Sliced Cold Chicken, or baizhanji in Chinese, represents the Shanghai people's love for freshness and flavor.

This dish has a dipping sauce and barely any other seasoning. It challenges the idea that good cooking requires complex flavors.

A plate of Sliced Cold Chicken. [Photo/Shanghai Mass Art Center]

Excellent Sliced Cold Chicken is both simple, for chicken is the only ingredient, and complex, for it requires years of practice to master how to make this dish.

First, the chicken must be of high quality, with the proper proportion of fat and protein. If a cook is not strict about selecting the chicken, then it doesn't matter how skilled they are.

The key to making Sliced Cold Chicken lies in boiling and cooling. The chicken has to be dipped in hot water and iced water alternately before its springy skin forms a contrast with its soft meat. Even a small deviation of time or temperature will diminish the flavor.

The ideal Sliced Cold Chicken dish should be yellow in color. To ensure freshness, the chicken should not be cut until the last minute before being served on the table. As the knife cuts through the chicken, the crystal jelly between the skin and the meat will be exposed, showing how juicy it is.

In Shanghai, Sliced Cold Chicken is usually served with soy sauce and scallion oil. The saltiness of the former and the aroma of the latter are the finishing touch that gives soul to the dish.

Classic restaurants that serve Sliced Cold Chicken include Xiao Shao Xing Restaurant and Zhen Ding Chicken Restaurant, both renowned for their pursuit of perfection.

Source: WeChat account of Shanghai Mass Art Center via "gh-9c4ba5822c26"