“Big Plate Chicken” DaPanJi (大盘鸡): Xinjiang’s Best Food
Anybody who has ever spent any significant time in China’s far western region of Xinjiang knows that one of the best foods you can eat here is known as “DaPanJi” or “Big Plate Chicken”. What is 大盘鸡? Well, I’m glad you asked and I can’t wait to show you :)
- Local/Chinese Name: 大盘鸡 (dà pán jī)
- Alternate Names: “Big Plate Chicken”
- Description: A communal dish of chicken, potatoes, onions, and spices soaked in a tasty red sauce
What is 大盘鸡 or “Da Pan Ji”?
If you ask that question to anyone outside of China they might look at you weird and wonder if you’re speaking English (which you’re not). If you ask most Chinese people they might tell you that it is one of Xinjiang’s most famous dishes.
If you ask me, I’ll tell you that it’s one of my favorite meals to eat in China and that if you ever live in or travel to Xinjiang, you MUST TRY IT, even if you’ve already tasted it in another part of China.
Watch the video below to see for yourself:
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“Da Pan Ji” (大盘鸡), directly translated, means “big plate of chicken“. It’s actually a pretty good name because at it’s core it’s really a big…plate…of chicken.
Oh yea, and potatoes.
But mostly chicken, including the feet and (sometimes) the chicken head. Other ingredients include green onions, peppers, and a red sauce that is to die for cooked together and served on one big plate in the middle of the table.
How to Order DaPanJi
Big Plate Chicken (aka DaPanJi) can be ordered in a few different ways:
- Full or half plate. The half plate, called 中盘 or “zhong pan” is good for two hungry people or three semi-hungry people. A full plate can feed parties of 4 or more.
- Spicy or not spicy. While the spice is part of what makes it taste so good, you can actually order the dish “bu la” or “without hot peppers”.
- With or without noodles. Towards the end of the meal, a plate of noodles can be brought out on request to be mixed and eaten with the delicious red sauce. The noodles are usually long and flat and a favorite part of the meal for most who try (It’s pretty much my wife’s favorite part).
Eating it is simple: each person has his or her own small plate which they can use as both a stepping stone to their mouth or as a place to discard the chicken bones.
How to Best Enjoy DaPanJi
- We usually buy some bread at a local Uyghur bread stand before going to the restaurant or if possible order the bread at the restaurant and use it to dip into the red sauce (have I mentioned the sauce is to die for?).
- Order a cold dish – our favorite is the cucumbers – to act as a spice reliever when we do decide to order the dish spicy. We’re usually glad we did.
It’s a dish you’ll be sure to enjoy – one of many such excellent dishes in Xinjiang – so if you ever make your way out here give it a try and let us know what you thought! My parents came to visit and I’m pretty sure they had a good time eating this with us…
…that is until my mom saw the chicken head. I think her meal ended right there. Ha!
More Xinjiang Food
- Learn how to make Big Plate Chicken on your own with these and other Uyghur recipes.
- Traveling to Xinjiang? Learn the Top 5 Xinjiang foods and how to order them.
- Learn about many other great Xinjiang foods including Uyghur Polo, Uyghur Lagman, and much more!
