Da Pan Ji (Big Plate Chicken, 大盘鸡)

If you’ve ever craved a dish that’s part comforting stew, part noodle wonderland, big plate chicken (大盘鸡, Da Pan Ji) is the answer. Born along the busy truck routes of northwest China, this filling one-pot meal was created to satisfy hungry drivers, and soon became a staple beloved all over the country.

At its core, big plate chicken features juicy, bite-sized chunks of chicken simmered in a richly spiced sauce with potatoes and peppers, then served over chewy hand-pulled noodles. The broth is flavored with bold aromatics like star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, dried chili peppers, and a splash of Shaoxing wine for depth. A dollop of doubanjiang adds just the right amount of heat and umami, while chunks of potato soak up all the savory goodness, creating velvety bites that are as comforting as they are flavorful.

Ingredients

The ingredient list for Da Pan Ji looks quite long, but most of it consists of pantry ingredients that you probably already have. Like any braised dish, this one uses a lot of spices and aromatics to create a balanced and complex sauce that is hearty and rich. Once you gather the ingredients, the dish is quite straightforward to make.

Which cut of chicken to use

In China, restaurants always use a whole chicken and chop it into bone-in, bite-size pieces. The reason is that the bones will make the broth extra flavorful and release gelatin to thicken the sauce naturally. 

To make the recipe more suitable for a Western kitchen, I used boneless skinless chicken thigh pieces. Because thigh meat is much richer than breast, it pairs well with the rich sauce. It also handles the braising much better, soaking up all the flavor without turning dry.

If you are looking for a more authentic texture and mouthfeel, you can also consider using chicken wings. Or you can even use chopped up thigh and leg pieces (bite-size pieces). I do not recommend using chicken breast since it dries out too fast and it’s not suitable for braising.

Recommended noodles

What makes a restaurant Da Pan Ji really special is the hand-pulled noodles. Compared to packaged noodles, they are much chewier and have a special texture that dried noodles can’t compare to. I highly recommend using my hand-pulled noodles recipe if you want to pursue the authentic experience.

On the other hand, Da Pan Ji is quite straightforward to make despite its long list of ingredients, and you can totally serve it with packaged noodles for a weeknight meal. 

If you have access to a large Asian or Chinese market, try to find the Shanxi Hand Pulled Noodles from Havista. It is a super wide noodle with a nice texture. If these are not available, I also recommend the Knife Cut Dried Noodles from The Mala Market. They are quite wide and have a nice chewy texture.

Flavor base

The dish uses chicken stock as a base. In an ideal world, you would use homemade chicken stock. Not only is it packed with flavor, it also creates a thick sauce texture. But of course, my recipe uses boxed chicken stock to simplify things. The result tastes just as good, but the sauce is a little thinner than one you’d have in a restaurant.

Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a small amount of doubanjiang create an earthy savory umami with some heat. Dark soy sauce gives the dish a nice dark color and a bit of caramel taste. 

An array of spices and aromatics are used – ginger, garlic, scallion, dried chili pepper, star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorn. They give the dish a warm tone with a complex flavor and some smokiness. 

Like other dishes from Xinjiang cuisine, the dish uses onion, potato, and pepper, which are staples in the region. They add texture and make the dish hearty, colorful and filling. 

How to make

1. Prep the noodles: If you’re making fresh hand-pulled noodles, prepare the dough first. For dried noodles, boil them until al dente. Rinse them under cold water and drain well. If you use the Shanxi Hand Pulled Noodles from Havista, separate them and add to the boiling water one noodle at a time to prevent sticking (it’s the same method you’d use to cook fresh hand-pulled noodles.)

2. Brown the chicken: Heat the oil in a wok until smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook until lightly golden. The key is not to touch the chicken for a minute or two before stirring, so the bottom browns properly without sticking. 

3. Bloom the aromatics: Add the ginger and spice mixture. Stir to infuse the oil. Then add doubanjiang and cook until it releases red oil. 

4. Deglaze and simmer: Pour in the soy sauce based seasoning mixture and scrape up any browned bits. Add chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for five minutes. During this process, you should let the broth maintain a boil, to let some liquid evaporate and for the fat to emulsify, to create a thicker sauce. 

5. Add pepper: Stir in the red bell pepper and continue simmering for another five minutes until the vegetables are tender. If the sauce is too thin, cook uncovered over high heat while stirring until slightly thickened. But also pay attention not to reduce the broth too much, since the sauce tends to thicken more once it cools off.

To serve, pile the chicken and vegetables along with the sauce over the noodles and serve immediately.

How to Serve & Customize

• Serve big plate chicken family-style as a main dish in a large bowl for everyone to dig in, just as it’s done in China.
• If you want to make a Xinjiang-themed dinner party, consider pairing it with other dishes such as Kao Bao Zi (Baked Buns), Lamb Skewers, or Roast Lamb Shank. Don’t forget include Wood Ear Mushroom Salad or Cucumber Salad as a refreshing appetizer. 
• To make it spicier, cut the chili peppers in half and use the seeds in the cooking. You can also use fresh chili pepper to replace the bell pepper. When serving the dish, add a splash of chili oil or chili crisp to your individual bowls according to your taste.  
• Another frequently used ingredient is Chinkiang vinegar, which is a popular condiment to add to individual bowls to further enhance flavor. 

Frequently asked questions

Da Pan Ji (Big Plate Chicken, 大盘鸡)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Hearty, spicy, and supremely satisfying, big plate chicken is the iconic Xinjiang dish that brings together tender chicken, velvety potatoes, and wide noodles in a bold, aromatic sauce.

Ingredients 

• 1 batch wide homemade pulled-noodles (or 8 oz / 225 g dried noodles)
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon doubanjiang
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 thumb ginger , thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic , smashed
• 4 scallions , sliced into 1” pieces
• 1/2 red onion , sliced into 1/2” pieces
• 8 dried Chinese chili peppers
• 2 star anise pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 4 boneless chicken thighs , diced to 1” (2.5 cm) pieces
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 russet potato , roll cut into 1/2” pieces (*Footnote 1)
• 1 red pepper , cut into 1 1/2” pieces
• Chopped cilantro for garnish (Optional)

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Instructions

• Prepare the noodle dough if you’re planning to use homemade noodles.
• Mix Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
• Add the ginger, garlic, onion, dried chili pepper, star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and cinnamon to a small plate.
• Boil the noodles according to instructions. Once done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Then drain again.
• Heat oil in a wok until shimmering. Add the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the surface turns light golden.
• Add the plate of the spices to the wok. Stir and cook for 30 seconds to release fragrance. Add doubanjiang and cook until all the spices are coated. Add the Shaoxing wine mixture. Stir immediately to deglaze the wok.
• Pour in water and add potato. Cook over medium-high heat until bringing to a simmer. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes (*Footnote 2).
• Add bell pepper. Keep simmering for another 5 minutes until the vegetables turn tender. Stir in the scallion and cook for another minute.
• If the broth is still too thin, turn to high heat to reduce the sauce. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Once done, transfer everything to a big bowl. Remove as much dried spices as you can and discard them.
• Serve the chicken, vegetables and sauce over boiled noodles. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. Hold your knife at about a 45 degree angle relative to the potato. Cut 1” from the end. Roll the potato towards you until the cut side is facing up then cut again 1” from the end at the same angle. Repeat the rolling and cutting. All the potato pieces should be roughly triangular in shape. This is a common knife technique in Chinese cooking, to create more edges on tougher vegetables so they soak up flavor while braising.
2. The broth should retain a low boil, so the sauce slowly reduces, and thickens up as the fat emulsifies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 595kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 19.1g, Saturated Fat: 4.1g, Cholesterol: 148mg, Sodium: 890mg, Potassium: 522mg, Fiber: 3.7g, Sugar: 7.3g, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 3mg

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