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}
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.
- Marinate the chicken
- Soak the dried lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms (if using)
- Add the chicken and the other ingredients into the steaming plate
- Steam until the chicken is just cooked through
How to make the best steamed chicken
- Marinate the chicken in advance
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.
- Do not overcrowd the plate when steaming
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.
- Do not overcook
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
Easy Chinese Steamed Chicken
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)
Instructions
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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.
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(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).
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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.
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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.
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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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
