Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms
冬菇蒸雞
Recipe overview
Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms is a common Hong Kong home-style steamed dish. The chicken pieces are tender, the shiitake mushrooms are fragrant, and the natural steaming juices go well with plain rice. It is useful for helpers to learn because it practises soaking dried mushrooms, marinating chicken, and controlling steaming time. The key is to keep the chicken pieces a moderate size, soak the mushrooms until soft, mix the marinade evenly, and steam long enough without overcooking.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 600g chicken thigh meat or chicken pieces
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 slices ginger
- 1 stalk scallion
- 3 red dates, optional
- 2 tablespoons mushroom soaking water
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
Seasoning
- 1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- A little white pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, optional
02
Tools
- Chopping board
- Kitchen knife
- Large bowl
- Small bowls
- Tablespoon
- Teaspoon
- Chopsticks
- Shallow steaming plate
- Steaming rack
- Covered wok or steamer pot
- Covered wok or steamer pot
- Kitchen scissors
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare the chicken pieces, dried shiitake mushrooms, ginger, scallion, and all seasonings first. This dish needs marinating before steaming, so prepare everything before turning on the heat.
Step 2
Soak the dried mushrooms
Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms, then soak them in warm water for 20-30 minutes until soft. Keep a little soaking water for the marinade, but do not pour in any sand from the bottom.
Step 3
Trim and slice the mushrooms
When the mushrooms are soft, cut away the hard stems, gently squeeze out excess water, and slice them thickly. Too much water will weaken the marinade.
Step 4
Prepare the chicken pieces
Wash and drain the chicken pieces, then pat them dry with kitchen paper. If the pieces are too large, cut them into smaller pieces that can steam through easily.
Step 5
Cut ginger, scallion, and red dates
Cut ginger into fine shreds. Cut scallion whites into sections and scallion greens into small pieces. If using red dates, remove the pits and halve them.
Step 6
Marinate the chicken
Mix the chicken with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, and Shaoxing wine. Add cornstarch and mix again, then add mushroom soaking water and a little oil.
Step 7
Add mushrooms to the marinade
Add the sliced mushrooms, ginger shreds, scallion whites, and red dates to the chicken. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes so the flavours combine.
Step 8
Arrange on a steaming plate
Spread the chicken and mushrooms evenly on a shallow steaming plate. Do not pile them too thickly so the heat can reach every piece.
Step 9
Boil the steaming water
Add water to a wok or steamer pot, place in the steaming rack, cover, and bring the water to a full boil. Put the chicken in only after the water is boiling.
Step 10
Steam the chicken
Place the chicken plate into the steamer, cover, and steam over high heat for 12-15 minutes. Larger pieces may need 15 minutes; smaller pieces may need about 12 minutes.
Step 11
Check doneness
Use chopsticks to pierce the thickest chicken piece. If the juice runs clear with no blood, it is cooked. If not, steam for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 12
Add scallion and serve
Turn off the heat, sprinkle scallion greens on top, cover for 30 seconds to release the aroma, then gently mix the steaming juices and serve hot.
Common mistakes
- The mushrooms are not soaked until soft, so they stay hard after steaming.
- The chicken is not patted dry, making the dish watery and diluted.
- The chicken pieces are too large, so the outside cooks while the inside is still undercooked.
- The ingredients are piled too thickly and heat cannot circulate evenly.
- The chicken is placed in before the water boils, causing more water release and a stronger raw smell.
- Steaming for too long makes the chicken dry and tough.
- Too much cornstarch makes the steaming juices too thick and unnatural.
Tips
The most important points are even chicken size and spreading the pieces flat on the plate. Soak the shiitake mushrooms until soft, and use only a little clean soaking water in the marinade. For the first try, keep the seasoning slightly light and ask Ma'am or Sir to taste. For children or elderly family members, cut the chicken smaller and make sure it is fully cooked.
