Actually, hot pot chicken hadn't been created yet at this time.

That's right!

This dish, which later became popular in Huichuan and even the whole of northern China, and was said to be so delicious that the amount of chicken consumed in a year could circle half the Earth, was invented around 2000 by a man from Tianhe Village, Changliu Town, Huichuan County.

This dish became an instant hit in Huichuan as soon as it was introduced. By around 2010, almost half of a street in Huichuan County was lined with hot pot chicken restaurants.

Even with such a high density of hot pot chicken restaurants, Li Xiangdong always finds the place packed with people whenever he goes to eat there.

Therefore, the people of Huichuan County's love for hot pot chicken is evident.

Some people have come up with a unique idea: to promote hot pot chicken restaurants in Yanjing City and Bincheng City, turning them into branded hot pot chicken chain stores and popular spots for internet celebrities to visit.

Although the price of a hot pot chicken meal here is two or three times that of a regular restaurant, people still flock to it.

Along with hot pot chicken, another complementary dish was invented: chicken stew.

The difference between the two is that hot pot chicken is spicy, while chicken pot is not spicy.

In addition, hot pot chicken has a particularly strange naming method. Just like Lanzhou ramen is run by people from Qinghai, Hangzhou xiaolongbao originated from people from Shengzhou, and the specialty food of Zhao province is Anhui beef noodles, hot pot chicken was initially marketed as Chongqing hot pot chicken.

Thinking about this, Li Xiangdong found it amusing. This is the reason why "foreign monks chant better sutras"!

Li Xiangdong loves eating hot pot chicken and has extensive knowledge of how to make it.

Hot pot chicken is all about numbing, spicy, salty, and fragrant flavors. When dipped in sweet vinegar and minced garlic, the flavors are distinct and the taste is amazing!

Let's do it!

Li Xiangdong replaced Li Lan as head chef and took charge himself. He first instructed Zhou Hongsong to chop the plucked and cleaned chicken into small pieces, then blanch it in boiling water for ten minutes, take it out, rinse it with ice water, and set it aside for later use.

Then, Bai Yulong prepared the dried red chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and Pixian chili bean paste that he had brought, and placed them on the stove in different categories.

With all the ingredients ready, Li Xiangdong heated the fire on the stove, heated the pan, added a spoonful of snow-white and delicate lard.

"Sizzle—"

When lard first touches a hot pan, it immediately melts into hot, yellow oil.

When the oil reaches 70% of its maximum temperature, Li Xiangdong put scallion segments, fresh ginger slices, angelica root, Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and star anise into the oil.

A pungent aroma of spices wafted over, and Li Xiangdong leaned back slightly to avoid the splashes of oil.

He stirred the scallion pieces with a spatula for a while, watching them gradually turn golden brown, and then immediately threw the dried chilies and Pixian chili bean paste, which he had already cut into small pieces with scissors, into the pot.

A burst of spicy chili aroma burst forth, instantly filling the entire kitchen.

Zhou Hongsong took a deep breath of the aroma. "It smells so good! This kind of spice would be delicious even if you used it to stew shoe soles, let alone chicken!"

Bai Yulong wholeheartedly agreed, "I'm already hungry. The food I've been eating lately hasn't had much chili, so it's tasteless."

Li Lan watched Li Xiangdong's cooking steps and the timing of adding ingredients very carefully.

Li Xiangdong stirred the seasonings again, and immediately poured the chicken pieces that had been taken out of the cold water and drained into the pot to stir-fry!

"Big sister, has the water boiled yet?"

"It's boiled! Do you want it now?"

"Wait a minute—"

Li Lan brought over a green thermos filled with hot water. Upon hearing Li Xiangdong's words, she placed the thermos next to the stove.

Li Xiangdong kept stirring the spatula to ensure that each piece of chicken was heated evenly. When the chicken skin turned slightly yellow and wrinkled, Li Xiangdong added hot water from the thermos and then poured in an appropriate amount of soy sauce.

At this point, don't add too much water; just enough to slightly cover the chicken pieces.

All that's left to do is make the broth, prepare the vegetables and seasonings for the hot pot.

Because Li Lan's family makes braised dishes every day, they always keep a good stock on hand.

"Is it safe to use soup made from pork bones?"

"Sure! Big sister, bring more over!"

Li Lan went home to get the broth, and Zhou Hongsong immediately picked up a tin bucket from Li Xiangdong's kitchen, saying, "I, I'll get the broth for you!"

Li Lan looked at the half-meter-tall bucket and hesitated, "Do we need this much? It seems like we don't have that much left..."

Unable to bear seeing him act foolishly, Li Xiangdong immediately grabbed four heads of purple-skinned garlic from the garlic braid hanging on the wall and shoved them into Zhou Hongsong's hands, saying, "Hurry up and peel these garlic for me!"

Zhou Hongsong had no choice but to put the bucket back in its place and start squatting on the ground to peel garlic.

Bai Yulong chuckled to himself as he tended the fire. Zhou Hongsong glanced at him sideways and pounded the garlic in the mortar with a sullen sound.

Purple garlic has a spicy and pungent flavor. Take the garlic paste out of the mortar and pestle, put it in a bowl, and then pour in half a bottle of sweet vinegar. The dipping sauce for hot pot chicken is ready.

Li Xiangdong soaked some vermicelli and cardamom, then went to the vegetable greenhouse to buy some lettuce and spinach, and went to the tofu shop to buy two blocks of soft tofu.

Li Lan's ginseng, goji berry, red date, and hen soup had been ready for a while and had been kept warm in the clay pot.

Seeing that the hot pot chicken was almost ready, Li Xiangdong poured the chicken soup and the whole hen into a thermos, tightened the lid, and put the thermos into a cloth bag.

He pushed out his bicycle and said to Li Lan, Zhou Hongsong, and Bai Yulong, "I'm going to deliver soup to Third Sister. We'll eat when I get back!"

He was about to leave, pushing his bicycle, but before he'd gone two steps, he turned back. "Big sister, come with me! And pick up Da Xia while you're at it!"

Li Lan wrung out the water from the washed lettuce and spinach, placed them on a plate, took off her apron and put it on the counter, and said with a smile, "Okay!"

So, under the somewhat resentful gazes of Zhou Hongsong and Bai Yulong, Li Xiangdong happily rode away on his bicycle with Li Lan in tow.

On the way, Li Xiangdong pedaled his bicycle so hard it felt like it was flying, the wind hitting his face and making it feel cool.

The willow branches along the roadside are covered with pairs of green leaves, and the purple violets under the trees sway gently in the wind, while a few golden dandelions attract little bees to fly around.

Before long, the two arrived at Quanshui Village.

Li Lan had been holding the thermos in her arms the whole time. When she unscrewed the lid, the chicken soup inside was still piping hot, and the aroma was so enticing that it made one's mouth water.

She stayed in the outer room for a while, until the chill on her body dissipated, before bringing the chicken soup and spoon inside.

Li Xiangdong followed him into the house.

The doors and windows inside were all tightly closed, and red curtains were hung on the lower windows, making the room a bit dark.

Li Ying lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), next to her was Xiao Shun'er, who was fast asleep under a small quilt.

Yes, because the baby's delivery was smooth, everyone hoped that his future life would also be smooth, so they named him Hongshun, and his nickname is Xiaoshun'er.

Li Xiangdong handed over all the things that his maternal grandmother Liu Jiangsu, his maternal uncle and aunt, and Bai Yulong had brought for the child to Li Ying.