糍粑辣椒倒进滚热的菜籽油里，“刺啦”一声，香辣气瞬间裹着热气散开。切块的鸡肉下锅翻炒，裹上红亮油润的酱汁，再转小火慢焖，让辣味一点点渗进肉丝里。刚出锅的贵州辣子鸡鸡皮软糯黏唇，鸡肉紧实有嚼头。配着白米饭，是贵州人最熟悉的下饭滋味。
When ciba chili paste hits hot rapeseed oil, it sizzles instantly, releasing a rich aroma that rises with the steam. Pieces of chicken are stir-fried until coated in a vibrant red sauce, then slowly braised over low heat, allowing the flavors of the chili to gradually infuse the meat. Freshly cooked Guizhou spicy chicken features tender skin with a pleasant gelatinous texture and firm, flavorful meat with a satisfying bite. Served with steamed rice, it is one of the most familiar everyday dishes enjoyed by people in Guizhou.
这样的口感，过去全靠厨师在灶台前拿捏——选鸡、火候、调料，都依靠日积月累的经验。而如今，有人把这份对口感的讲究，往前推到了鸡的品种里。贵州大学的科研团队，正在专门为辣子鸡选育最合适的鸡种。
For generations, achieving this distinctive texture depended entirely on the experience of chefs in the kitchen. Choosing the right chicken, controlling the heat and balancing the seasonings all required years of practice. Today, researchers are taking this pursuit of flavor one step further by bringing it into the chicken itself. A research team at Guizhou University is developing a chicken line specifically suited for Guizhou spicy chicken.
贵州辣子鸡的风味来源，是舂得绵密黏稠的糍粑辣椒。和普通炒鸡不同，糍粑辣椒的香气是需要沉淀的，要经翻炒、焖煮慢慢渗透进肉中，这也对鸡肉提出了特殊要求。煮久了皮容易发硬，肉容易发柴散架，失了那股软糯又紧实的劲儿。普通肉鸡品质参差不齐，想要稳定地做出地道口感，并不是件容易事。
The distinctive flavor of Guizhou spicy chicken comes from ciba chili paste, a traditional pounded chili paste with a thick and smooth texture. Unlike ordinary stir-fried chicken dishes, the aroma of ciba chili paste develops gradually, as its flavors slowly penetrate the meat during stir-frying and braising. This cooking method places special demands on the chicken itself. If cooked for too long, the skin can become tough, while the meat may lose its tenderness and firmness. With conventional broiler chickens, variations in meat quality make it difficult to consistently achieve the authentic texture of the dish.
贵州大学动物科学学院张福平副教授带领的团队把吃货嘴里的“标准”，搬进了育种实验室。他们没有盯着“长得快、个头大”的常规育种目标，而是围着辣子鸡的烹饪特点定向调整，重点改良鸡皮的糯性和鸡肉的紧实度，最终定下120天的出栏周期。这个时间节点并不是为了追求生长速度，而是反复权衡后的结果——既能保证鸡肉达到理想的口感状态，也能兼顾养殖的生产效率，让养殖户养得起、餐饮端用得上。
Led by Associate Professor Zhang Fuping from the College of Animal Science at Guizhou University, the team has brought the standards of a perfect plate of spicy chicken from the dining table into the breeding laboratory. Instead of focusing solely on conventional breeding goals such as faster growth and larger body size, they are selecting traits based on the specific requirements of Guizhou spicy chicken. Their work focuses on improving the texture of the skin and the firmness of the meat, with a target slaughter age of 120 days. This timeframe is not designed simply to achieve the fastest possible growth. Rather, it represents a carefully considered balance: ensuring the chicken reaches the desired eating quality while maintaining practical production efficiency, so that farmers can raise the birds economically and restaurants can use them reliably.
长期以来，贵州辣子鸡所用的肉鸡不少依赖省外引进，不仅引种成本偏高，品质稳定性也难以保障。团队选择的路径，是深挖贵州本土的家禽遗传资源，通过保护和系统选育，培育出适配本地菜品的自主种源。对餐饮门店来说，稳定的食材品质是口味始终如一的底气。而对本地养殖户来说，性能稳定的品种，也意味着更可控的饲养周期和更稳定的收益。
For many years, a significant proportion of chickens used for Guizhou spicy chicken have come from outside the province. This has not only increased sourcing costs but also made it more difficult to maintain consistent quality. The team's approach is to explore Guizhou's own poultry genetic resources and develop locally adapted breeding resources through conservation and systematic selection. For restaurants, stable ingredient quality is the foundation of consistent flavor. For local farmers, chicken varieties with reliable performance mean more predictable production cycles and more stable returns.
从灶台前的选料经验，到实验室里的定向选育，一道家常菜的讲究，就这样串联起了科研、养殖与餐桌。科学家打磨种源的品质，厨师拿捏火候的分寸，他们的目的都殊途同归——盘子里那盘冒着热气的辣子鸡，一口下去，还是那让人吃了还想再吃的，地道的贵州味。
From the chef's experience in selecting ingredients to scientists’ efforts in targeted breeding, the story of a beloved local dish now connects the kitchen, the laboratory, the farm and the dining table. Scientists are improving the quality of breeding resources, while chefs continue to master the precise control of heat and seasoning. Their efforts ultimately lead to the same goal: a steaming plate of Guizhou spicy chicken that delivers the authentic local flavor people know and love, one bite after another.
编辑：冯月成 庞爱忠
责编：李旭锋
编审：姚作舟
