Yên Thế’s free-range chicken puts Bắc Giang on national culinary map

Thu Hà

The midland province of Bắc Giang has a place on the nation’s culinary map thanks to its Yên Thế chicken, which was recently recognised among Việt Nam’s top 100 specialties for the 2021-22 period by VietKing.

There are several dishes made from chicken such as boiled chicken, steamed, roasted, chicken with bamboo, chicken paste and many others.

Yên Thế boiled chicken is said to be the most tasty and enjoyable. — Photo giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn

Nguyễn Thành Trung from the northern province of Quảng Ninh said he has travelled to nearly all of Việt Nam’s provinces and cities. As a foodie, he always tries to find a specialty dish at each location.

Recently, he visited Bắc Giang and Yên Thế chicken completely won his interest.

For him, the free-range chicken is most tasty when boiled, done to a turn.

Many people like to cook Yên Thế chicken with dried bamboo or sour bamboo shoots. — Photo vuagadoi.com

“The dish is completely enjoyable when the chicken meat is still firm and dipped in salt mixed with chilli, pepper and lemon leaves cut into threads. The boiled chicken’s broth is excellent for its sweetness and fragrance,” Trung said.

Trung decided to find out more about this chicken breed. Different from other chicken types, the Yên Thế chicken often spends the night on tree branches and flies down in the morning to find food on hilly land among litchi or grapefruit trees.

Nature has helped to build this healthy chicken breed, and now Bắc Giang’s Yên Thế is famous nationwide for its chicken specialty, said local breeder Bùi Hoàng Cường.

Grilled Yên Thế chicken attracts both youngsters and adults. — Photo grasso.com.vn

Cường, who has been raising the chicken for several decades, said most of the species have been bred from other local chickens, named such as Ri, Hồ, Đông Cảo and Mía. The chicken ranges from 1.5-1.6 kilo each compared with 2.0-2.2 kilo of other breeds.

The Yên Thế chicken has red and black feathers, yellow legs and particularly their comb is red, said Cường, adding that the chicken is sold nationwide, but most commonly across the northern provinces.

Yên Thế chickens often sleep on tree branches at night and fly down in the morning to find food. — Photo Lpcfood.vn

Every year, local breeding households bag more than VNĐ1.5 billion selling their chickens on the market.

Cường said eating chicken helps to increase one’s memory and bone health, and prevents weight gain.

Trung told the Việt Nam News that those wishing to eat the chicken specialty should visit the farms on the hillsides of Yên Thế District to enjoy free-range chicken. Visitors there can enjoy different chicken dishes on the spot.

“You will be very pleased and happy,” Trung said. — VNS