Juicy Kung Pao Chicken!

"Click."

With a barely audible crackling sound, teeth broke through the crispy outer shell of the chicken.

In an instant, the scalding juice exploded in my mouth!

Carrying the heat inside, the continuous flow of meat juice bursts on the tongue like a thunderclap, and in an instant, the fresh, rich and mellow aroma sweeps into every corner of the mouth!

fresh!

So fresh!

Ding Baozhen didn't have time to savor it properly; she quickly took a deep breath, the juice and steam swirling between her lips and teeth.

But the rich umami flavor contained within the scalding hot broth made him unable to resist closing his mouth and repeatedly savoring the extremely delicious and fragrant soup.

After repeating this several times, he finally swallowed the soup with reluctance.

After swallowing, a warm, sweet aftertaste lingered in my throat. My mouth felt empty, as if I was still savoring the delicious flavors of the meal, and I couldn't resist picking up the next piece of chicken immediately.

Ding Baozhen let out a long breath and looked at the diced chicken on the plate again, his eyes filled with astonishment.

How is that possible?

He wasn't unfamiliar with Kung Pao Chicken that could burst with juice. It was the masterpiece of a fifth-grade chef. With precise stir-frying over high heat, the chicken pieces locked in moisture to the maximum extent, and with just a light bite, the rich and fragrant meat juice would gush out.

But... the Kung Pao Chicken he ate today was fundamentally different from that one.

Today's Kung Pao Chicken is incredibly juicy.

Moreover, the broth was far more flavorful and richer than the one he had ever had.

This delicious broth doesn't seem like the moisture inside the chicken pieces; it's more like... chicken stock that's been simmering for a long time.

Ding Baozhen immediately thought of the chicken soup that Nan Xu had made before, but this did not answer his doubts; instead, it made him even more confused.

How did a chef who is not even a ninth-rank chef manage to hide chicken broth inside the chicken pieces without damaging their integrity?

As he was thinking, he unconsciously picked up another piece of chicken, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and the broth burst open.

Mmm, delicious!

Ding Baozhen ate the diced chicken bite after bite, thoroughly enjoying himself and unable to stop.

On the other side, Gao Wenjie and Zhou Yan also looked incredibly hungry. Having already filled their stomachs with the abundant dishes prepared by the other examinees, this plate of Kung Pao Chicken had reignited their appetites.

Soon, the diced chicken on the plate was completely devoured.

"Delicious! So delicious!" Gao Wenjie praised without reservation.

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up with surprise: "You added chicken broth inside the diced chicken? How did you manage that?"

Nan Xu smiled slightly and replied, "It's actually very simple."

He raised a finger, and with the activation of his inner strength, wisps of frost condensed at his fingertip:

"After I finished making that pot of broth, I used the culinary technique 'Frost Finger' to cool the broth into a soup jelly."

"Then, I split the diced chicken in half and stuffed small pieces of jelly inside."

"In this way, when the chicken pieces are stir-fried, the broth inside the chicken pieces melts as they are heated, creating a rich sauce."

Upon hearing this, Ding Baozhen couldn't help but say, "But if it's just like that, shouldn't the broth inside the chicken pieces leak out when stir-frying?"

"But you've locked all that chicken broth inside the chicken pieces, without a single drop leaking out."

"Furthermore, I didn't find any knife marks on the chicken pieces, as if you had never cut them open at all."

Nan Xu calmly explained, "That's because after I cut the chicken pieces and put them into the broth jelly, I immediately used my frost-freezing finger to freeze and seal the cut surfaces of the chicken pieces together."

"When I cut the chicken into small pieces, I cut them strictly along the grain of the meat, so they can easily stick together and fit together perfectly, so you can't see any marks from cutting them open."

"After that, I marinated the chicken pieces with the sauce, during which the sauce would coat the entire surface of the chicken pieces."

"Once the chicken pieces are put into the pot, their shape will be set by the heat, and the sauce will quickly form a thin crust on the surface of the chicken pieces."

"This way, the juices will be locked inside the chicken pieces."

Gao Wenjie suddenly realized: "I see! After this treatment, even if the cuts of the chicken pieces thaw due to the high temperature and no longer stick together, the chicken broth inside will no longer leak out."

Ding Baozhen looked at him with great interest, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration: "What a brilliant idea. With this technique, even a ninth-rank chef could cook such an imaginative dish. But don't you think the risk is too high?"

"The cut surfaces of the chicken pieces that were frozen with frosting should naturally require different cooking times than the rest, right?"

"If you stir-fry it normally, the cut part should still be raw by the time the rest of the dish is cooked through."

Nan Xu nodded: "That's right. To solve this problem, I used the 'Fire Refining Palm' technique to adjust the cooking time of different parts of the chicken."

"As for whether the risk is high or low... that depends on the chef's skill level and control over the heat. In this regard, I am quite confident."

"It seems your eyesight or memory is also excellent," Zhou Yan said admiringly. "After all, to control the heat like you described, you have to see or remember the location of the cuts while stir-frying."

Nan Xu smiled slightly: "You flatter me."

In fact, he was able to do this thanks to the passive cooking technique "Long Eyes and Flying Ears".

The three culinary skills, combined with the creative abilities accumulated from memories of a previous life, have created this dish, which can be considered a dream in the realm of the ninth grade. None of them can be missing.

Ding Baozhen stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Truly a young talent... What's your name? Where do you work?"

Nan Xu clasped his hands in greeting and said, "My surname is Nan, and my given name is Xu. I am currently an apprentice at Baiweilou."

"Baiweilou... I've long heard of Baiweilou's great reputation in Shexian County. Today, I've only glimpsed it through a small part, but it truly is a place where hidden talents reside," Ding Baozhen exclaimed.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he announced:

"Nan Xu, my evaluation of your dish is—'Pass'!"

"Of course! My evaluation is also 'pass'!"

"It's more than just 'passed'; if it were a scoring system, I'd give it a perfect score!"

Zhou Yan and Gao Wenjie shared the same sentiment, praising Nanxu's dishes highly.

Nan Xu, however, simply stood there, bowed slightly, and gave a polite smile that was neither humble nor arrogant.

This outcome was exactly what he had expected.

[Ding! The quest "Ding Baozhen's Appreciation" is complete. You have gained 38000 experience points!]

Looking at the large amount of experience points flowing into the panel, Nanxu's smile widened even further.

As expected of a heavyweight NPC with a historical prototype, the experience points given are very generous!