Qi guo ji (汽锅鸡, steam pot chicken) is a uniquely Yunnanese preparation cooked in a specially designed clay pot with a hollow tube rising from the center of the pot base to its interior — the steam pipe (qi guo, 汽锅). The pot is placed above boiling water. Steam rises through the central tube and condenses inside the sealed pot onto the chicken pieces, which cook slowly in the accumulating condensed steam-liquid without any added water. The result is a broth of extraordinary purity and concentration — no stock, no water, only the liquid that condenses from steam plus the juices released by the chicken. It is considered a medicinal dish in Yunnan — light enough for the sick, rich enough for celebration.
The steam pot (qi guo): An unglazed clay pot with a tight-fitting lid and a hollow chimney tube rising approximately 10cm from the center of the base. The chimney connects to the interior of the pot. The pot is placed on a rack above a pot of boiling water — the chimney hangs below the rack and channels rising steam directly into the interior of the pot. The preparation: Cut the chicken into bone-in pieces. Blanch briefly. Arrange in the steam pot. Add only aromatics — ginger, scallion, Yunnan ham (Xuanwei ham, a cured ham similar in quality to Jinhua ham), dried morels or other Yunnan mushrooms. Seal the lid tightly. Place above boiling water. Cook for 2-3 hours. The result: The completed qi guo ji should have 400-500ml of crystal-clear, intensely concentrated chicken broth inside the pot — produced entirely from condensation. The broth has no stock flavour, no added liquid — only the pure essence of the chicken.
Fuchsia Dunlop, Every Grain of Rice (2012)