Once reserved for Vietnamese royalty, demand for ‘dragon chicken’ surges during Lunar New Year

Today, demand for Dong Tao chicken, whose meat has a crunchy texture, a distinct fragrant aroma and a rich flavour, has risen sharply, backed by a growing number of wealthy people in one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

“A fully-grown dragon chicken of at least one-year-old farmed in Dong Tao village is sold for up to 5 million dong (US$205) or sometimes even 10 million dong,” said Le Trong Dung, a chicken farmer in the village.

Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung, a local chicken farmer, said the most valuable parts of the chicken are its legs, as she held a two-year-old rooster in her hands.

Loc Duc Toan, a 25-year-old chef in Hanoi, said a Dong Tao chicken has its best taste at the age of 13 to 15 months, adding that simple steaming is one of the best ways to cook it.

“When steamed, the skin will be crispy with a fragrant aroma of its own and a sweeter meat compared to other normal chicken,” Toan said.

The chicken are now also raised beyond the village, offering a chance for a wider range of consumers, but according to local agriculture official Phan Van Hieu, those raised in the village and fed purely with paddy rice and corn have the best taste.