Steam pot chicken is a famous and a typical dish of Yunnan. It is renowned for its uniqueway of cooking, tender chicken, delicious cooking liquor, natural taste and flavor, and rich nutrition. Jianshui in southern Kunming is home to a special clay pot called "steam pot" which is exclusively used to cook food. Steam pot chicken gets its name as it is steamed in a steam pot.

Cut the chicken into small pieces after it is cleaned, put chicken, ginger, salt, green onion, amomum tsaoko into the steam pot and place the pot cover; put the steam pot on a stockpot full of water, use gauze to block up the gap to avoid steam loss and stew it on the stove; after water in the stockpot is boiled, the steam will cook the chicken from the steam mouth in the steam pot (it generally takes three to four hours). As the cooking liquor is condensed from steam, very little delicate flavor of chicken is lost in the steaming process, so its natural flavor is basically maintained, the chicken is tender, and the soup is clear and delicious, making it widely praised by eaters. Later on, the steam pot chicken is well known domestically and internationally.

Afterwards, precious medical materials of Yunnan are added to steam pot chicken, including sanqi (pseudo-ginseng), chongcao (caterpillar fungus) and tianma (gastrodiaelata), making the chicken soup more delicious and sweet. Nutrition is enriched while flavor is maintained. Sanqi steam pot chicken, chongcao steam pot chicken and tianma steam pot chicken have become well-known dishes over time.