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Chinese steamed chicken is easy to make and features tender juicy chicken cooked in a savory sauce full of umami and aroma. The dish can be prepared ahead of time and is fast to cook, making it a perfect appetizer or main dish for dinner. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Easy Chinese Steamed Chicken

5 from 1 vote
Chinese steamed chicken is easy to make and features tender juicy chicken cooked in a savory sauce full of umami and aroma. The dish can be prepared ahead of time and is fast to cook, making it a perfect appetizer or main dish for dinner. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
To make this dish gluten free, use tamari to replace light soy sauce and use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine. And make sure to use a gluten-free oyster sauce.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: homestyle
Servings: 2
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Marinating

  • 2 (about 12 oz / 350 g) chicken thighs , cut to bite-size pieces (*Footnote 1)
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1/2 thumb ginger , julienned
  • 1 teaspoon peanut oil (vegetable oil, or sesame oil) (*Footnote 2)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping options (*Footnote 3)

Garnish

  • green onions , sliced

Instructions

  • Add all the marinating ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature, up to overnight in the fridge.
  • (Optional) If you will be using dried lily flowers and / or wood ear mushrooms, soak them while marinating the chicken. Once done, cut the mushrooms into small bite-size pieces. Dry both ingredients with paper towels (very important, otherwise it will dilute the sauce).
  • Prepare a plate that can fit into your steamer. Add the chicken onto the plate along with the marinating liquid, and arrange the soaked lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms with the chicken. Add the goji berries. Avoid overlapping the chicken if possible, because it will result in a longer cooking time and the chicken might not be cooked evenly.
  • Add 2” (5 cm) water to the steamer and place the plate of chicken onto the steamer rack. Cover and turn to medium-high heat. When the steam starts to come out of the steamer, set the timer for 8 minutes.
  • Once done, remove the cover and carefully check the chicken to make sure it’s fully cooked. Steam for a bit longer if needed. Turn off the heat. Carefully remove the plate from the steamer. Serve hot as an appetizer, or over steamed rice as a main dish.

Notes

  1. Traditional steamed chicken is always made with bite-size bone-in skin-on pieces. However, since it’s less common to eat chicken that way in the US, I used boneless thighs in this recipe. For a more traditional approach, see my blog post above for tips on using bone-in cuts.
  2. I prefer to use a milder or neutral oil in this dish. But you can use sesame oil as well, if you like the nutty taste.
  3. The dried lily flowers, wood ear mushrooms and goji berries add texture and color to the dish. They are great if you happen to have them on hand. Otherwise you can totally skip them and just enjoy the chicken by itself.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 3.3g, Protein: 19.2g, Fat: 12.3g, Saturated Fat: 3.4g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 571mg, Potassium: 277mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Calcium: 15mg