Huai Shan, Poria, Lotus Seed and Euryale Double-Steamed Free-Range Chicken

Why people make this dish

Nourilo recalls a memorable meal during a trip to mainland China — a restaurant specialty called “eight treasure braised earth chicken” (八珍炖土鸡). The herbs barely announced themselves, yet the aroma from the chicken was extraordinary, deeply fragrant with dang gui and dang shen. The whole bird disappeared before anyone expected it to. That memory inspired this recipe: a gentler, everyday version that keeps the spirit of the original — rich-tasting, deeply nourishing chicken braised slowly with classic spleen-and-kidney supporting herbs. He uses organic free-range chicken (清远有机鸡 is one he favours) because the meat has a more concentrated flavour that stands up to the long steaming time. The result is a dish that is warming, subtly herbal, and genuinely restorative.