The Origin of Daokou Braised Chicken 道口烧鸡的由来

豫北滑县道口镇，素称烧鸡之乡。美国一家餐厅的华人经理陆德，曾品尝过道口烧鸡，他赞美道口烧鸡肥而不腻，色鲜味美，食用勿需刀，用手一抖，骨肉自行分离。无论冷热，均余香满口。至今回味起来，犹垂涎三尺。
Daokou Town in Northern Henan Province’s Hua County has always been hailed as the home of braised chicken. Lu De, an ethnically Chinese restaurant manager in America, who once tasted Daokou Braised Chicken, put it that this dish has bright color, good flavor, fresh meat, fat chicken, but no greasy taste; bones and chicken separate so easily after shaken being gently by a hand that diners do not need knives; it is very delicious no matter whether it is hot or cold; I covet the dish even today.
道口烧鸡已有三百多年的历史了，创始人叫张炳。他在道口镇大集街开了个小烧鸡店，因制作不得法，生意萧条。有一天一位曾在清宫御膳房当过御厨的老朋友来访，他身怀绝技。两人久别重逢，对饮畅谈。张炳向他求教，那朋友便告诉他一个秘方：“要想烧鸡香，八料加老汤。”八料就是陈皮、肉桂、豆蔻、良姜、丁香、砂仁、草果和白芷八种佐料；老汤就是煮鸡的陈汤。每煮一锅鸡，必须加上头锅的老汤，如此沿袭，越老越好。张炳如法炮制，做出的鸡果然香。从此，营业兴旺，张炳把他的烧鸡店定名为“义兴张”。
Daokou Braised Chicken has a history of more than three hundred years. The originator is Zhang Bing. He opened a small braised chicken restaurant on Daokou Town’s Daji Street, which had few frequenters due to improper cooking method. One day, Zhang’s old friend who had worked in the imperial kitchen came over to Zhang’s place. The two were reuniting after a long separation. They talked and drank. Zhang asked his talented friend for help. The latter said, “Eight ingredients and soup stock make delicious braised chicken.” The eight ingredients are dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, cardamom, galangal, clove, fructus amomi, Amomum tsaoko, and radix angelicae; soup stock is concentrated chicken broth. Zhang followed his friend’s word and made very delicious braised chicken. From then on, Zhang’s restaurant business became brisk. Zhang named his restaurant Yixingzhang.
“义兴张”的牌子打出以后，张炳反复实践，在选鸡、宰杀、撑型、烹煮、用汤、火候等方面，摸索出一套经验。他选鸡严格，要选两年以内的嫩鸡，以保证鸡肉质量。挑来的鸡，要留一段候宰时间，让鸡消除紧张状态，恢复正常的生理机能，有利于杀鸡时充分放血，也不影响鸡的颜色。配料、烹煮是最关键的工序。将炸好的鸡放在锅里，对上老汤，配好佐料，用武火煮沸，再用文火慢煮。烧鸡的造型更是独具匠心，鸡体开剖后，用一段高粱杆把鸡撑开，形成两头尖尖的半圆形，别致美观。“义兴张”开业已近三百年了，张炳的烧鸡技术历代相传，始终保持独特的风味。
After the branding of Yixingzhang, Zhang Bing practiced and practiced and became very experienced at selecion, killing, propping up, and cooking of chicken, application of chicken broth and duration and intensity of heating. He only selected chicken less than two years old to ensure the quality of chicken. Before killing the selected chicken, it was allowed to relax and recover its normal physiological functions, which facilitated bleeding and color-maintenance when killed. Matching of ingredients and cooking were key procedures. Put fried chicken in a pot, add soup stock and other ingredients, boil the soup at high heat, and simmer it with low heat. The shape of the braised chicken was unconventional and pleasant. After disembowelment, the chicken was propped up inside by a section of a broomcorn stalk, forming a half-round shape with pointy ends. Over the three hundred years since Yixingzhang was opened, Zhang Bing’s method of cooking braised chicken has been passed on from generation to generation and has maintained its unique flavor.