🍽️ Daokou Roast Chicken

Old-broth chicken, aromatic and tender.

Daokou Roast Chicken is a legendary product of Daokou Town in Hua County, Anyang, Henan, ranked among China's three most famous braised chickens alongside Dezhou and Goubangzi. Properly aged young chickens are dressed, glazed and fried, then simmered for hours in a master broth seasoned with eight traditional spices. The skin is a light red-amber, intact and glossy; the meat is so tender it falls off the bone at a shake, with a deep savory aroma and a gentle sweet finish. The secret lies in the endlessly replenished master broth and the time-honored spice ratio. Sold by the half-slice at old shops along Daokou's streets and vacuum-packed nationwide, it is excellent cold as a drinking snack or hot over rice—the most famous culinary calling card of northern Henan.