Chicken poached until only just cooked, chilled, and steeped in Shaoxing wine or wine lees, then served cold as a starter.
What makes it shanghai drunken chicken
Chicken poached gently, then chilled fast so the skin sets smooth.
Steeped cold in Shaoxing wine or wine lees, with stock and salt.
Served cold, chopped through the bone.
Where it comes from
Cold dishes open a Shanghai meal, and drunken chicken is among the best known — a close relation of Shaoxing's, from over the Zhejiang border. The city's cooks favour a small, tender local bird and often steep it in zāo, the fragrant lees left from making rice wine, as well as in the wine itself.
How it varies
Zāo jī
Steeped in wine lees rather than wine — fuller and more fragrant.