Chinese steamed chicken with ginger and green onion.
I have made this steamed chicken recipe several times this summer. Steaming is a really popular cooking method in every Chinese kitchen. Steamed dishes are simple, quick and always tender in texture. For poached version, please check white cut chicken.
This is ginger and green onion steamed chicken with my own tested dipping sauce. People in Guangdong and Guangxi province love to serve this chicken directly since the steamed chicken keeps the natural taste of a high quality chicken. During my high school time, I love to dip to some chili powder directly. You decide your way.
Preparation:
Spread the marinating sauce evenly on the cleaned chicken—every place. Put ginger and green onion shreds on top and marinating at least for 30 minutes. If you are not in hurry, I would suggest preparing the chicken in the morning and making this as lunch or dinner.
Steaming tips:
When cooking steamed rice with electric cooker, I always love to steam some fresh vegetable or meat with the inside steamer. This method is highly recommend to simply the process and save energy.
- Half of a whole chicken , around 1 and 1/2 pound
- 1 tbsp. ginger shreds
- 1 tbsp. green onion shreds , white part
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tsp. Chinese cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp. water
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp. chopped green onions
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
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Clean the chicken and then spread the marinating sauce evenly on both sides.
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Lay ginger shreds and green onion shreds over to marinate at least 30 minutes. Then place in your steamer. I am using the steamer of my electric rice cooker. If you are using a steamer with wok or pot, steam with high fire around 20 to 30 minutes until soft (or you can easily insert a chop sticker in). Transfer out and cut into chunks of your favorite size. Decorate with green onions.
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In a sauce pan, heat up 1 tablespoon sesame oil and stir fry chopped garlic and green onion until aroma. And then add oyster sauce, light soy sauce and water. Mix well and bring all the content to a boiling. Transfer to dipping bowl and cool down a little bit.
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Serve steamed chicken with dipping sauce.
Do you leave the ginger in the steamer with the chicken?
Yes, discard them after steaming.
I would like to learn chinese cooking
Please tell me what is the difference between steamed hem and a poached hen, thank you.
Steamed hen is cooked in a steamer. Poached ones are cooked in simmering but not boiling water. They have small difference in texture and flavors. Steamed chicken is even stronger in flavor. However poached chicken gives a more pure flavor and a smoother skin texture.
They all look delicious. And I will try all of them.
Thank you!
Could I use a wooden steamer basket? 🙂
Sure. bamboo steamer works too.
Sorry, bamboo, of course
I don’t know how many times I skipped this recipe because it didn’t appeal, but I looked at it today and went shopping. So easy; so delicious!! I purchased 2 chickens as close to 3 lbs each as I could find, steamed them according to recipe and made the dipping sauce as well. My kids loved it. Will definitely make this again.
As an extra bonus, steaming will be my method from now on instead of poaching. I’ve tried so many different methods* of poaching whole chicken, but none gave me the beautifully tender meat I’ve had in Cantonese restaurants. Steaming is easier and gives better results than poaching for me.
*Cooking on very low flame, dunking the chicken, cooking with residue heat, soaking in cold water after cooking – I’ve tried so many methods! Only thing that worked was sous vide and that was both a pain and also took too long.
Hi Denny,
Thanks so much for this lovely comment. Poaching needs more techniques than steaming, but it presents a slightly different texture especially on skins. But steamed chicken is 100% delicious. The comfort method is the best. Happy cooking!