Protected local food
Awaodori Chicken
阿波尾鶏
A jidori chicken from Tokushima, named after the Awa Odori dance festival. The meat is reddish, firm, low in fat and full of umami, and it was Japan's top-selling jidori for 20 years.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 31 March 2023
- Region
- Shikoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 阿波尾鶏
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 徳島県
Japan's best-selling jidori
Awaodori meat is reddish, with a pleasant chew, low fat and plenty of umami. In Tokushima it is used everywhere from home kitchens to restaurants, and from 1998 it was Japan's number one jidori by volume shipped for 20 years.
Named after a dance
Breeders crossed Tokushima's local red shamo gamecock, known for its tasty meat, with good meat breeds over about 10 years. They named the bird after Awa Odori, the prefecture's famous summer dance. The birds are raised in small flocks in quiet country surrounded by the Shikoku mountains.
Good to know
- Grilled Awaodori with a squeeze of Tokushima Sudachi is a local pairing.
- If you visit for the Awa Odori festival in August, look for the chicken on festival menus around Tokushima City.
Questions travellers ask
Why is it called Awaodori?
It is named after Awa Odori, the traditional dance of Tokushima.
Is Awaodori fatty?
No. It is a low-fat chicken with firm, reddish meat.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.