Steaming Chicken At Home: A Simple, Tasty Guide

Steaming is a great way to cook chicken, especially if you're looking for a healthy, tasty, and juicy dish. It's a popular cooking method in Southeast Asian countries and for Pakistani and Indian cuisine, where it's often served with rice. The process is simple: you'll need a steamer basket or pan that fits over a pot of boiling water. You can also add aromatics like lemongrass to the water for extra flavour. When it comes to the chicken, you can marinate it beforehand or simply season with salt and pepper. After steaming for around 30 minutes, the chicken should be tender and juicy. You can then choose to serve it as is or with a sauce.

How to Cook Steam Chicken at Home

Preparing the chicken

Firstly, select the right type of chicken for steaming. Boneless chicken breasts or small whole birds, such as Cornish hens, are ideal for steaming. This is because steaming cooks the meat evenly and efficiently without drying it out.

Next, you can choose to marinate your chicken before steaming, which will infuse it with flavour. A simple marinade can be made by mixing yoghurt, ginger, garlic, and spices. Cover the chicken with this mixture and leave it to marinate for about an hour. You can also add salt to the chicken and leave it overnight or for about 30 minutes before steaming, as this will enhance the flavour and tenderise the meat.

After marinating, wrap the chicken in aluminium foil. This step is important, as it helps to retain moisture and ensure even cooking. Place the wrapped chicken in a steamer basket or on a rack that fits inside a large pot. If using a steamer basket, ensure it is placed inside a saucepan with water just below the bottom of the steamer. If using a rack, place it at the bottom of the pot and add at least one inch of water.

Before placing the chicken in the steamer, make a few cuts on the top and bottom surfaces to allow heat to penetrate more evenly. You can also add vegetables or aromatics, such as onions, carrots, celery, or lemongrass, to the steamer to infuse additional flavours.

Finally, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Place the chicken in the steamer, ensuring it is in a single layer with a little room around each piece for steam circulation. Cover the pot and begin the steaming process.

Setting up the steamer

To set up the steamer, you will need a steamer basket or pan, a large pot, and a lid.

First, fill the large pot with water. You can fill it to just below the bottom of the steamer basket, halfway full, or with about an inch of water, depending on the steamer setup. For additional flavour, herbs or other flavourings can be added to the water. Bring the water to a boil using high heat.

Next, place the steamer basket or pan into the pot. Make sure the water is not coming up through the holes in the steamer. If using a pan, add a stand to maintain distance between the pan surface and the chicken. Place the chicken in the steamer in a single layer, leaving a little room around each piece to allow the steam to circulate freely. Cover the pot with a lid.

Cooking the chicken

Next, prepare the chicken. You can choose to marinate the chicken in a variety of ways, such as with salt, yogurt, ginger, garlic, and spices, or simply season with salt and pepper. Some recipes suggest covering the chicken in salt and placing it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour before steaming, then rinsing the salt off. This is said to add extra flavour to the meat. You can also add a few cuts to the chicken to allow the heat to penetrate more evenly.

Now, place the chicken in the steamer basket, ensuring it is in a single layer with a little room around each piece so the steam can circulate. Cover the pot and steam the chicken for around 8 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Boneless chicken breasts will take less time, around 5 to 10 minutes, while bone-in chicken may take up to 40 minutes. The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the steamer and serve. You can give the chicken a roasted colour by placing it in an oven or on a skillet for 5 to 6 minutes.

Making a sauce

A simple sauce can be made by heating vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in an onion and cook until tender, this should take around 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add in some garlic and cook for a further minute until fragrant. You can then stir in some light soy sauce and sesame oil, and your sauce is ready to be served with your steamed chicken.

Another option is to create a dipping sauce. One recipe suggests combining cilantro, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, and dark sesame oil. This sauce can be served as a dip for your chicken and steamed vegetables.

If you want a thicker sauce, you can try an oyster-based sauce. Oyster sauce is a savoury, thick paste that is popular in southern China. To make this sauce, heat up some sesame oil in a saucepan and stir-fry chopped garlic and green onion until fragrant. Then, add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and water. Mix well and bring the contents to a boil before transferring to a dipping bowl to cool down slightly.

You can also add flavour to your steamed chicken by marinating it before cooking. A basic marinade can be made by spreading a mixture of light soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, ginger, and green onion shreds over the chicken and leaving it to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Serving suggestions

There are many ways to serve steamed chicken. In Southeast Asia, it is typically served with chicken rice. In China, steamed chicken is often served with a dipping sauce, such as an oyster-based sauce.

If you want to serve your steamed chicken with a sauce, you can prepare a sauce in a pan by heating up some sesame oil and stir-frying chopped garlic and green onion until fragrant. Then, add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and water, and bring the mixture to a boil. Transfer the sauce to a dipping bowl and let it cool down a bit before serving.

You can also serve steamed chicken with a sauce prepared by heating vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat, stirring in onion and cooking until tender, mixing in garlic, and stirring in soy sauce and sesame oil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with cilantro to serve.

For a simple vegetable side dish, steamed chicken goes well with steamed kale and steamed baby potatoes.

Frequently asked questions