Changshu beggar’s chicken is a traditional local famous dish in Jiangsu Province. It has a history of more than 100 years. Changshu Beggar’s Chicken is mainly made of chicken, lotus leaf and so on. Beggar’s Chicken is brown red in color, oily and bright, fresh and fragrant. It is rich in chicken flavor, crisp and tender, rich in nutrition and unique in flavor.
Many Chinese dishes have names adapted from folklore or story. Once upon a time a beggar led a wandering life in poverty. One day, he was very hungry. He lucked into a chicken, but had neither tools nor condiments. He came to the foot of Yu Mountain and roasted it without plucking it. When it was finished, the smell spread over a long distance.
How to make the Beggar’s Chicken? The traditional way is to put the pre salted hen on the lotus leaf first, and then stuff the auxiliary materials into the chicken’s belly. Usually, the producer will stuff diced meat, diced ham, dried bass, mushrooms and other auxiliary materials into the chicken’s belly, wrap the whole chicken with lotus leaves, and then wrap a layer of high-temperature film outside. Then wrap it with a layer of lotus leaf again and tie it with straw rope. Finally, daub it with Yushan yellow mud and put it into the oven to simmer.
In 2009, the production technique of Changshu Beggar’s Chicken was selected into the second batch of intangible cultural heritage projects in Jiangsu.
