Fuchun Chicken
A classic dish from Jiangsu Province, traditionally made with a fresh young hen as the main ingredient, accompanied by cooked eggs, bamboo shoot slices, and shiitake mushrooms. The chicken is first fried, then braised until it takes on a rich, soy-red glaze with a glossy sheen. The eggs absorb the savory sauce, becoming crisp and aromatic.
Ingredients
Live young hen (open from under the wing, remove innards, wash clean)
1 (about 750 g)
Hard-boiled eggs (fried until wrinkled surface)
100 g
Bamboo shoot slices
25 g
Soaked dried shiitake mushrooms
15 g
Chicken gizzards and liver (cooked with the chicken, sliced after removing)
50 g
Soy sauce
25 g
Shaoxing wine
35 g
White sugar
15 g
Scallions (fried until golden brown)
25 g
Ginger
25 g
Fine salt
10 g
Sesame oil (drizzled at the end)
25 g
Peanut oil (for frying chicken and eggs)
1000 g (about 125 g actually consumed)
Water (used for braising chicken in clay pot)
enough to cover the chicken
Instructions
1
Boil the chicken
Wash the chicken, open from under the wing, remove the innards, rinse clean. Place the chicken together with the gizzards and liver into a pot of water, cook until done, then remove.
2
Frying
Place a wok over heat, add peanut oil and heat to about 80% hot (around 200°C). Fry the chicken until golden brown, then remove. Add the eggs and fry until the surface becomes wrinkled. Fry the scallions until golden brown.
3
Braising
Place the chicken, gizzards and liver, and eggs into a clay pot lined with a bamboo mat at the bottom. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white sugar, scallions and ginger. Pour in water to cover the chicken. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Skim off the foam, place a flat plate on top to press down, cover, and move to low heat to braise for 1 hour 30 minutes, then remove from heat. Discard the bamboo mat and scallions/ginger. Remove the gizzards and liver and slice them.
4
Finishing
Arrange the shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoot slices alternately on top of the chicken. Add the fine salt. Return the clay pot to the heat and bring to a boil. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve.
