ma’s Chicken.” “Due to the passage of time, this story is no longer verifiable.”

　　Business Model

　　Ma’s Chicken has always adhered to a workshop-style production model of “front shop, back factory.” After the public-private partnership in 1956, it was incorporated into the Shijiazhuang Food Company of that time. “Business was very thriving back then. Locals would line up early in the morning to buy chicken, and many out-of-town visitors on business trips would also buy one or two as gifts for relatives and friends.” According to Ji Ruixue, later, due to the renovation of Daqiao Street, in 1983 the old shop moved from its original location to Nanma Road. Because of its unique craftsmanship and long history, it was renamed the “Braised Chicken Old Shop.” “At that time, Daqiao Street Ma’s Chicken and Yongxin Hui Chicken were merged, combining their strengths to establish the Hui Braised Chicken Processing Factory.” “The name ‘Jin Feng’ symbolizes ‘a golden phoenix flying out of the chicken coop,’ expressing the hope that, like the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, the time-honored brand and product could step out of Shijiazhuang, go global, and be reborn.”

　　Traditional Craftsmanship

　　Ma’s Chicken Shop inherited the traditional craft of Chinese braised chicken, relying on its own quality and good reputation. However, the previous manual workshop-style production method also limited its further development. Therefore, the operators of “Jin Feng” Braised Chicken, while inheriting the traditions of the time-honored brand, improved the processing techniques. They designed specialized stainless steel double-layer pots to replace the original large iron pots, switched from open-flame heating to steam heating, and diversified the product range from a single variety to over ten types, including braised chicken, roasted chicken, fragrant chicken, spring chicken, and roast duck. Vacuum packaging was also introduced, extending the shelf life from the original 2–3 days to 90–180 days. Today, after several changes, the Jin Feng Braised Chicken factory has relocated to West Beierhuan Road in Shijiazhuang. The Braised Chicken Old Shop has undergone multiple reconstructions and renovations, greatly improving the store environment. Sales outlets have expanded from just the original Braised Chicken Old Shop to over 200 locations including major supermarkets and small to medium-sized shopping malls across the provincial capital. The brand has also expanded beyond Shijiazhuang, with a sales network reaching surrounding areas such as Baoding, Taiyuan, Beijing-Tianjin, and even exports to Japan.

　　Braised Chicken Culture

　　Dezhou Braised Chicken, Dao Kou Roast Chicken, Fu Li Ji Fragrant Chicken, Shanghai Boiled Chicken… These regionally distinctive time-honored chicken brands have begun to “go north and south, moving everywhere.” While seeking greater development opportunities for themselves, they have also brought certain impacts to local “competitors.” Perhaps it’s because locals are no longer as fond of familiar flavors, or perhaps it’s because outsiders truly know how to win over the market. Sometimes you’ll find that time-honored brands with out-of-town signs are even more popular than local ones selling the same products. Located 100 meters west of the intersection of Huai Zhong Road and Qing Yuan Jie, in Hua Mai residential area, and 100 meters west of Huai Zhong Road Asia Hotel, there is a…