Chicken Stewed with Ginkgo Nuts

Chicken Stewed with Ginkgo Nuts

　　Chicken Stewed with Ginkgo Nuts is one of the Four Delicacies of Qingcheng. Legend has it that ginkgo chicken was created by Taoist priests at the Tian Shi Dong (Heavenly Master Cave) on Mount Qingcheng. It is said that some two to three hundred years ago, an elderly Taoist priest on Mount Qingcheng had been suffering from a long-term illness and was growing weaker and thinner. There was a more than 500-year-old ginkgo tree on the mountain that bore large, firm ginkgo nuts. A priest from the Tian Shi Dong repeatedly used the ginkgo nuts from this tree, cooked them with a tender young hen, and simmered the soup over a low flame until it became rich. He served it to the elderly priest, which led to an improvement in his condition. Before long, the priest recovered his health and regained his vigor. Since then, “Ginkgo Chicken” has become famous throughout Chengdu and the entire Sichuan region, establishing itself as a distinctive and renowned dish.

Chicken Stewed with Ginkgo Nuts is both a delicious delicacy and a nourishing tonic. Made with home-raised native hens and carefully selected high-quality ginkgo nuts, the dish is simmered slowly in a clay pot. The resulting broth is clear and light, pale yellow tinged with white, with soft, sweet ginkgo nuts and tender, fragrant chicken. The flavor is rich, full-bodied, and exceptionally tasty—widely known and highly praised far and wide.