A whole chicken, legs tucked in, glazed and fried golden, then braised for hours in a spiced soy stock until the meat falls from the bone.
What makes it dezhou braised chicken
A whole bird, its legs and wings tucked in so it sits neatly.
Brushed with syrup and fried golden before braising.
Braised slowly in a stock of soy and whole spices until the bones pull free.
Where it comes from
Dezhou sits on the Grand Canal, and later on the railway from Tianjin to Nanjing, and its braised chicken travelled with both. It's usually traced to the early Qing, and for much of the twentieth century it was sold on the platform, wrapped in paper, to passengers passing through.
Its full name, wǔxiāng tuōgǔ pájī, means five-spice, bone-shedding braised chicken: cooked so long and so gently that a shake of the leg lets the bone slip out, while the bird still holds its shape.
How it varies
Vacuum-packed pájī
How most of it is now sold and carried home — and eaten cold.