Dong'an chicken is a traditional Hunan dish, which started in the Tang dynasty.[2] In February 1972, when then-U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China, Mao Zedong entertained Nixon with Hunan dishes such as Dong'an chicken at a banquet.[3]
It has evolved through three dynasties, named "mature vinegar chicken" in the Western Jin dynasty, "Guanbao chicken" in the late Qing dynasty, and "Dong'an chicken" in the Republic of China.[4]