Firewood Chicken: The Super-Fresh Chicken Dish Banned in Some Chinese Cities

How far would you travel for a chicken dinner? What if said chicken were banned in the city you were hanging out in?

Continuing to explore all that the Sichuan province has to offer, Trevor James -- our resident Food Ranger -- ventures beyond the city limits to Longquanyi, a rural town 45 minutes away by train, on a mission to try a rare regional delicacy: firewood chicken. The trek is necessary -- the dish is actually banned from Chengdu, given the inevitable hazards that accompany open fire cooking in large metropolitan areas -- but entirely worth it.

He's seeking out Chaihuo Tuzhao, where, each chicken is prepared to order tableside. No part goes unused -- the whole bird is cooked in a piquant chili broth with fresh garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and fermented bean paste. Not going to China anytime soon? Watch the video and live vicariously through Trevor as he experiences a new level of freshness and spice on this week's edition of The Explorers. 

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, and get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.