origins
The idyllic island of Hainan, located just south of Guangdong’s tip, is known more as a sunny holiday destination than a bastion of traditional culture. In the old days, criminals and disgraced officials were sent to Hainan to live in exile, while today the island is packed with entrepreneurial hawkers and overpriced resorts. So you might be surprised to learn that Hainan is the home of one of China’s most illustrious chicken dishes: Wenchang chicken.

Named for the city of its origin, Wenchang chicken is Hainan most prestigious dish and a must-eat delicacy for the flocks of tourists that descend on the area in search of a tropical getaway. The dish is renowned for its tender and slippery meat, thin skin and crisp bones, aromatic but mellow fragrance and (best of all) its fatty but grease-free texture.

The secret to Wenchang chicken isn’t in the preparation—which is simple to the point of starkness—but in the chickens themselves, which are fattened up on a rich diet that normal livestock can only dream of. But it’s not all fun and games for the birds—according to a Qing Dynasty (1636 AD-1911 AD) book called《岭南杂事诗抄》(Lǐngnán Záshì Shīchāo), the key to real Wenchang Chicken was (drumroll) a kidney transplant: “Wenchang County chickens boast the most delicious taste, like game meat,” the book reads. “Cut out a rooster’s kidney and plant it in a hen’s abdomen. The roosters will no longer crow in the morning, while the hens will no longer lay eggs ; their feathers will wither and die. But the meat is exceptionally fat and tender! As this method has been tried in various places but only succeeded here, it’s earned the name Wenchang chicken.”

Despite what sounds like a rather medieval operation, mature Wenchang chickens should ideally be the picture of health, with shining bright feathers, short wings and a plump body. Despite their rich diet, these birds are on the small side and usually weigh around 1.5 kilos—in this case, it’s quality, not quantity, that counts.

As with other Chinese signature dishes, Wenchang chicken features in a few classic stories that give the recipe cultural clout. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an officer from Wenchang County dedicated several of his hometown chickens to the emperor. After sampling the offerings, the emperor exclaimed: “These chickens are from a civilized place renowned for producing outstanding people; raised in such rich a place, the chickens have absorbed the richness of their culture! They truly deserve to be called Wenchang chickens!” ( 鸡出文化之乡，人杰地灵，文化昌盛，鸡亦香甜，真乃文昌鸡也! Jī chū wénhuà zhī xiāng, rénjiédìlíng, wénhuà chāngshèng, jī yì xiāngtián, zhēn nǎi Wénchāng jī yě!) With the imperial blessing secured, Wenchang chicken gained prestige throughout China.