Grad student writes thesis on Chiayi mint chicken

2026-08-20

One of Chiayi’s local dishes, mint chicken, has made its way into academia, becoming the subject of a master’s thesis. A National Chung Cheng University graduate student spent more than two years researching her grandmother’s signature mint chicken to write Taiwan’s first thesis on the dish.

A chef stir-fries ginger, garlic, and mint in sesame oil, then stuffs it into a chicken. He then seasons it with salt and pepper and cooks it by frying as well as steaming. Finally this mint chicken, a specialty of northern Chiayi, is ready to be served.

Lee Che-wei
Chef
I use oil to partly fry it. This method is a bit like braising, a bit like roasting, and a bit like pan-frying.

The smell of mint fills the room as the chef carves the chicken. The meat is tender and juicy, while the skin is crispy. The warmth of the sesame oil and ginger blend with the mint’s coolness for an unforgettable flavor combination.

- It hit me right in the head.

- It smells like mint and the chicken is really tender.

Mint chicken was once a household dish in northern Chiayi, but it’s become less common in recent years. Hoping to learn more about the dish her grandmother always made, a master’s student from National Chung Cheng University, Wu Kuei-fang, decided to research mint chicken for her thesis.

Wu Kuei-fang
Master’s student
I had mint chicken all the time growing up. I thought I could turn it into a thesis topic to discuss its origin and why it came about.

Her thesis advisor saw the value in researching this local dish, and she was able to introduce mint chicken to the world of academia.

Kuan Chung-hsiang
CCU Department of Communication director
Food is our culture and our history. It has a big connection to the overall development of Taiwan, so I was happy to see this thesis completed.

Academic research topics are diverse, but it’s quite an achievement to write an entire thesis on one local dish. Paying tribute to the flavor of her hometown, Wu’s research shows that mint chicken is rich in history and culture, as well as flavor.

#chicken #mintchicken #Chiayi #thesis #gradschool #student #gradstudent #hometown #cuisine #academia

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首篇"嘉義薄荷雞"碩士論文! 揭秘外婆招牌菜美味秘訣

2026-08-20

嘉義在地料理「薄荷雞」，站上學術殿堂，成為碩士生的論文題材！國立中正大學的碩士生吳桂芳，耗時兩年多，把外婆的招牌菜薄荷雞，撰寫出國內首篇的碩士論文。堪稱從題材、內容到成果，都是滋味最豐富的一篇學術論文。

香醇的麻油先爆香薑、蒜，再加入土薄荷，過油炒香，接著全塞進，土雞肚裡。土雞外皮抹上特製椒鹽調味。接下來獨特的烹飪手法，煎炸之間，還要靠經驗蓋悶，最後這道在嘉義北部地區，獨有的在地料理薄荷雞，終於可以上桌。

[[飯店主廚李哲維]]
"用油，半煎炸，用這種方式，有點像燜又有點像烤，然後又有點像煎。"

剝開雞肉冒出清雅薄荷的氣味，咬下去雞汁四溢，口感皮脆肉嫩，麻油、薑片的溫熱，遇上土薄荷的涼性，還有濃濃的薄荷香氣，讓吃過的民眾難以忘懷。

“直衝腦門了”

“又有薄荷香，然後雞肉非常的嫩。”

薄荷雞原本是嘉義北部地區，一道家常料理，近年來越來越少見。不過有位中正大學的碩士生吳桂芳，因為從小吃外婆手煮的好滋味，懷念不已，讓她心想何不好好研究一番。不但記錄外婆家鄉的在地滋味，也讓自己的畢業論文，更有看頭。

[[中正大學碩士生吳桂芳]]
“我們從小吃薄荷雞長大，好像可以把它延伸成論文的主題，去探討說可能薄荷雞的來源，或者是為什麼薄荷雞會出現。”

也還好這個滋味十足的想法，得到指導教授的力挺，真的把薄荷雞，端進了學術餐桌。

[[中正大學電傳所長管中祥]]
“食物也是我們的文化，也是我們的歷史，跟我們整個台灣的整個發展，是有很大的關係，所以看到這篇論文的完成，我是蠻開心的。”

縱使學術研究內容五花八門，但從一道薄荷雞入手，完成了一整篇的碩士論文，也算是創舉。想吃一口薄荷雞，往往也代表著遊子，對嘉義北部故鄉的思念。雞肉料理何其多，這次薄荷雞，領先站進了學術殿堂，好吃之餘還真的好有學問、好有文化。

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