Wenchang chicken () is a type of
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
breed and a
chicken dish from the
Wenchang
Wenchang ( postal: Mencheong; ) is a county-level city in the northeast of Hainan province, China. Although called a "city", Wenchang refers to a large land area in Hainan - an area which was once a county. The urban center and the seat of gove ...
city area in the island province of
Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
, China.
The Chicken
This variety of small, fleshy
[ ] free-range chicken is fed
coconut and
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...
bran
Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the hard outer layers of cereal grain. It consists of the combined aleurone and pericarp. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, ...
. During the last two months before going to market, they are kept in
coops
Coops is a surname. Notable people with this name include:
* Jeans Coops, Belgian bobsledder who competed in the late 1930s
* Pieter Coops (1640–1673), Dutch seasscape painter
See also
* Allerton Coops, historic apartment building complex in ...
above the ground.
The Dish
Wenchang chicken is known throughout the province of Hainan. The traditional way to prepare Wenchang chicken is "white cutting" (), which involves immersing the chicken in almost boiling water and cooking to preserve its softness and tenderness. It is then eaten by dipping the pieces in a mixture of spices including chopped
ginger and salt.
The skin of Wenchang chicken is typically yellow, with an oily appearance,
although the meat is somewhat drier and has more texture than
battery chickens. This dish is also popular in
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
, in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and other
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
n countries.
Hainanese chicken rice
During the 19th and 20th century, a significant amount of
Hainanese decided to move south – which was then widely known as
Nanyang () – particularly to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
. Many also brought along their culinary expertise, creating numerous dishes that are a fusion of both their cuisine back in Hainan along with local ingredients available, or inventing a new dish entirely.
In the context of Wenchang chicken, it is the originator of the
Singaporean
Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Ind ...
dish
Hainanese chicken rice
Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
, the national dish of the country and "one of the most beloved culinary exports of Southeast Asia".
The dish came into fruition in the 1920s, by a Hainanese chef named Wang Yiyuan who was living in Singapore.
It then started to gain popularity in the mid 20th century by a chef named Moh Lee Twee, a Singaporean of Hainanese descent, whose Swee Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant operated at
Middle Road for five decades.
[Wang Zhenchun (王振春). Hua Shuo Hainan Ren (话说海南人): Mo Lu Rui Created The Mini Hainanese Chicken Rice Empire (莫履瑞创下海南鸡饭小王国). The Youth Book Co. Singapore. 2008. . pp 82]
See also
*
Hainan cuisine
*
List of chicken dishes
This is a list of chicken dishes. Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world, and was one of the first domesticated animals. Chicken is a major worldwide source of meat and eggs for human consumption. It is prepared as food in a wi ...
*
White cut chicken
*
Hainanese chicken rice
Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
References
External links
Images of Wenchang chicken
{{Chicken dishes
Hainanese cuisine
Chinese chicken dishes