LOCAL FOOD GUIDE

Chicken Stewed with Gastrodia 天麻炖鸡

Tianma Dunji

Chicken Stewed with Gastrodia is featured among the local specialties of Yunnan.

AI illustration: A rustic ceramic bowl of bone-in chicken pieces in golden-brown broth with mushrooms and a few ginger slices.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）AI-generated visual reference; not a restaurant photograph. AI 示意图，仅供参考，非实拍。

Chicken Stewed with Gastrodia (天麻炖鸡) is a local dish in Zhaotong (昭通), Yunnan (云南), pairing fresh gastrodia with free-range chicken. Its ingredient base is associated with Xiaocaoba (小草坝) in Yiliang (彝良), an area known for gastrodia production.

How it is made

Zhaotong Culture and Tourism’s 2026 account describes fresh gastrodia from the Zhaotong mountains is combined with locally raised chicken and slowly stewed over a low flame for several hours. The long cooking brings the ingredients’ flavours into a clear, richly flavoured broth. Zhaotong gastrodia is noted for its large, plump form.

Flavour and texture

The gastrodia becomes soft, with a gentle sweetness in the finish. The chicken remains tender and finely textured. The soup is described as mildly sweet and savoury without a greasy taste.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-09-30

Sources & reading

Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-30. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.