Reporter Assistance | Mo's Chicken Pot Stew Honestly Replaces Chicken, Wen's Native Chicken Leverages the Opportunity to Take Center Stage

Recently, the “internet-famous” restaurant in Shunde, Foshan—Mo Shi Chicken Pot (莫氏鸡煲)—went viral because of a surge in customer traffic, but its in-house rearing capacity proved insufficient. In an official announcement, the restaurant said it would switch throughout to Wens (温氏股份) “Chinese Native Chickens” (中华土鸡). The owner, Lao Mo (老莫), made an honest statement to reporters, which sparked widespread online discussion. In response, Yangcheng Evening News’ “Reporter Help” learned from Wens that the Chinese native chicken used by Mo Shi Chicken Pot has clearly defined regulations covering the breed, breeding standards, and the supply system.

Internet-famous restaurant admits it switches chickens

“Now there’s definitely not enough supply. If I were to say the chickens are ones I raised myself before, I’d be lying to you!” This straightforward remark by Mo Shi Chicken Pot owner Lao Mo lays bare the real dilemma facing viral restaurant operations: moving from “small workshop-style management” to large-scale expansion.

As customer traffic at the stores grows by dozens of times, the original rearing model can no longer support stable supply. In the end, Mo Shi Chicken Pot chose to partner with the local agricultural leading enterprise Wens and switch entirely to Chinese native chickens supplied by Wens.

Mo Shi Chicken Pot mainly selects Qingyuan Ma Yan Chickens. This variety is a core category within Wens’ “Chinese Native Chicken” system. The standard age at market is 105 days, and the slaughter body weight remains stable in the 5.5–5.8 jin (about 2.75–2.9 kg) range. After purchasing rough poultry, Mo Shi Chicken Pot will also continue rearing for a period of time on its own before cooking. The specific rearing extension period depends on the actual operations of the stores. By further extending the rearing, the flavor and texture of the chicken are improved to better match consumers’ expectations for “the true taste of native chicken.”

Chickens roam freely to forage for insects

Regarding the breeding model for this cooperative native chicken, the reporter learned from Wens that Qingyuan Ma Yan Chickens are raised using a traditional free-range (open-pen) model throughout—no caging is used. Wens creates dedicated outdoor exercise areas for the chickens.

When the weather is sunny and favorable, the chickens can freely sunbathe, run, and move within the area, forage for insects on their own, and peck at sand, fully restoring a natural growth state. Ample exercise also makes the chicken meat firmer and more flavorful.

Wens said that free-range simply means abandoning caged rearing and giving chickens sufficient space to move—this is the core advantage of Chinese native chickens over ordinary large-scale caged meat chickens. Wens’ Chinese native chicken lineup is diversified. Besides Qingyuan Ma Yan Chickens with a standard market age of 105 days, it also offers long-cycle native chicken varieties with 130 days and 180 days. Different varieties correspond to different breeding ages and meat-quality characteristics, allowing precise matching of tailored needs for various dining scenarios such as chicken soup, chicken pot dishes, and stir-fries.

In addition, relying on its mature “company + farmer” closed entrusted-breeding model, Wens provides end-to-end quality assurance for the dining sector. The company uniformly provides chicks, feed, medicine, and professional technical guidance. Cooperative farmers strictly follow the standardized regulations to raise the chickens. Finished chickens are uniformly collected, and then sold—achieving stable and controllable ingredient quality. It also fully complies with the new regulation on animal quarantine “three certificates unified” (三证合一) starting January 1, 2026. The entire process is traceable, which helps alleviate food-safety compliance worries for restaurants at the source.

Wens gifts 1,000 native chickens

As a single-store operation, Mo Shi Chicken Pot’s purchasing volume has limited impact on Wens’ overall performance. However, the viral online heat from the owner’s “honest switch of chickens” quickly put Wens’ Chinese native chicken quality and supply-chain advantages into the mainstream, winning the attention and recognition of many consumers and creating a positive brand communication effect.

Wens director Wen Jiaolong (温蛟龙) also publicly spoke online, thanking Uncle Mo for his recognition and support of the Wens brand. He said that Mo Shi Chicken Pot rose to fame for its authentic flavor and then chose to trust Wens’ native chickens. For the company, that is a great encouragement.

To repay this trust and also ease supply pressure for the stores, Wen Jiaolong decided to gift 1,000 Wens Chinese native chickens to Uncle Mo free of charge, supporting this Shunde internet-famous restaurant to continue operating with practical actions—so that more diners can eat放心好鸡 (chicken they can eat with confidence).

As a local agricultural leading enterprise headquartered in Yunfu, Xinxing County, Wens has worked deeply in Chinese native chicken breeding for decades and is also a core benchmark enterprise in the “Home of Chinese Native Chickens” region. Wens said that while white-feather chickens have enabled the public to achieve “chicken freedom,” Chinese native chickens must upgrade in terms of nutrition and taste. Wens is doing this through its own breeding and R&D system—protecting and developing various varieties of Chinese native chickens and promoting high-quality development of the Chinese native chicken industry in directions such as standardization, branding, and large-scale operations.

A model of coordinated development between farms and restaurants

Mo Shi Chicken Pot’s supply-chain upgrade choice is the real decision faced by small and medium-sized internet-famous restaurant enterprises after their traffic suddenly explodes: balancing scale expansion with food-safety needs. It is also a typical example of coordinated development between the restaurant industry and agricultural breeding industries.

From farm-style, small-scale rearing at niche outlets to standardized supply chains under chain operations; from simply pursuing flavor to considering both flavor and compliance traceability—this collaboration reflects a two-way convergence between restaurants and agriculture.

Wens said that today’s consumers no longer just want “good food”—they also seek “food they can trust.” They want to clearly understand the source of ingredients and the growth process. Food-safety traceability has already gone from being a marketing highlight for high-end restaurants to becoming a required entry condition for the entire industry.

With technologies such as AI intelligent breeding and end-to-end data traceability, Wens—while preserving the traditional taste of native chicken—provides restaurants with stable, compliant, and traceable high-quality ingredients. This helps small and medium-sized restaurant brands break through supply bottlenecks and achieve long-term sustainable operations.

At present, Mo Shi Chicken Pot has completed an全面供应链升级 (comprehensive supply-chain upgrade). Relying on Wens’ large-scale production capacity, it provides stable supply of high-quality Qingyuan Ma Yan Chickens. In addition, thanks to the 1,000 native chicken gift from director Wen Jiaolong, ingredient supply at the store is even more sufficient.

The industry heated discussion triggered by a chicken-pot store in Shunde also makes insiders deeply realize that the core competition in today’s restaurant industry has long extended beyond the back kitchen to the supply-chain system. The technical support and capacity assurance from agricultural leading enterprises are becoming the core competitiveness that helps restaurant brands move forward steadily and far.

Text and images | Reporter Peng Jining, Correspondent Liu Wencong