🍽️ Dezhou Braised Chicken

Five-spice chicken that falls off the bone, a Shandong classic.

Dezhou Braised Chicken is a time-honored specialty of Dezhou, Shandong, praised as 'one chicken of the realm.' Quality live chickens are shaped, glazed with honey and fried, then braised for hours in a five-spice master stock. The result is golden with a reddish tint, so tender the meat falls off the bone at a shake, yet the whole bird keeps its shape. The five-spice flavor is mellow and well balanced, good both cold with drinks and hot with rice. Thanks to vacuum packaging, it has long been a must-buy takeaway for travelers on the Beijing-Shanghai rail line. Depending on treasured stock and patient braising, it is the most widely known representative of Shandong's savory braised poultry.