China · Chinese
Pan-fried coin-shaped chicken
Chicken breast and pork fat minced together with water chestnut and dried shrimp, spread on discs of cooked pork fat and fried until golden — a Kong household dish shaped like old copper coins, crisp outside and moist within. Written for 4 as a home adaptation, not a historical original.
Public reference · Home adaptation Pan-fried coin-shaped chicken is named for its coin-like rounds; it is one of the Kong dishes that reached ordinary households. Kong cooking is strongest in braising, stir-frying, simmering, deep-frying and扒, and is flavoured light, fresh and soft. Here the “塌” technique — frying first, then reducing — lets chicken mince cling to a disc of fat and set from its own rendered fat, a refinement of northern home frying. Qufu material divides Kong cooking into ritual, banquet and household categories, and both this dish and roast pork belong to the household tier, showing Kong cuisine is not only grand banquets. This entry uses public method material only and does not claim a Kongfu-specific formula. The original makes 20 large discs for a crowd; this version uses 12 smaller 4 cm discs for 4. The fat must be belly fat with a skin layer so it renders well. The original fries in lard; this version uses a lighter oil. Quantities and seasoning are editorial. Water chestnut must be peeled and crushed and the dried shrimp soaked. Press the fat discs dry with a cloth or they will slide and never set. Contains poultry, pork, egg and crustacean (dried shrimp); the cooking wine contains wheat and alcohol. Water chestnut is a fresh raw ingredient and must be peeled and washed. 百度百科：锅贴金钱鸡 — The full method: chicken and fat pounded to a paste, seasoned with egg white, starch and aromatics; the remaining fat boiled, cut into 4 cm discs, dried and dusted; filling piped on and fried golden; fat drained and sesame oil drizzled over. This is the source of the steps used here. https://baike.baidu.com/view/2919928.htm 聚珍：真正的“孔府宴”吃些什么（节选自《孔府文化研究》） — The transmitted Kongfu menu lists pan-fried coin chicken among its main and accompanying courses, establishing that the dish belongs to the Kongfu table. https://applet.10100.com/article/106509520 AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.
Ingredients
- chicken breast200 g
- pork belly fat with skin, raw250 g
- water chestnut, peeled80 g
- dried shrimp, soaked and chopped15 g
- egg white30 g
- pea starch15 g
- scallion, for juice10 g
- ginger, for juice10 g
- cooking wine25 ml
- salt3 g
- white pepper1 g
- sesame oil8 ml
- cooking oil for frying30 ml
Directions
- 1
Peel the water chestnuts, crush them with the flat of a knife and chop; soak the dried shrimp in warm water 20 minutes until soft and chop finely.
- 2
Trim the chicken breast and slice it thin, then pound it together with 100 g raw fat on a board lined with clean pig skin until it becomes a fine paste.
- 3
Mash the scallion and ginger and draw off their juice with wine. Combine the chicken paste with egg white, starch, that juice, wine, salt and white pepper, beating in one direction until sticky, then fold in the water chestnut and dried shrimp.
- 4
Simmer the remaining raw fat submerged in water about 25 minutes until cooked through but not soft, then lift out and cool.
- 5
Cut the cooled cooked fat into 12 discs about 4 cm across and 1 cm thick, press the surface completely dry with a clean cloth and dust both sides lightly with dry starch.
- 6
Heat a little oil in a flat pan to about 120°C, lay in the fat discs and pipe a mound of chicken filling onto each, flattening it to an even 8–10 mm.
- 7
Fry over medium heat about 3 minutes without moving, until the underside sets and turns golden, then carefully turn and fry another 3 minutes until the fat renders and the filling is cooked through and white.
- 8
Pour off the excess fat, drizzle sesame oil around the edge, toss so every piece glazes, drain and plate, serving hot.
Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.