Easy and aromatic garlicky steamed chicken with black bean sauce. This is super easy and friendly to make in summer. So need to stand in front of hot fire and you get well flavored and tender chicken dish made within 15 minutes.
Chicken is easy to prepare and cook. There are a large group of chicken recipes on the blog. Chicken can be fried and toasted with salt and pepper, or fry with lots of aromatics. Older hen can be used in soups with mushrooms or bamboo shoots. Although quite common and simple, chicken meat can be easily overcooked especially in stir-frying recipes. Steaming is the friendliest to beginners since the temperature of the vapour is quite stable. I introduced very simple steamed chicken with scallion and ginger to keep the original taste of the chicken, matched with a dipping sauce. This one the chicken is coated with a heavier seasonings and sauce. With the protection of the starch, the chicken cubes can be super tender but full of flavor.
Cook’s Note
- Marinating chicken is the key step for a good flavor result.
- Pour hot oil over garlic and fermented black bean can motivate the aroma.
- Adding your favorite vegetable at the bottom have two purposes. The first one is to support the chicken and make sure they are evenly cooked. And the second is to absorb the juicy of the chicken.
Instructions
Cut chicken meat into small pieces and then marinating with all the marinating ingredients namely light soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking oil, spring onion and ginger slices. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes. Then discard the spring onion sections and ginger slices. Add cornstarch in and mix well.
Finely chop garlic and then roughly cut fermented black beans. Place the mushrooms at the bottom, and then top with chicken. Spread the garlic and fermented black beans evenly over the chicken. Heat around 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until smoky and pour evenly over the garlic. Mix well.
Place mushroom and wood ear in bottom and then spread the chicken meat. Steam with high fire for 15 minutes.
Transfer out, sprinkle some extra light soy sauce and sesame oil to create some naughty flavors. Serve with steamed rice.
Other Chicken Recipes
- Kung pao chicken
- Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken
- Chinese steamed chicken
- Scallion oil Crispy chicken
- Salt and pepper chicken wings
- Chinese soy sauce chicken
- Chinese braised chicken
- Chongqing Mala Chicken
- Herbal chicken soup
- Chinese roasted chicken
- Szechuan fresh pepper chicken (尖椒鸡)
Steamed Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 chicken drumsticks , remove the bones and cut into small pieces
Marinating Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce , optional
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper powder
- 2 spring onions
- 5 slices of ginger
Others
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. fermented black beans
- 2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil , heat until smoky
- wood ear mushrooms as needed
- other mushroom
Instructions
- Cut chicken meat into small pieces and then marinating with all the marinating ingredients namely light soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking oil, spring onion and ginger slices. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Then discard the spring onion sections and ginger slices. Add cornstarch in and mix well.
- Finely chop garlic and then roughly cut fermented black beans. Place the mushrooms at the bottom, and then top with chicken. Spread the garlic and fermented black beans evenly over the chicken. Heat around 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until smoky and pour evenly over the garlic. Mix well.
- Steam with high fire for 15 minutes.
- Transfer out, sprinkle some extra light soy sauce and sesame oil to create some naughty flavors. Serve with steamed rice.
Hi, when i made this for the first time in November i had never cooked with fermented black beans. Noe this dish has become one of my favourites. Quick enough for weeknights tasty enough to make for friend. Thank you so much!! X
Made as part of a Chinese birthday banquet for my sis. Straightforward and delicious – went down a treat!
P.S. “naughty flavors” was an appreciated touch.
You get it Jake. Happy birthday to your sis. Happy cooking!
Hi Elaine
Love your recipes.
I especially like your steamed chicken dishes as they are simple to make and great for working mothers!
Do hope that you could continue to publish more steamed chicken recipes with variations in seasonings and sauces.
Thanks!
Sure. Thanks for your suggestion.
Could I replace the fermented black bean with fermented bean sauce? Thank you. Eka.
Yes, chop the bean finely.
I already left a comment last year but I just had to come back and tell you how much I love this dish. I have made it so many times since and have had quite a few compliments for it as well. Thank you for this lovely dish!
Thank you for such a lovely comment. Happy cooking.
how do you steam chicken and still get broth. doesn’t it fall thru steamer?
I use a plate which can hold the broth.
This Steamed Chicken with black bean sauce is so delicious and flavorful! I bought all my needed ingredients at Karman Foods so I can make sure that I am using only the authentic. Love it!
Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Another wonderful recipe, Elaine: the fermented black beans tasted so good!
I didn’t have wood ear mushrooms so I used dried mixed forest mushrooms which I soaked before using.
Will certainly make this dish again. B-)
Hi, I really love this recipe and have made it a few times. However, I steam it in a colander over water in a wok. The 15 minutes you recommend is not even close to cooking the chicken. I need more like 45 minutes. I do not have a gas flame, so am cooking on glass top electric stove. What am I doing wrong?
Ellen,
Make sure you set up your steaming tool in the right way. It should be covered well. And choose tender chicken not old ones.
What Chinese cooking oil do you use or recommend? I’m not sure which brand is best or to use. Thanks.
Sophie,
You can use your regular cooking oil. I don’t use particular brand. I shift from time to time.