Snack · Charcoal-grilled

Jijia (Grilled Chicken Frame)

📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

It became a Shenyang staple specifically because it was cheap: the bony carcass left after breast and legs are removed was once near-worthless byproduct.

The chicken frame — mostly bone, cartilage, and skin — is marinated, then grilled or stir-fried with chili, cumin, and Sichuan peppercorn until the skin crisps.

Why it's made this way: The dish took off in the 1990s as heavy industry collapsed across China's northeast and laid-off factory workers needed cheap, flavorful food.