Story 69: Yang Guifei and “Guifei Chicken”

Yang Guifei and “Guifei Chicken”

Author: Anonymous

“Queen’s Chicken” is a famous dish in Suzhou. It is made by braised tender chicken wings with mushrooms, mussels, young bamboo shoots, and green peppers. The characteristic of Royal Concubine Chicken is that the dishes are brightly colored, with green, creamy yellow, black and white, which is pleasing to the eye. It tastes tender and fresh and has a fragrant aroma. It is a rare delicacy.

From the name of the imperial concubine chicken, you can tell that it must be related to a certain imperial concubine. The fact is indeed the case. It turns out that this noble concubine is not the one who stepped in, but the Yang Yuhuan who “looks back with a charming smile, and the sixth palace of pink and white has no color”.

More than 1,200 years ago, it was during the reign of Emperor Ming Dynasty Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty. When Li Longji first became emperor, he appointed Yao Chong and Song Jing to govern the country, which brought the socio-economic development of the Tang Dynasty to its highest peak, known in history as the “Kaiyuan Heyday”. But in his later years, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty became extremely mediocre, and the Tang Dynasty fell from the peak of development. Doting on Concubine Yang was an important manifestation of his mediocrity in his later years.

Yang Yuhuan was originally married to Li Longji after he fell in love with her and made her a noble concubine. After having Concubine Yang, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty had fun with her all day and night, and handed over state affairs to a group of traitors such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong.

One day, Emperor Locust of the Tang Dynasty drank and sang to Concubine Yang again, and they were fascinated. After he was drunk, he kept shouting, “Good wine, good wine! Eat happily!” Concubine Yang also shouted in a daze: “I want to fly to the sky!” Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty misheard because he was drunk, and thought that the concubine wanted to eat. “Fly to the sky” and immediately asked the eunuch to order the imperial kitchen to make it.

After hearing the emperor’s edict, the chefs looked at each other: they had never said that there was such a dish as “flying to the sky”. But if the emperor speaks his words, you must do it. The imperial chefs used their brains to think hard. A chef once said that if an eagle flies high, it probably means “flying into the sky”! After everyone heard this, they quickly made two braised eagles. But when I tasted it, I realized that the eagle meat was sour! So the cooks started thinking again.

Among the chefs, there was a famous chef from Suzhou named “Su Kongtou”. He thought that the chicken’s gizzard meat was the most tender, and it would be delicious to make “Flying to the Sky” with it. He told everyone his thoughts, and when everyone listened, he had no choice but to do so. They hurriedly found a few baby chickens, cut off their wings, simmered them with mushrooms, mussels, bamboo shoots, and green peppers, and finally “flyed into the sky”. When everyone saw this dish, it was delicious and fragrant, and they made up their mind.

The eunuch brought “Flying to the Sky” to the imperial concubine. The imperial concubine, who had already woken up from drinking, suddenly brightened up. Tang Minghuang also tasted it, praised it repeatedly, and asked the eunuch what the dish was.

The eunuch quickly said, this is the “Fly to the Sky” that Your Majesty ordered just now. Only then did Emperor Tang Ming remember the imperial edict he had issued when he was drunk, and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

At this time, Concubine Yang, who was enjoying the “Flying to the Sky” with relish, said: “This dish is bright in color, tender in meat and fragrant in taste. It is similar to my concubine in Guiyang. Let’s just call it ‘Flying Concubine’s Chicken’!” Upon hearing this, Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty, Say hello continuously.

Later, when Su Kongtou retired from old age and returned to his hometown, he brought the cooking method of “Queen’s Chicken” back to Suzhou, and this dish has been passed down in the Suzhou area for generations.

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