Steamed chicken is a traditional homestyle Cantonese dish that is very popular among home cooks because it is easy to prepare, very healthy, and tastes so good. Bite size pieces of chicken are marinated in a gingery oyster-sauce-based sauce, then steamed until juicy, tender and full of flavor. Lily flowers, wood ear mushrooms and goji berries are often added, for both texture and nutrition. The dish is usually served as an appetizer, but I love to enjoy it as a main dish as well.
Steamed chicken ingredients
What cut of chicken to use
Traditionally, steamed chicken is made with a cut-up whole chicken. It requires using a very young and small chicken, so the meat layer is tender and thin, making the dish extra flavorful. I’ve found it a bit difficult to find this kind of chicken in the US unless you live close to Chinatown. In that case, you can get a very small chicken and ask the butcher to chop up the chicken for you. They are usually happy to do it for free. Alternatively, I have found it’s very delicious to use skinless boneless chicken thighs to make this dish. And that version is way more accessible outside of China. If you do not have access to Chinatown or a Chinese market but still want to keep this dish pretty authentic, you can use chicken drumsticks and use a cleaver to cut each one into three pieces.
Mise en place
Steamed chicken only requires a few pantry ingredients to make the sauce.
Oyster sauce Shaoxing wine Light soy sauce Ginger Peanut oil Cornstarch Salt
The cornstarch thickens the sauce and keeps the chicken extra juicy and tender. I love to pair some dried lily flower and dried wood ear mushrooms for texture. Plus, they add fiber and vitamins to the dish. But you can skip them if you want. The picture below shows all the ingredients in this dish for demonstration purposes. But you don’t need to portion out each ingredient into separate bowls. Instead, you can simply add them directly to the chicken for marinating.
How to make steamed chicken
Making steamed chicken is super easy.
How to make the best steamed chicken
This step is very important to make the chicken extra flavorful. You should marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, but I prefer to leave at least 1 to 2 hours for the marinade to soak in. You can even prepare the dish a day before and marinate it in the fridge overnight. Depending on the size of your pot, you will need a proper sized plate to fit in the steamer. For the best result, you should not overlap the chicken too much. This way, they will steam quickly and evenly, to create the best result. If you need to double the recipe, simply portion out the ingredients and steam in two batches. Depending on the material of the plate and the size of the chicken pieces, you might need to tweak the cooking time slightly. The best way is to check on the chicken from time to time, and immediately stop cooking once the chicken is just cooked through. This way, you’ll be sure to keep the chicken juicy and tender.
How to serve steamed chicken
Steamed chicken can be served as a hot appetizer or a main course. It tastes great by itself and served over white rice. Like I mentioned earlier, you can easily double the recipe to make a bigger dish if you’re serving it as a main course. Depending on the size of your steamer, you might need to cook it in two batches for the best result.
Other delicious steamed dishes
Chinese Steamed Fish (清蒸鱼) Steamed Egg with Minced Pork (肉末蒸水蛋) Chinese Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs (狮子头) Green Bean Noodles (豆角焖面) Spicy Eggplant Salad (凉拌茄子) Easy Steamed Tofu (蒸豆腐) Cantonese Shumai with Pork and Shrimp (烧麦, Shao Mai)
