Steam Chicken

Steam chicken”白切雞” is always considered my comfort food that reminds me of home. There are days when being a mom just takes its toll. I’m chasing after my toddler and picking up his toys. I’m feeding my newborn and trying to get her down for a nap. All while in the back of my mind thinking, what should I make for dinner tonight? My hope is one day, even when my kids grow up and they have their own lives, they will come back home and want me to make their favorite dish that reminds them of their childhood. 

Why Steam Chicken? 

Steamed chicken, just like its name, is chicken that is seasoned lightly with salt and steamed on a rack for 16 minutes and then glazed and served with a side of green onion and ginger sauce. I know what ya’ll are thinking. Fried chicken is comfort food. Roast chicken is comfort food. But I’m here to tell you that it’s all about this Chinese chicken recipe. Steamed chicken doesn’t have any seasonings other than the green onion and ginger sauce, and so you can truly taste the essence of the chicken flavor. It’s also really easy to make, with the exception of chopping (more on that here.) 

And lastly, if you cook it right, it will NOT be dry. I’m very picky about dry chicken, and over frying and roasting too long can dry out a chicken. The critical part of dry chicken is the breast. If you can keep the chicken breast moist, then the whole chicken will be moist too. Steaming forces all the juices to be retained in the chicken during cooking, so it doesn’t dry out as much. Yes, whether you love white meat or dark meat, you will be a fan of both after you taste this steamed chicken. The method of steaming is less direct heat source than roasting for pan frying, which gives the chicken meat a silkier texture. 

Ingredients

1. Whole Free Range Chicken (Preferable) 
2. 1 Tablespoon of Salt

Ginger and Green Onion Sauce (薑茸)

• ½ Teaspoons of Salt
• 1 sprig of green onion
• 2 thumb size ginger
• 4 tablespoon of oil (vegetable or corn oil preferable) 

Instructions

1. Sharpen your knife first before you start chopping the chicken
2. Wash the chicken with cold water and then dry the chicken with a paper towel

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3. If chicken comes with head and chicken feet, chop both off first.

4. Chop the head of the chicken and discard.

5. Chop the neck and place it on steaming plate

6. Bending the feet backwards and exposing the joint makes it easier to chop off

7. Chop the chicken feet where the cartilage is between the chicken feet and drumstick

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8. Apply salt all over the chicken generously

9. Place chicken on a steaming flat plate, place a spoon underneath the chicken to let it come off the plate a little. (this helps the steam get through to the bottom side of the chicken) 

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10. Pour 3 cups of water in wok with steaming rack and turn heat on high heat until water boils

11. Place the chicken breast side up

12. After water is boiling in wok, place chicken in the wok and turn down the heat to medium

13. Steam chicken for 16 minutes.

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14. While chicken is steaming, make the ginger and green onion sauce

15. Pour juices from chicken in a bowl. Reserve for chicken stock use.

16. Chop chicken on a cutting board.

Ginger and Green Onion Sauce

1. Peel ginger until there’s no skin left

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2. Grate the ginger in a grater and put in a bowl

3. Cut top and ends of green onion and discard

4. Chop green onion in ½ cm increments

5. Place ginger, green onion, and salt in a bowl and mix well

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7. Boil oil at high heat in a pan for a few minutes

8. When pan starts steaming, pour hot oil into bowl of ginger and green onion. 

9. Mix with chopsticks and serve with chicken

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