Description
A legendary, highly entertaining dish representing Jiangnan. A stuffed whole chicken is wrapped in aromatic Lotus Leaves, sealed in Mud (Clay), and slow-baked in hot ashes. The aroma when cracked open is earth-shattering.
Restaurants serving Jiao Hua Ji (Beggar's Chicken)
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
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
- Whole chicken
- Minced pork
- Dried shiitake
- Jinhua ham
- Lotus leaves
- Pork caul fat
- Yellow clay
- Soy sauce
- Star anise
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Rub whole chicken with soy and spices.
- Stuff belly with fried pork, shrimp, and shiitake; sew shut.
- Wrap chicken in caul fat.
- Wrap tightly in multiple Lotus Leaves.
- Slather 3cm of Yellow Clay over the leaves to form a mud shell.
- Bury in hot ashes or an oven.
- Bake for
- hours; the chicken steam-bakes in its own juices.
- Smashed open with a wooden hammer at the table.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Noble aroma of lotus leaves and condensed whole chicken umami
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Substitute mud with a salt/flour crust
Pairing
Premium Shaoxing Wine / Jasmine Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] Legend says a beggar (Jiao Hua Zi) stole a chicken but lacked pots, so he wrapped it in mud and threw it in a campfire, accidentally creating a masterpiece. It is a legendary entertainment dish coveted across China.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Begins with the diner smashing the mud crust. Opening the leaves detonates a violent, sweet aroma of chicken fat and lotus. The meat falls off the bone at a touch. Eating the stuffing with the chicken is supreme luxury.
Allergen
Poultry, Pork, Shrimp, Soybeans, Wheat