道口燒雞的概況　　
      
    道口燒雞是河南省安陽市滑縣道口鎮“義興張”世家燒雞店所制，是我國著名的特產。由河南省民間文化杰出傳承人、省特級燒雞技師張中海先生的先祖張炳始創于清朝順治十八年（1661年），至今已有近三百五十年的歷史，開始制作不得法，生意并不興隆，后從清宮御膳房的御廚那里求得制作燒雞秘方，做出的雞果然香美。道口燒雞的制作技藝歷代相傳，形成自己的獨特風格。1981年被商業部評為全國名特優產品。 道口燒雞與北京烤鴨、金華火腿齊名，被譽為“天下第一雞”。用多種名貴中藥，輔之陳年老湯 ，其成品燒雞色澤鮮艷，形如元寶，口銜瑞蚨。極具食療和保健功能。豫北滑縣道口鎮，素有"燒雞之鄉"的稱號。"義興張"的道口燒雞，象金華火腿、高郵鴨蛋、北京烤鴨一樣，在全國食品中獨占鰲頭，并且譽滿神州，名揚海外。
      
    道口燒雞的由來
      
    豫北滑縣道口鎮，素稱燒雞之鄉。美國一家餐廳的華人經理陸德，曾品嘗過道口燒雞，他贊美道口燒雞肥而不膩，色鮮味美，食用勿需刀，用手一抖，骨肉自行分離。無論冷熱，均余香滿口。至今回味起來，猶垂涎三尺。
      
     道口燒雞創始于清順治十八年（公元1661年）距今已有三百多年的歷史，據《浚縣志》及《滑縣志》記載，在開始的一百多年時間里，由于技術條件差，尚未具特色，生意并不興隆。到乾隆五十二年（公元1787年）現在的燒雞大師張中海的先祖張炳，偶遇清宮御膳房御廚老友劉義，他在道口鎮大集街開了個小燒雞店，因制作不得法，生意蕭條。有一天一位曾在清宮御膳房當過御廚的老朋友來訪，他身懷絕技。兩人久別重逢，對飲暢談。張炳向他求教，那朋友便告訴他一個秘方： “要想燒雞香，八料加老湯。”八料就是陳皮、肉桂、豆蔻、良姜、丁香、砂仁、草果和白芷八種佐料；老湯就是煮雞的陳湯。每煮一鍋雞，必須加上頭鍋的老湯，如此沿襲，越老越好。張炳如法炮制，做出的雞果然香。從此，營業興旺，張炳把他的燒雞店定名為“義興張”，寓意“友義興張”。
      
    “義興張”的牌子打出以后，張炳反復實踐，在選雞、宰殺、撐型、烹煮、用湯、火候等方面，摸索出一套經驗。他選雞嚴格，要選兩年以內的嫩雞，以保證雞肉質量。挑來的雞，要留一段候宰時間，讓雞消除緊張狀態，恢復正常的生理機能，有利于殺雞時充分放血，也不影響雞的顏色。配料、烹煮是最關鍵的工序。將炸好的雞放在鍋里，對上老湯，配好佐料，用武火煮沸，再用文火慢煮。燒雞的造型更是獨具匠心，雞體開剖后，用一段高粱稈把雞撐開，形成兩頭尖尖的半圓形，別致美觀。“義興張”開業已近三百年了，張炳的燒雞技術歷代相傳，始終保持獨特的風味，其色、香、味、爛被稱為“四絕”。
      
    自此以后，道口燒雞便一代一代地傳下來，既傳家珍絕技，又傳百年老湯。但在舊社會，由于官府繁重的苛稅，地方豪強的盤剝，流氓無賴的敲詐，使道口燒雞慘遭厄運。解放后，道口燒雞才又重獲新生，得到了發展。
      
    清嘉慶年間，一次嘉慶皇帝巡路過道口，忽聞奇香而振奮，問左右人道：“何物發出此香？”左右答道：“燒雞”。隨從將燒雞獻上，嘉慶嘗后大喜說道：“色、香、味三絕”。從此以后，道口燒雞成了清廷的貢品。張炳的世代子孫，繼承和發展了祖先的精湛技藝，使“義興店”燒雞一直保持著他的獨特風味。從七十年代以來，各國駐華使節和國外來賓吃了“道口燒雞”，無不交口稱贊。加拿大總理特魯多、贊比亞總統卡翁達、丹麥首相等貴賓，品嘗道口燒雞后都贊嘆不已。
      
    張中海的祖父張長貴（字和禮）先生，解放后，是省、縣政協委員，我國著名燒雞專家。黨和政府對他的親切關懷，人民給他的崇高榮譽，使這位飽經滄桑的老人感激涕零。1955年河南省政協會議上，他慷慨無私、毫不保留地公開了他家祖傳三百余年的絕技秘方，受到了人民的熱烈歡迎。此后，道口燒雞不僅遠銷京、津、滬、寧，而且大批銷往香港。
      
    道口燒雞的特色
      
    人們喜愛道口燒雞，是因為它香味濃郁、酥香軟爛、咸淡適口、肥而不膩。這些特點說起來容易，但做起來就比較困難了。
      
    就拿香味濃郁這一點來說，道口燒雞需要用陳皮、肉桂、豆營、白芷、丁香、草果、砂仁和良姜八味佐料，缺一不可。 酥香軟爛是道口最受人歡迎的原因之一，光是煮雞這一道程序，就需要花上3至5個小時，再加上火候的調整，制作技術要求很高。
      
    做好的燒雞不需刀切，用手輕輕一抖，骨和雞肉自動分離。不用說是饑腸轆轆之時，就是酒足飯飽之后，它也會令人饞涎欲滴。
      
    道口燒雞具有五味佳、酥香軟爛、咸淡適口、肥而不膩的特點。食用不需要刀切，用手一抖，骨肉即自行分離，無論涼熱、食之均余。


 

Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style

    Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style is a famous specialty which is made by Yixingzhang chicken shop in Daokou town, Anyang, Henan province. It’s created by Zhang Bing, the ancestor of Zhang Zhonghai who is the inheritor of Henan’s folk culture and provincial roast chicken cook, in as early as 18th year of Shunzhi period of Qing Dynasty, dating back nearly 350 years ago. Zhang made roast chickens not very well in the beginning until he got a secret recipe form an imperial cook. From then on, his posterities handed down this skill and advanced it gradually so that nowadays the chicken has their unique style. In 1981, Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style had been prized national quality products. Besides, it earns equal reputation with Peking Roast Duck and Jinhua Ham, praised as the No. 1 chicken. Using many expensive traditional Chinese medicines and combining with nourishing original soup endows it bright color as well as diet therapy and health care functions. Daokou town is always called the Hometown of Roast Chicken, as the most famous one, Yixingzhang roast chicken stands at the top of all kinds of food.   
      
   Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style is highly popular for its fragrant smell, soft and moderate flavor, fat but not greasy taste. It has very high standards for choosing materials and cooking processes.
      
    Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style was created in as early as 18th year of Shunzhi period of Qing Dynasty, dating back nearly 350 years ago. According to the documents Junxian Record and Huaxian Record, this kind of roast chicken was unknown for bad taste until the 52nd year of Qianlong period, when the creator Zhang Bing met with his old friend, Liu Yi, who was a cook in Imperial Palace and told Zhang the secret recipe: use original soup including 8 kinds of seasoning. The seasonings are dried tangerine or orange peel, cinnamon, cardamun, ginger, clove, fructus amomi, amomum tsao-ko, angelica root. Zhang followed this way and boomed his restaurant and then he changed the name as Yixingzhang meaning Liu Yi flourished Zhang Bing. From then on, Zhang tried again and again and finally created more unique roast chickens in shape as well as flavor, whose bright color, tempting smell, dainty flavor and soft meet quality were called the four unique features. In Jiaqing period of Qing Dynasty, Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style became a tribute out of the Emperorr’s high praise. However, it also suffered many hardships until the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. From 1970s, many foreign higher officials like prime minister of Canada and Denmark, president of Zambia, etc, all gave a high praise to this carbonado. In 1955, Zhang Changgui overted the recipe of Red-cooked Chicken Daokou Style, which made the yield increased quickly and stimulated the chicken sold to as far as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Xianggang