Xinjiang Da Pan Ji (Big Plate Chicken)
A classic from the Silk Road! Extra-thick noodles hidden at the bottom of a spiced stew.
Description
An incredibly popular dish absolutely mandatory at Silk Road restaurants alongside Lanzhou noodles. A whole chopped chicken and potatoes braised in dozens of spices, served on a 'massive, basin-sized plate (Da Pan)'. Finished by tossing extra-wide flat noodles (Pi Dai Mian) into the leftover gravy.
Restaurants serving Xinjiang Da Pan Ji (Big Plate Chicken)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken
- Potatoes
- Bell peppers
- Doubanjiang
- Various spices(Star anise/Sichuan pepper)
- Rock sugar
- Belt noodles
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Chop bone-in whole chicken (or thighs) and blanch. Cut potatoes into large chunks.
- Heat oil and rock sugar in a wok, toss the chicken to coat in caramel.
- Add massive dried chilies, Sichuan pepper, star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, 'Pixian Doubanjiang', scallion, ginger, and massive garlic. Stir-fry to explode the spices.
- Pour in beer (or water/wine), add potatoes, cover, and braise on low for 30-
- mins until potatoes are fluffy and near-melting.
- Toss in green/red bell peppers briefly, then dump the entire massive stew onto a giant flat plate.
- [The Noodle Finisher]: Boil 'Pi Dai Mian' (Belt noodles—wide, flat wheat noodles). Toss them directly into the remaining umami-packed gravy after the meat is eaten.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Heavy depth of medicinal spices and Doubanjiang
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Use hand-pulled Hoto noodles for the finisher)
Pairing
Cold Beer / Xinjiang Black Beer(Wusu Beer)
Trivia
[Trivia] A relatively modern B-grade masterpiece, reportedly invented in the 1990s by a Xinjiang diner owner combining Sichuan spices with local ingredients to fill the stomachs of long-distance truck drivers.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Place the giant plate in the center to share. The fluffy potatoes absorb the chicken fat and spices to the absolute limit, tasting even better than the meat. The thick belt noodles soaked in the remaining gravy are widely considered 'the true star of Da Pan Ji'.
Allergen
None