Yǐn yán: Má là yī jī, hóng yǒu yī wǎn; fēi yí yī zì, xiāng biàn qiáo tóu. — One spicy chicken, one bowl of red oil; the word “heritage”, fragrant across the bridges.
Fengdu spicy chicken (丰都麻辣鸡, Fēngdū Málàjī) is the county’s signature cold dish and a non-heritage (非遗) local craft: poached chicken cooled and torn into pieces, then dressed not in a sauce ladled over but in a red oil massaged through — chilli, Sichuan pepper, sesame and salt worked into the meat until every strand carries the dressing. The dish is eaten cold, at room temperature, as the opening move of a county table or the whole of a street lunch.
The locals’ rule is the shop, not the dish: the old shops on the south bank of the county seat (县城南岸老店) are held to beat the versions sold at the Ghost City’s gates, both on the chicken and on the oil — the scenic-area shop version is priced for the captive visitor and tastes of it. Order by the half-bird, eat it cold, and expect the pepper to arrive after the chilli.
flowcloud would say that the county’s flagship dish is a cold one — and that the red oil is applied like a massage, not a bath.
Where to find it: the old shops on the south bank of the county seat — the versions at the Ghost City’s gates are priced for the captive visitor. All checked October 2026.
Words and Names
麻辣鸡 málàjī — spicy-numbing chicken, the cold dressed chicken of the region · 红油 hóngyóu — red oil, the dressing medium · 非遗 fēiyí — intangible cultural heritage · 丰都 Fēngdū — the county whose name the dish carries