Longmen Chicken

Longmen Chicken

　　 “Longmen Chicken,” also known as “Yellow Whisker Chicken,” “Grasshead Chicken,” or “Snakehead Chicken,” refers to the Sanhuang Huaxu Chicken (meaning yellow feathers, yellow feet, yellow beak — and a small tuft of whiskers). It is characterized by a broad chest, horizontally-built body, short legs, thick meat, rich yet tender texture, ample tail fat that is not greasy, tender bones, and an overall appealing color, aroma, and taste. Each chicken typically weighs around 1 kilogram to be considered top quality. The breeding of Longmen Chicken has a long history, with records of “chickens” appearing in the county annals from the first year of the Xianfeng era. Before the 1950s, towns such as Wangping, Longhua, Shajing, Pingling, and several northern villages widely raised Longmen Chicken. By the mid-1960s, the central Ministry of Foreign Trade designated Longmen as a county specializing in chicken farming. According to 1967 records, 61,800 Longmen Chickens were exported, reaching markets around the world. Currently, the production of Longmen Chicken is in high demand and cannot meet supply, with prices significantly higher than those of ordinary chickens. The annual output is only about 120,000 chickens.