Chinese Steamed Chicken (ginger & spring onion)
This easy Chinese Steamed Chicken with ginger & spring onion is juicy, tender & will be a family fav. Serve with rice and 2 dipping sauces!
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 1.6 kg whole chicken (cut in half) (NOTE 1)
- 40 gm ginger (sliced into thin strips)
- 3 stalks spring onion/scallion (sliced lengthwise 5cm/2in)
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce (NOTE 2)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (NOTE 3)
- 2 tsp salt
Ginger Spring Onion Sauce
- ⅓ cup peanut oil (80ml/2.7 fl oz)
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 3 stalks spring onion/scallion (finely sliced)
- 1 tsp salt (or more or less, adjust to taste)
Chilli Ginger Garlic Sauce
- 3 tbsp white vinegar 60ml/ 1.7fl oz)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 4 to 6 Birds eye chilli (or small red chillies, adjust to taste)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry using paper towels, then chop the chicken in half lengthwise and place it in a large bowl. Add in the ginger, spring onions, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and salt. Use your hands to massage the ingredients into the chicken, then cover it with plastic film. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, work on the dipping sauces.
- For the Ginger Spring Onion Sauce: Place the ginger, spring onion, and salt into a small heatproof bowl. Heat oil over high heat in a small saucepan. The oil is ready when it's smoking hot. Carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl over the ginger and spring onion. Stir the sauce and set aside until ready to serve. The sauce is good for up to a week when covered and chilled in the fridge.
- For the Chilli Ginger Garlic Sauce - Place the garlic, ginger and chilli into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. You could also hand chop them finely using a knife. Transfer the mixture into a small bowl and pour in the vinegar, then add in the sugar and salt. Stir the sauce until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside for later until ready to serve. The sauce is good for up to a week when covered and chilled in the fridge.
- In a large saucepan with a steamer attachment, fill in the water 2/3 full. Place the saucepan over high heat without the steamer attachment and bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, place a large plate into the steamer attachment, then place the chicken, including the marinade, ginger and shallots. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to medium, and attach the steamer and steam for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before chopping and serving.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Whole chicken - A chicken that weighs between 1.5 to 1.6 kg (3.3 to 3.5 lb) is ideal for steaming as it's not too big or small. The chicken should feed approximately 4 to 5 people when served with rice.
(NOTE 2) Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce will work, but not dark or sweet soy sauces, as these aren't interchangeable.
(NOTE 3) Shaoxing cooking wine is a Chinese cooking wine, sometimes known as Shao Xing or Shao Hsing. It comprises water, rice, wheat, salt and alcohol. Bottles of Shaoxing wine are cheap to buy from Asian specialty stores and some supermarkets stock them too. Mirin or dry sherry are good substitutes for Shaoxing wine.
Leftovers - Allow the chicken to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only. This data does not include the dipping sauces.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 411kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 35gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 2046mgPotassium: 436mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 342IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 2mg