The origin of Dezhou paji: Dezhou paji evolved from roast chicken and was founded by Mr. Han Shigong. According to the Records of Dezhou City and Dezhou Literature and History, Han Ji is the first hometown of spiced boneless braised chicken in Dezhou, which was made in 16 16 (forty-three years of Ming Wanli) and passed down from generation to generation. Emperor Qianlong went down to Jiangnan and stayed in Texas. He asked the Han family to cook chicken and tasted it. After that, he was very happy and praised it as "a miracle in food". Since then, he has been paying tribute to the court. 19 1 1 year (the third year of Xuantong), Mr. Han Shigong summarized the experience of the Han family in making chickens for generations and made a "braised chicken with spiced bones" with unique flavor. Social habits call Mr. Han Shigong the first generation master of braised chicken making.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the operators of roast chicken in Texas mushroomed, and there were many famous shops, competing with each other and making great efforts in quality. Hou, the owner of "Baolanzhai", after careful study, created a braised chicken production process according to the cooking method of roast elbow and beef. By the year of 19 1 1, Han Shigong and others, the owner of Dezhou Time-honored Roast Chicken Store, improved the traditional technology and formula, added various traditional Chinese medicines for invigorating spleen and appetizing, combined with the experience of making roast chicken and braised chicken, and combined the methods of frying, smoking, marinating and roast chicken, taking into account local customs and the north and south. Shake the chicken leg when it is cooked, and the meat and bones will separate. This is called boneless. The braised chicken they cooked was evenly fried, stewed rotten, fragrant and not spoiled for a long time, and soon opened up a market in the market. Especially after the opening of the Jin-Pu Railway, the reputation of Dezhou Braised Chicken spread far and wide with the taste of tourists, becoming a famous specialty of whole chicken braised chicken in the north.
After the founding of New China, the production conditions and technology of Dezhou braised chicken have been greatly improved. In the early 1950s, a state-run food braised chicken company was established in Texas, mainly braised chicken. The company has learned from others and maintained and developed the unique flavor of this traditional famous food. It was once rated as a high-quality product by the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Commerce, a first-class brand-name product in the National Food Expo in 1956, and the top of the "Top Ten Chickens" in China in 1983. It was also included in the sixth series of "China Famous Cookbook" compiled by relevant state departments for the first time.
One of the reasons why Texas braised chicken can last for a long time is that the selection of materials is very strict. There is a saying in the braised chicken industry in Dezhou: "Raw materials are the foundation, and production and processing are the guarantee." Hairy chickens used for braised chicken must be alive and strong, and those crushed to death during transportation must be discarded. The second reason is that the manufacturing process is very fine.
manufacturing process
1. Slaughter: Cut the trachea of live chickens over 750 grams, drain the blood, scald them with hot water of about 65 degrees Celsius, remove chicken feathers, peel off the old skin of legs, mouths and claws, then cut open the buttocks, take out the internal organs and drain the blood;
The second is plastic surgery: the chicken leg is rolled up, the claws are inserted into the abdomen, and the two wings cross out of the mouth, which looks like a "duck floating on the water";
The third is cooking and frying: the chicken is evenly coated with sugar, and then fried in a boiling oil pan until the chicken is golden yellow;
Stewing ingredients: Before cooking, put an iron grate at the bottom of the pot to prevent the pot from burning, and then discharge the processed chicken into the pot according to its age and tenderness, and mix it with the soup to prevent the chicken from floating. When cooking, simmer with strong fire, simmer with small fire, and stew the chicken for 6-8 hours, stew the old chicken for 8- 10 hours, and stew the chicken mainly in the original pot and old soup in proportion. Sixteen ingredients, pepper, aniseed, cinnamon, clove, angelica dahurica, tsaoko, dried tangerine peel, tri-naphthalene, Amomum villosum, ginger, fennel, soy sauce, sugar and salt. The braised chicken made in this way is complete and beautiful in appearance, golden red in color, soft and palatable in meat, and has the functions of appetizing, tonifying kidney and helping digestion.
In addition, Shangguan braised chicken in Jining, Shandong Province is also very popular among high school students in southwest Shandong Province because of its delicious color and flavor.