China · Chinese
Five-spice braised chicken
One of the eight cold starters of a Luoyang water banquet: bone-in chicken pieces simmered with star anise and peppercorn until well seasoned, chopped, plated, dressed with sesame oil and white sesame. Savoury with a light heat, served cold with drinks. Public reference · home adaptation, not a historical original.
Public reference · Home adaptation Five-spice braised chicken sits with five-spice beef and layered crunchy pig ear among the eight cold starters, served before drinks. Braised chicken is ordinary Henan party food at home, and in the water banquet it simply holds a fixed slot. The dish name is not stable across published menu versions — others list Du Kang drunken chicken or plain cold-braised chicken segments in the same cold slot. This entry follows the “five-spice braised chicken” wording of the published menu and is not merged with drunken chicken, roast chicken or salt-baked chicken. **The seat record gives the name only**: published Luoyang water-banquet menus and culture features list “five-spice braised chicken” as one of the eight cold starters and give no process at all. This version therefore takes a general public five-spice braising method (originally written for chicken legs) and adapts it to bone-in thigh pieces chopped for a cold plate; the process is a home adaptation with no specific correspondence to the banquet. Quantities, liquid volume and resting time are editorial for 4 servings. The reference insists the braising liquid must taste quite salty to penetrate, so the salt level here is high; reduce it and lengthen the rest if you prefer. Blood-soaking time is excluded from cookMinutes. Text-reviewed, not kitchen-tested. Contains soy and wheat (light soy sauce, cooking wine); sesame oil and white sesame contain sesame. Home preparation: boards and utensils may cause cross-contact. 下厨房：五香卤鸡腿的做法（咱们班来了个新同学） — Five-spice chicken braising method: soak to draw blood, blanch in cold water with wine and skim, star anise and peppercorn as essential spices, a deliberately salty liquid so the meat takes on flavour, then simmer and rest covered. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/107319081/ 百度知道：洛阳水席24道菜的菜名是什么呀？ — Five-spice braised chicken's place among the eight cold starters, and the existence of several published menu versions. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/558521656.html 百度知道：洛阳水席怎么做（转录洛阳好吃网席面做法） — That version places Du Kang drunken chicken in the first cold slot, boiled in brine then steeped in wine for 2–3 hours, showing the slot takes different chicken preparations in different versions. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/424155851027279692.html FDA: Food Allergies — Basis for declaring soy, wheat and sesame allergens. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.
Ingredients
- bone-in chicken thighs, chopped into three pieces each800 g
- water for blanching, discarded1500 ml
- water for the braising liquid1200 ml
- star anise2 piece
- Sichuan peppercorn3 g
- cassia bark1 piece
- dried red chillies2 piece
- ginger, sliced15 g
- scallion, cut into sections20 g
- salt12 g
- cooking wine20 ml
- light soy sauce15 ml
- sesame oil for dressing5 ml
- toasted white sesame seeds5 g
Directions
- 1
Chop each thigh into three, soak in cold water to draw out blood, then dry thoroughly. Soaking time is not counted in the cooking time.
- 2
Start the chicken in cold water with ginger and wine. Bring to the boil, skim the scum thoroughly, hold at medium heat about 5 minutes, then lift out, rinse with warm water and drain.
- 3
In a pot, combine the braising water, star anise, peppercorn, cassia, dried chillies, scallion, ginger, salt, light soy and wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 40 minutes.
- 4
Turn off the heat and keep the lid on for at least 20 minutes so the residual heat and salt continue to season the meat. Bone-in poultry must be thoroughly cooked; there should be no pink colour or bloody liquid at the joints.
- 5
Lift out the chicken, let it cool until warm, wipe off excess braising liquid and chop or arrange the pieces on a plate with the bone ends facing out.
- 6
Drizzle with sesame oil and scatter over the toasted white sesame. Serve cold. Keep refrigerated for no more than 2 days and bring back to cool temperature before eating.
Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.