A whole stuffed chicken wrapped in lotus leaves, sealed in clay or dough, and baked for hours until it falls from the bone.
What makes it beggar's chicken
A whole chicken, marinated and stuffed with pork, mushrooms and preserved vegetables.
Wrapped in lotus leaves, then sealed in clay or dough.
Baked slowly, so it steams in its own juices.
Where it comes from
The story, told in several versions, is of a beggar who stole a chicken and, with no pot, packed it in mud and buried it in the embers of a fire; when he cracked the clay the feathers came away with it. Both Hangzhou and Changshu, across the border in Jiangsu, claim it.
In restaurants the clay is cracked open at the table with a little ceremony. Many now use a flour-and-water dough instead.