Chengjia red-cooked chicken

Chengjia roast chicken is a specialty of Baixiang County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province. Baixiang Chengjia Roast Chicken is a well-known shop with a long history of one hundred years. Because of its exquisite production and unique flavor, it has become one of the favorite dishes in the eyes of local people. Chengjia roast chicken, founded in the Republic of China, has a history of more than 100 years. The ancestors of Chengjia flatter the exclusive secret recipe of Chinese medicine and cook it until the flesh and blood are separated, and it remains fragrant, moist, tender and delicate. It is exported to more than ten surrounding townships, districts and counties, with a radius of more than 30 kilometers. In his early years, when selling roast chicken, Cheng used a large basket with flat bottom and shallow mouth, covered with castor leaves, and put roast chicken on it. While carrying a roast chicken basket in his hand, he shouted and peddled it along the street. Because of his exquisite production and unique flavor, it was gradually recognized by the local people, leaving a proverb that "the fragrance is all the way, only Cheng Jiaxiang" in the local area. In the early 1990s, this craft was introduced to Cheng Yuntong, the fourth generation of the Chengjia family. In order to cater to the tastes of the public in the new period, he went to hua county, Henan Province, and went near Dezhou, Shandong Province. He integrated the characteristics of Henan Daokou roast chicken and Shandong Dezhou braised chicken, and reformed and innovated the Chengjia roast chicken, which made the Chengjia roast chicken have the characteristics of full chicken shape, red sauce color, shiny oil, complete chicken, tender meat, crisp and no residue, mellow and delicious, and endless aftertaste. The quality of Chengjia roast chicken is excellent, and the production is very particular. The raw materials are all selected in the growth period of about seven months, weighing about two and a half pounds, and the farmers are free-range. After being slaughtered, the live chickens were refrigerated for eight hours to remove acid, and then they were marinated in the old soup exclusively prepared by 13 Chinese herbal medicines, including Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Flos Caryophylli, Fructus Amomi, Pericarpium Citri Tangerinae, Cortex Cinnamomi Japonici, Fructus Anisi Stellati and Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinalis. After being marinated, they also needed to be smoked with sawdust of yellow pine. The finished roast chicken had a bright color, a sweet aftertaste, and the meat was not scattered, and it became a great local delicacy. Nowadays, Chengjia roast chicken keeps pace with the times and brings forth new ideas. Its flavor and taste have been integrated into the local food culture in the history of more than a hundred years. Whether visiting relatives and friends or going abroad, Chengjia roast chicken as a gift is not only a kind of food, but also a cultural symbol, which is deeply imprinted in the deep nostalgia of Baixiang people.
Reprinted with attribution： https://cnlocality.com/(Chinese Specialty Products)