Detailed Explanation of the Key Processing Techniques for Changshu Braised Chicken
Changshu braised chicken is a traditional famous food from the Changshu area of Jiangsu, with a history of nearly 100 years.
Ingredients and formula: 10 chickens, 1 kg refined salt, 750 g soy sauce, 500 g white sugar, 350 g Shaoxing wine, 500 g scallions, 50 g ginger, 25 g fennel, 25 g cassia bark, 25 g dried tangerine peel, 5 g cloves, 3 g amomum.
Production method: 1. Material selection: choose healthy, disease-free fresh plump chickens as the main raw material, preferably chickens from the current year.
2. Slaughtering and dressing: slaughter the chickens, drain the blood completely, soak them in hot water, pluck the feathers clean, then split the abdomen open, remove the internal organs, and rinse clean with clear water.
3. Salting: take a portion of fine salt and rub it over the chicken bodies, then place them in a vat to salt for 12-24 hours (the salting time varies with the season; longer in winter, shorter in summer).
4. Braising: take out the salted chickens, put them into a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then remove them; put the various seasonings into a gauze bag and place it into the old broth used for cooking chicken, then continue cooking the chickens, first over high heat for 15 minutes, then switch to low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes before taking them out of the pot.
Product characteristics: glossy red color, fresh, tender and fragrant. Delicious whether eaten cold or hot, suitable both as a meal accompaniment and with wine.