Zhenping Fried and Braised Chicken 镇平烧鸡
Zhenping Fried and Braised Chicken is featured among the local specialties of Henan.
Zhenping Fried and Braised Chicken (镇平烧鸡), also called Hou family chicken (侯氏烧鸡), is a whole bird from Zhenping County (镇平县) in Nanyang (南阳), Henan, that is glazed with honey water, fried and then simmered for hours in an aged brine.
How it is made
The Zhenping county government sets out the method step by step. Cocks or hens more than six months old and over two jin (one kilogram) are slaughtered, scalded in water of about 60°C for a minute to remove the feathers, and drawn through a 7 to 8 centimetre cut in the lower belly between the legs.
The bird is then shaped: the ribs are cracked away from the backbone, the legs are crossed and tucked into the body, the wings are crossed and pushed into the mouth, and the head is folded under a wing, giving a compact form the county likens to a yuanbao (元宝) ingot. Once the skin is dry it is brushed with 40 to 60 per cent honey water and fried in oil heated to 160-180°C until red-yellow.
Finally the fried bird goes into a second pot holding aged master stock, salt water and a cloth bag of more than twenty traditional medicinal ingredients, among them amomum (砂仁), cassia (肉桂), angelica root (白芷), dried tangerine peel (陈皮), galangal (良姜) and cloves (丁香). It simmers there for about three to five hours until cooked. The aged stock is used over and over.
Flavour and texture
The county describes the braised bird as glossy red, strongly aromatic, with skin that stays whole and unbroken. Lifted by hand, the meat comes away from the bone; it is soft, tender and easy to chew, rich but not greasy.
Where it comes from
The county names its creator as Hou Xishan (侯稀山), a native of Linyi (临沂) in Shandong, who learned to make this kind of chicken from a master in Dezhou (德州) in 1928. In 1942, during the Japanese invasion, he moved his wife and children to Zhenping and went on making and selling the birds there, after which the Hou family chicken grew famous.
How it is eaten
According to the county, a properly made bird keeps for two to five days without spoiling and is easy to carry. It is eaten without cutting and without reheating, and the county calls it an ideal dish for travellers.
More dishes to compare
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Daokou chicken 道口烧鸡 →
Another Henan whole chicken fried before braising; the Zhenping bird is the Hou family version brought from Shandong to Nanyang in 1942.
Questions before you order
Does Zhenping Fried and Braised Chicken need reheating?
No. The Zhenping county government says it is eaten without a knife and without reheating, and keeps for two to five days.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-24. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片A similar preparation is pictured; the local version may differ. 同类菜品参考照片，当地做法可能不同。Photo: HaJunkiyada · CC BY-SA 4.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
