Liye Lotus Seed Chicken 里叶莲子鸡
Liye Lotus Seed Chicken is featured among the local specialties of Zhejiang.
Liye Lotus Seed Chicken (里叶莲子鸡) combines local white lotus seeds with free-range chicken in Daciyan (大慈岩), Jiande (建德). Hangzhou Daily (杭州日报), in a February 2026 feature carried by the Hangzhou municipal government, describes Jiang Zhifa (姜智法) preparing it in a clay pot.
How it is made
Jiang first stir-fries the chicken, then arranges it with Liye (里叶) white lotus seeds in the pot. He adds stock, covers the pot and moves it onto the stove to simmer over low heat. Several hours of slow cooking leave a clear yellow broth, chicken tender enough to fall from the bone, and soft lotus seeds with a gentle sweetness.
From family meal to lotus banquet
Jiang recalls first tasting the dish at his wife’s family home during the New Year. He describes it as a former holiday treat that has become a principal dish of the local lotus banquet. A team led by Zhou Xiaohong (周晓红) developed this banquet role, bringing the chicken from home kitchens to a meal served to visitors.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-27. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.