Qiu Er Guan Cuisine: a chicken soup restaurant with secret recipe, sticking to traditional cooking techniques

Qiu Er Guan Cuisine [Photo: Ou Pingshu]

Qiu Er Guan was a catering brand established in 1949 in Yuzhong District, Chongqing and has been famous for its stewed chicken. It has now developed into one of Chongqing’s time-honoured brands as well as Chinese famous snacks. The unique stewing method used by the restaurant to cook chicken soup is included into Chongqing’s second batch of intangible cultural heritage on a municipal level.

According to Xiao Changhong, the head of brand project department of Chongqing Yuzhong Business Development Co. Ltd, the chicken stewing technique of Qiu Er Guan originated from the royals in the Qing dynasty 300 years ago where they stewed chicken in bronze furnace. Near the end of the Qing dynasty, the royal chef responsible for making soups was distributed to folk places and passed on the chicken stewing method to a man named Han Decheng. Han Decheng came to visit Chongqing in 1943 and set up a stewed chicken restaurant in Yuzhong District, Chongqing. He recruited a batch of apprentices from Sichuan and Chongqing. After the departure of Han Decheng from Chongqing, his apprentices went on opening up restaurants in Yuzhong District.

Stewed chicken soup presented by Qiu Er Guan cuisine [Photo: Chongqing Yuzhong Business Development Co. Ltd]

The principal of the Qiu Er Guan cuisine stated that the chicken selected for the stewed chicken soup are all 9-months-old free ranging chicken raised by farms in high mountains. All the soups delivered to the diners are cooked on the day. Mr. Zhang, a resident in Yuzhong District, said, “I would bring my parents and children to dine in Qiu Er Guan every so often, the chicken soup here has a rich fragrant smell and the meat tastes tender. My parents have been dining here for decades, and the children like the food here more and more.” For decades, the stewed chicken soup presented by Qiu Er Guan has left an impact on the taste buds of several generations of Chongqingers. It is common for customers to visit the restaurant for take-out and share the stewed chicken soup with family afterwards. (Translation: Fan Bingxue)