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Chinese Steamed Salted Chicken 蒸咸鸡 (Revisited)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 | Labels: , , |

This simple chicken dish is a perennial favourite in our household and probably in many other Chinese households.  A whole chicken usually is simply steamed after being rubbed with salt - very straightforward.  I would rate this dish as deceptively simple however, as to achieve a decent dish of steamed salted chicken, the time the chicken is steamed is very important to avoid toughness and dryness while ensuring the chicken is cooked of course.  I want to also share a short-cut of sorts from my mom where the whole chicken is halved, lightly rubbed with salt and then steamed till almost half-cooked then rubbed with salt again to marinade and then chopped up and steamed again with scallions and cilantro (optional) right before eating.  This makes it more convenient for the homecook especially if you're cooking a variety of dishes as it only takes a short time for the second steaming step.  The extra marinating step also ensures that the savoury flavours seep deep into the chicken meat.  It used to be that steamed salted chicken always tasted better the next day due to the chicken sitting in the juices but with this method, you can produce similar deeply flavoured salted chicken on the same day so I hope you will give this a try.

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My mom loves to steam the chicken with just cilantro and scallions (the second step) although I myself almost always can't resist adding a few drops of Shaoxing rice wine for added fragrance although maybe it's my conditioning, mom's steamed chicken always tastes the most comforting.  With the simplicity of this dish, the quality of chicken used is really important - I always use free-range chicken for this dish and even while studying in the UK, I loved to steam the widely available corn-fed chicken for an easy and satisfying dish.  If you don't want to steam a whole chicken, you can just steam chicken legs (free range), so please adjust accordingly, another plus for this is that you don't have to deal with chopping up the chicken into nice looking pieces :O.

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This is also a relatively healthy dish as there is not much oil involved (except natural oils from the chicken itself), sometimes I think one of the reasons I am continuing to blog Chinese recipes is to hopefully debunk the myth that Chinese food is 'always' just greasy and unhealthy mush.  I can't tell you how bothered I used to be when some old acquaintances in the US would remark that 'all Chinese food are unhealthy and greasy' which I find to be a very unfair statement.  As with cuisine from all cultures, there are bound to be unhealthier dishes which require deep-frying (or sugar anyone) but then there are also a lot of healthy steamed or stir-fried (with very little oil) Chinese homecooking dishes that probably will never see the light of day in a typical take-out.  China is such a vast country and there are so many different cuisines from the various provinces that one would find it hard-pressed to make such an umbrella statement.  As for me, I love a lot of different cuisine and I am always interested to learn about the diverse dishes the different cultures have to offer.  If you closely observe the culinary methods or dishes of different cuisine, most of the time you can draw similarities and that is also another reason why I love blogging about cooking so much as tracing or at least trying to trace the rich history of many dishes is something I find extremely enjoyable, albeit this is probably the history nerd in me coming out.

Anyhow, this dish is just simplicity at its' best.


Ingredients:

1 whole free-range chicken, rinsed well and cleaned - chop into half (you can get the seller to do this for you)
Enough salt for rubbing over the chicken
2 stalks green onions, sliced
1-2 sprigs of cilantro (optional)

Method:

Prepare a large wok for steaming.  Bring the water to a rapid boil.  Rub the chicken lightly with salt (say about 1 tsp) and place in a platter for steaming.  Make a cut in the middle of each half piece of chicken.  Steam for about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add about 1 tbsp of salt and marinate the chicken.  Marinate for about 1 hour.  Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  The chicken should only be half-cooked at this point.  Arrange on a platter and place a handful of the scallions and cilantro on top.  Steam for another 10 minutes until cooked. 

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Note from Jen: The times I listed for steaming the chicken serve as a guide as you have to estimate the exact timing based on the size of the chicken.  If you are new, I would suggest that you err on the side of caution as slight overcooking is still better than eating not fully cooked chicken.

17 comments:

TasteHongKong said...

I'm with you, steamed chicken can be very flavorful too even with the simplest ingredients.  And I can't agree more that Chinese dishes are not necessary greasy and unhealthy - your dish here is a great example.

Jeannie said...

I remembered my mom cooking this chicken during  festive ocassions as a treat for us...another reason why we look forward to festive seasons:D Any leftovers (if any) were stewed with ginger and soya sauce which tasted really good too:)

Brian and I'Ching said...

I think the impression that Chinese food is greasy and unhealthy comes from the experience of eating American Chinese fastfood like Panda Express and the likes where even the healthiest vegetables are sauteed with glugs of oil and salted to death. Definitely not how most Chinese would eat their food at home!

Brian and I'Ching said...

I think the impression that Chinese food is greasy and unhealthy comes from the experience of eating American Chinese fastfood like Panda Express and the likes where even the healthiest vegetables are sauteed with glugs of oil and salted to death. Definitely not how most Chinese would eat their food at home!

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

thanks! hopefully more ppl will realise that :)

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

That's a great use of leftovers! :)

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

Yes haha Panda Express, the worst that I've tried was Pick Up Stix, seriously that was worse than Panda Express, I really don't know what they add in their food haha. You're so right on how the vegs are sauteed! Btw PF Chang's is not that much better either IMO :D

Nami @ Just One Cookbook said...

We usually order steamed salted duck (as my hubby likes duck).  It's simple and good and I can imagine how chicken would taste like.  I guess I should say... now I know how to cook at home with your recipe instead of ordering at a restaurant. =P

food-4tots said...

This is one of my mother-in-law signature dishes. ;) She usually served it with some soy sauce and chopped onion. A very homey and healthy dish for the family! Your chicken looks so moist and tender. I better learn how to cook this dish so my family can enjoy it. ;)

Littlecornerofmine said...

I would love this but too bad my hubby doesn't touch steamed chicken.

tigerfish said...

Chinese cuisine is typically greasy in the US, when we eat it outside. But when cooked at home, the simplest fare can be the healthiest and most delicious. :)

Elodie Jane Amora said...

i love steamed chicken! :)

noobcook said...

love the minimum ingredients here... the chicken sure looks juicy and delicious!

tigerfish said...

Chinese cuisine is typically greasy in the US, when we eat it outside. But when cooked at home, the simplest fare can be the healthiest and most delicious. :)

asianfoodophile said...

I was thinking adding a few pieces of dong guai will give the steamed chicken a herbal flavor.

Tastes of Home (Jen) said...

yup! this is just plain salted chicken but you can definitely improvise and tailor make it to what you fancy!

Jeanie said...

I love this dish. But I am intimidated by chopping up a chicken. Plus my kids don't like eating chicken with bones. Can I make this dish with just chicken breasts? Thanks!

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