CHESTNUT CHICKEN

Spice up the autumn and prepare for winter with this warm and nourishing dish

秋冬的味道和滋补需求，板栗烧鸡知道

equal to that of a noble entitled to collect taxes from 1,000 households (燕秦千树栗……与千户侯等).” Han Feizi (韩非子), a philosopher active in the 3rd century BCE, also wrote that people ate chestnuts to stave off hunger during famines.

Nowadays, chestnut trees grow nationwide. The nuts, which are rich in starch and protein, are valued in traditional Chinese medicine as benefiting one’s qi (气) while also nourishing the intestines, stomach, and kidneys. As a result, braised chicken with chestnuts is popular in autumn not just due to nostalgia or because of the rich flavors and tender textures of slowcooked nuts and warming meat. According to medical theories, it also helps to nourish internal organs negatively impacted by hot weather and icy drinks during the summer, and provides people with the nutrition they need to prepare for the cold winter.