Delicious salt-cured chicken "Made in Ha Tinh"

The unique and delicious flavor of the salt-cured chicken from Song La Construction and Commercial Services Joint Stock Company (residential area 8, Duc Tho town, Ha Tinh province ) has helped the product achieve OCOP 3-star recognition, opening up many opportunities for market development.

Video : The production process of Song La salt-cured chicken.

In 2021, when she first tasted salt-cured chicken, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen (born in 1991) - Deputy Director of Song La Construction and Commercial Services Joint Stock Company - was captivated by the delicious flavor and unique crispy texture of this dish. Afterward, Ms. Yen began researching and learning how to prepare salt-cured chicken.

To find the perfect recipe, Ms. Yen searched online for instructions and learned how to prepare the dish. Later, to improve her skills, she went to Hanoi to learn the secret of making salt-cured chicken in a systematic way. Upon returning to Ha Tinh, with the knowledge she had learned and her own accumulated experience, she successfully created her own recipe for salt-cured chicken with peppercorns.

The production facility prioritizes the quality of its raw materials for salt-cured chicken production.

According to Ms. Yen, the first step in producing high-quality Song La salt-cured chicken is selecting the right ingredients. Ms. Yen stated: “The chickens we use are free-range, firm-fleshed, weighing 1.5-1.7 kg, and raised for 10-12 months. Importantly, the chicken ingredients always meet food safety and hygiene standards, with clear origins from farms and agricultural enterprises in Duc Tho district and neighboring districts.”

Making delicious, flavorful salt-cured chicken with an attractive skin color is a rather elaborate process. After plucking and cleaning the chicken, it is soaked in vinegar for about two hours, then boiled in water with salt, ginger, and lemongrass to clean it and remove any unpleasant odor.

These delicious batches of salt-cured chicken are produced with guaranteed food safety and hygiene.

When the water boils, dip the chicken in, lift it out, and repeat this process several times to ensure the chicken is cooked through but the skin remains firm and beautiful. Continue this process, soaking the chicken in cold water after 10 minutes (this will make the chicken feet whiter than usual). Repeat this process three times before marinating. To give the chicken skin a beautiful golden color, Ms. Yen uses finely ground fresh turmeric, sautéed with cooking oil. After marinating for 12-14 hours, the chicken is vacuum-sealed and can be preserved for several days. This dish is suitable for sale in restaurants, eateries, or online businesses.

Ms. Yen stated: “Consumers are increasingly discerning and concerned about the origin and quality of food. Therefore, the company focuses on selecting authentic free-range chicken from the local area, and the production process is guaranteed to be closed-loop and meet food safety and hygiene standards.”

In order to build a sustainable brand for Song La salt-cured chicken, Ms. Yen and Song La Construction and Commercial Services Joint Stock Company boldly invested over 500 million VND to build a factory spanning over ^200m² , a cold storage facility, steamers, feather removal machines, etc., creating a closed production process that ensures food safety and hygiene standards.

Song La salt-cured chicken products are produced using a closed-loop process.

With meticulous investment in quality and image, the salt-cured chicken product of Song La Construction and Commercial Services Joint Stock Company has been well-received by customers both within and outside the province. Initially, the company sold about 600-700 salt-cured chickens per month. However, at that time, the product was mainly sold through online channels, and the market was quite narrow, mostly within the province.

To professionalize her product, Ms. Yen registered to participate in the OCOP program "One Commune, One Product," and her Song La salt-cured chicken product achieved OCOP 3-star status in May 2023. “The recognition of Song La salt-cured chicken as a 3-star OCOP product has opened up a bigger step forward for the company. Currently, we sell an average of over 1,000 chickens per month. During peak months like wedding season, we can sell around 1,500. The market has also expanded to provinces and cities in the South such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Lam Dong, etc.,” Ms. Yen shared.

With a selling price of 280,000 VND per whole chicken and 150,000 VND per half chicken, the company earns an average of nearly 280 million VND per month, with a profit of approximately 60 million VND after deducting expenses.

The initial success of Song La salt-cured chicken has given Ms. Yen the confidence to conquer the market.

Having had the opportunity to enjoy salt-cured chicken with peppercorns and being captivated by this dish, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Thao (Son Bang commune, Huong Son district) said: "I find Song La salt-cured chicken very different from salt-cured chicken from other places because the chicken has a crispy, chewy texture and a very unique aroma. Especially, the fact that the product has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product makes us consumers even more confident about its quality."

Speaking about her future plans, Ms. Yen shared: “To expand the reach of the Song La salt-cured chicken brand, I plan to double production, expand the market to the North, and connect with restaurants and wedding venues to sell the product. At the same time, I will collaborate with local farmers raising free-range chickens to ensure a reliable supply of raw materials and continue to improve quality and packaging to reach a wider market.”

Currently, Ms. Yen is preparing to open a shop selling salt-cured chicken in Duc Tho town to serve individual customers, harboring the intention of establishing salt-cured chicken as a signature local product.

Being recognized with a 3-star OCOP rating has paved the way for the development of the Song La salt-cured chicken brand.

According to Nghiem Sy Duc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Duc Tho town, although the Song La salt-cured chicken brand has only recently appeared on the market, it has gained the trust of local people and those in neighboring areas due to its delicious, attractive, and novel taste, as well as its guaranteed food safety and hygiene. The recent recognition as a 3-star OCOP product has created momentum for the brand's development, helping this dish gain a foothold in the market and expand its sales opportunities.

Thuy Anh - Giang Nam

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/mon-ngon/thom-ngon-ga-u-muoi-made-in-ha-tinh/252647.htm