Qingyuan chicken is to this city what Peking duck is to Beijing — not just the local speciality but the defining reason people come. The birds are raised free-range on the hills around the city, fed on grain and foraged plants rather than industrial feed, and slaughtered later than commercial chickens to develop firmer, more flavourful meat. The result is a noticeably different texture and taste from supermarket poultry, and Guangzhou residents make specific trips to eat it.
The traditional preparations are simple: white-cut chicken with ginger-scallion sauce (the bird poached just past the point where the juices run clear, served at room temperature with the sauce applied at table), and salt-baked chicken, where the bird is packed in salt and slow-roasted until the skin turns golden and papery. The best restaurants are on the streets around the bus and train stations and in the old market district — the more weathered the tablecloths, the more confident the kitchen.