In Chinese cuisine there are many different ways of cooking drunken chicken.
- One nationally known and very popular version, Shaoxing, originated in the Zhejiang province of eastern China. Shaoxing drunk chicken is cooked and marinated exclusively in historic Shaoxing wine to create a deep taste.
A North American version (also known as beer can chicken, beer butt chicken, dancing chicken or chicken on a throne) is made by standing a prepared chicken upright on a partially filled can of beer and cooking it slowly in a barbecue or oven. The can goes into the opening of the chicken so that the beer evaporates and permeates the cooking chicken. It received the name dancing chicken due to way the chicken wobbles once the beer has evaporated and due to the fact the chicken is flavored with evaporated beer. The wobbling and falling usually indicates the chicken is done.
