Big Plate Chicken (大盘鸡)

中文简介

大盘鸡是新疆最出圈的硬菜，发源于上世纪80年代末的乌鲁木齐，从国道边的司机食堂一路火遍全国。名字直白——真的是一大"盘"鸡。做法：土鸡剁块，与土豆、青红椒、干辣椒同炒，加豆瓣酱、啤酒（或水）炖煮，出锅前下入宽宽的皮带面（手工拉面）垫底吸收汤汁。成菜红亮油润，鸡肉香辣入味，土豆绵软吸汁，面条筋道裹满酱香。在新疆，大盘鸡是团结的菜——几个人围着一盘鸡，配上馕和伊力特白酒，是西北式社交的标配。乌鲁木齐的各类清真餐厅几乎都有拿手的大盘鸡。

English

Big plate chicken (大盘鸡, Dàpánjī) is Xinjiang's most famous export, born in the late 1980s in roadside truck-stop kitchens outside Ürümqi and now served in every corner of China. The name is a promise: it arrives on a pan the size of a manhole cover. Chicken is wok-seared with potatoes, green-and-red bell peppers, and dried chilli, simmered with doubanjiang and beer until the sauce is a glossy, tamarind-red gravy, then finished over a bed of wide hand-pulled belt noodles that drink up the sauce. Every component is engineered for maximum absorption, and the whole thing is built for sharing — Xinjiang style means a few friends, a couple of naan flatbreads, and a bottle of liquor.

Where to eat: Any halal restaurant in Ürümqi worth its salt; the "大盘鸡一条街" is a real thing in the city's Qitai (奇台) neighborhood. ¥68–128 ($10–18), feeds 3-4.

Pro tips: The potatoes are the sleeper hit — they absorb the gravy better than the chicken. Add extra flatbread noodles (皮带面) halfway through. This is a sociable dish; order it with friends and eat slowly.