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Unlocking the Secrets of Chinese Steamed Chicken Breast Recipe

by Asia Shaukat
Published: Last Updated on 150 views
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We all need to try fried, roasted, and grilled chicken, but have you ever wondered what steamed chicken breast recipe tastes like? Here, I’ll show you how to make a delicious Chinese dish with steamed chicken breasts. The popularity of this dish spans all of Asia, not just China.

Chinese-style steamed chicken breast is both nutritious and delicious. Steamed chicken with lemon and ginger is a fantastic Cantonese dish. A lemon-ginger chicken breast served over rice with some greens on the side.
This is one of my go-to recipes for healthy Asian chicken, and I’ve made it dozens of times.

Quick and simple to prepare, with a fresh taste, thanks to lemon, ginger, and cilantro. There is no need for sautéing or frying. On the other hand, chicken is steamed in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.

The zesty, fresh flavor of lemons shines through in this chicken dish prepared by steaming. It goes well with rice and vegetables because it boosts the meal’s flavor and nutritional value.

The Recipe for Chinese Steamed Chicken Breast

Chicken Breasts Steamed in China’s Traditional Style Steaming is a common cooking method in Chinese cuisine because it keeps nutrients intact and is simple to prepare at home.

Steamed chicken without any sauce or gravy is a specialty in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. The people unanimously agree that the real chicken is the best.

We steam some vegetables, rice, and other proteins along with the chicken.

For more delectable flavour you can try The Best Sauteed Chicken Breast Recipe.

Ingredients Crucial to the Recipe

  • A total of 2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs, breasts, or 10 chicken tenders will do
  • Only fresh lemon juice, not fresh lemon concentrate, will give this dish the zesty flavor it calls for
  • You can locate oyster sauce in the Asian food aisle of your local grocery store. Soy sauce and hoisin sauce, combined in equal parts, is what Bon Appetit recommends using instead. This sauce has the classic sweet-and-salty taste and velvety smoothness of the oyster sauce
  • I usually use low-sodium soy sauce. Less salt, or none, is necessary if you’d prefer not to use it in this dish
  • Sugar — Leave it out if you don’t have any or would rather not use it
  • In place of rice wine vinegar, you can use champagne or white wine vinegar
  • The ginger paste can be found in tubes in the produce section of most supermarkets; however, ground ginger can be used as a suitable substitute
  • Sesame oil, extracted from the seeds of the sesame plant, is widely used in Asian cooking and has a distinct flavor. It’s possible to substitute a less expensive oil like olive, walnut, or even tahini if you’re in a bind
  • When combined with salt, white pepper mimics the flavor of black pepper. This is a fantastic alternative for dishes where the black specks would look out of place
  • If you need a gluten-free cornstarch substitute, arrowroot flour can be used in its place
  • Cilantro, chopped – 10% of the world’s population finds the flavor of cilantro to be similar to that of bar soap, which may surprise you. If this describes you, you can forego the parsley or use flat-leaf (Italian)

Preparation Guidelines for Steamed Chinese Chicken Breast

Cook The Rice By Steaming

Rice is the first thing I make because it only takes 20 minutes to steam. In the meantime, I’ve gathered everything I need to make steamed chicken.

Make the Chicken

Chunks of chicken are preferred. If you want perfectly cooked meat, cut it into uniformly sized pieces.

Make Lemonade. Start By Peeling Some Lemons

The most effective tool would be a potato or other vegetable peeler.
The bitter white pith should be left on the fruit when peeling.

Tip

Carefully use the pointed end of a small paring knife to remove the white pith from the lemon peel.

Chicken Should Be Marinated

The recommended marinating time for chicken is 20 minutes but no more than an hour.
After one hour, proteins start to degrade. This may result in Chinese steamed chicken that is too chewy and soggy.

Steam The Chicken

  • Put the chicken and lemon peels in a baking dish and place them inside the steamer basket. The cooking time is estimated to be around 15 minutes
  • It’s important to peel the lemons and top the chicken with chopped cilantro before serving
  • Chicken, rice, and vegetables are my go-to Chinese food staples, and I steam them all
  • An easy appetizer or salad is pork pot stickers or Pai Huang Gua, a Chinese cucumber salad

Meat Streaming Devices

  • If you have a bamboo steamer basket, use that instead of a regular one. Those bamboo steamer baskets are perfect for that and stack neatly, too. This means you can steam a variety of foods simultaneously
  • Steamed chicken should be placed in a lower basket, while white rice and other non-meat items can be placed in higher ones
  • A wooden steamer can be purchased online in any Asian country

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Chicken (breast or thigh meat): 2 kg
  • The juice of 14 lemons, freshly squeezed
  • Two Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce
  • Add 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
  • 14 cups of honey
  • One Tablespoon of Olive Oil
  • Season with 2 tsp. of rice vinegar
  • Freshly ground ginger, 2 teaspoons (or 1 teaspoon of ground ginger)
  • toasted sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp.
  • a pinch of salt
  • White pepper, one-eighth of a teaspoon
  • Cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon
  • Cilantro (minced): 1 cup

Instructions

  • Cutting the chicken into smaller pieces will make it easier to eat. The rice needs to be steamed for 20 minutes
  • Remove the lemon peels in strips with a potato peeler, avoiding the white, bitter rind. Juice the lemons. Prepare the cilantro by rinsing the leaves and chopping them (reserve a quarter cup for decoration)
  • Whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, vegetable oil, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. When the ingredients are well combined, add the lemon peel strips
  • Mix the chopped cilantro with the chicken and coat the chicken in the mixture. Marinate for 20 minutes after being tossed to coat, then covered
  • A heat-safe dish can be used to steam the chicken mixture. The optional vegetables go into the bottom of a double-stacked bamboo steamer (See Note 3). Within 15 minutes of steaming, the chicken should turn white, and the sauce should thicken
  • Remove any peel that has become slivered. Lastly, serve the chicken over steamed rice with your preferred vegetables and the rest of the chopped cilantro

Notes

  • Use whatever cuts of chicken you prefer, be it thighs, 10 chicken tenders, or 4 boneless breasts
  • Roughly the juice of two medium-sized lemons squeezed fresh
  • You can find wooden steamers in any Asian market or on the web

Is Steam Chicken Healthy To Eat?

It is Lean, low-cost, and versatile. Chicken should be a part of every healthful eater’s weekly meal plan. When you steam chicken, you don’t have to use oil, which means fewer calories and less fat. If you make steamed chicken, you can have dinner on the table in under 20 minutes.

To Be Served At Its Peak

The right seasonings can transform ordinary steamed chicken into something visually and aromatically appealing. Pick seasonings that don’t significantly increase the chicken’s calorie, fat, or sodium content to keep it healthy. Add layers of herbs or citrus slices (oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes) over the chicken as it steams for a burst of brightness and flavor.

The acid in citrus has the added benefit of making the chicken more tender. Steamed chicken can be spicy by seasoning it with a mixture of crushed red pepper, chili powder, and paprika. Steaming the chicken with nori sheets adds an earthy flavor, and then you can either discard the nori or eat it alongside the chicken.

FAQ

How long should I steam a chicken?

Lower the basket and cover it with the lid when the water reaches a gentle boil. Chicken should steam for about 5-10 minutes or until done. Take it out of the steamer basket and serve it when it’s done.

How do you keep the steamed chicken moist

Add a few tablespoons of chicken stock or water to create a very thin layer of liquid in the pan. Afterward, use two sheets of foil to cover the dish completely. Water’s steam will keep the meat juicy and tender.

Conclusion

China’s Steamed Chicken Breasts Steaming food is a common technique in Chinese cooking because it is inexpensive, healthy, and simple at home. In the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, steamed chicken is commonly served without sauce or gravy. The people believe that nothing can compare to the real taste of chicken. The chicken is served with a steamed side of vegetables, rice, and other proteins.

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