Why Steam Chicken
You may have never thought to steam chicken before, but it’s such a great way to prepare it. The goal is to give the chicken a silky texture, described as “waat,” in Cantonese. This is achieved by marinating the chicken with tapioca starch or cornstarch. The chicken also releases a lot of juice into the steaming dish, which creates a thin yet incredibly flavorful sauce that’s irresistible with rice. While you can make this dish with bone-in chicken (chicken drumettes and flats work well) as well as chicken breast, we think boneless skinless chicken thighs are the best option for both flavor and texture. If you use bone-in chicken pieces, extend the cooking time by 3 or so minutes. If you’ve enjoyed our other steamed chicken recipe—Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms and Lily Flowers—definitely give this one a go. The lap cheung (also sometimes spelled lop cheong) gives the chicken extra flavor and oomph. We call for 1-2 links of Chinese sausage (lap cheong), since they do vary in size. However, you may want to err on the side of adding more, so you don’t have to fight with your family for those valuable sausage slices!
Recipe Instructions
Rinse the soaked shiitake mushrooms to remove any grit, and thinly slice them. In a large bowl, add the chicken, mushrooms, water, vegetable oil, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper, grated ginger, and the white portions of the scallions. Mix until most of the liquid is absorbed into the chicken. Set the green portions of the scallions aside. Cover the chicken, and marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight. When you’re ready to cook the dish, let the chicken mixture come up to room temperature. Add the tapioca starch (or cornstarch) until it is uniformly incorporated. At this point, all the liquid should be absorbed into the chicken. There should be little or no standing liquid. Fill a steamer with enough water to steam continuously for 10 minutes without evaporating. (About 3 inches of water is a safe bet.) Bring to a rolling boil. Transfer the chicken mixture to a deep plate or pie dish. Thinly slice the Chinese sausages on an angle, and scatter the slices on top of the chicken. Carefully place the dish into the steamer, and steam over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Shut off the heat, and leave the chicken in the steamer for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with green scallions and serve your Cantonese Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage immediately! With lots of rice!
