Gourd Chicken was created during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. It has been carefully developed by several generations of chefs and has been passed down to this day. It is known as "the first flavor of Chang'an". This kind of palace dish uses a special kind of chicken, which is tied and cooked to look like a gourd (that’s how gourd chicken gets its name). It’s golden in color, has crispy skin and tender meat, and is so fragrant and mellow that it can be touched with chopsticks. When eaten with salt and pepper, the taste is even better. good. Xi'an Restaurant's "Gourd Chicken" is the most famous.

Shaanxi’s traditional famous dishes began in the Tang Dynasty. The traditional choice of ingredients for gourd chicken is "Japanese" chicken from Sanyao Village in the south of Xi'an City. This kind of chicken is raised for one year and has a net weight of about one kilogram. The meat is fresh and tender. The preparation of gourd chicken consists of three processes: boiling, steaming and frying. When making, first rinse it in clean water to remove blood stains. When cooking, tie the chicken with hemp wire to keep the chicken in shape. When the cold water in the pot boils, add the chicken, cook for half an hour, take it out, put it in a basin, and add Add broth, cooking wine, refined salt, soy sauce, green onion, ginger, star anise and cinnamon and steam thoroughly. When frying, heat the rapeseed oil to 80% heat and add the steamed whole chicken. Stir it with a spoon until the chicken is golden brown. Take it out with a slotted spoon, drain the oil, and then put it on a plate. Take a small frying pan with it when serving. Serve with butterfly pepper and salt.

The flavor characteristics are: golden red color, crispy skin and tender meat, fragrant and mellow taste, and will fall off the bone when picked with chopsticks. Contains rich protein and saturated fatty acids needed by the human body.

According to legend, "Gourd Chicken" was created during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty and was created by the chef of Wei Zhi, the Minister of Rites of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. According to "Youyang Zazu" and "Yunxian Zaji". " records: Wei Zhi was born in a bureaucratic family. With the support of his father and brother, he became a minister and rose through the officialdom. This man is well-dressed and well-fed, extremely luxurious and very particular about his meals. There is a saying that "if a person wants to eat but his muscles and bones are relaxed, he is destined to be the chef of the Duke of Xun" (Wei Zhiqiu Duke of Xun). One day, Wei Zhi ordered the chef to cook tender chicken. The first chef made it by steaming it first and then frying it. After tasting it, Wei Zhi thought that the meat was too old and did not meet the tender taste standard. He was very angry and ordered his family to whip the chef fifty times to death. The second chef used the method of boiling first, then steaming, and then frying; the requirements of crispness and tenderness were met, but because the chicken went through three processes, the bones and flesh were separated and fell into pieces. Wei Zhi suspected that the cook was eating secretly and did not allow the cook to argue. He also ordered his servants to beat the cook to death. Frightened by Wei Zhi's power, other chefs had no choice but to continue cooking for him. The third home cook accepted the lessons learned from the previous two home cooks and tied the chicken with string before cooking, then boiled it first, then steamed it, and then fried it. The chicken cooked in this way is not only fragrant and tender, but also has a whole body like a gourd. At this time, Wei Zhi was satisfied. Later, people called the chicken cooked in this way "Gourd Chicken", which has been passed down to this day.