Seasame Chicken
Submitted by FavAngel90
Steamed whole chicken rubbed with oil and salt, then drizzled with a warm sesame-ginger-soy sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds and scallions. Chinese-style and full of flavor.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
45 minREADY
2 hrsThis is old-school Chinese home cooking at its purest: a whole chicken, gently steamed until silky and tender, then dressed in a warm, fragrant sauce.
The steaming method is brilliantly simple. You rig up a makeshift steamer with a large pot, some water, and an inverted dish to hold the plate above the waterline. Forty-five minutes of steam does all the work.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, it gets rubbed with hot oil and salt, then shredded or cut into pieces and laid over fresh greens.
The finishing sauce is where the magic happens: sesame oil sizzled with minced ginger, then hit with soy sauce, teriyaki, and a touch of sugar. Pour it over warm and scatter toasted sesame seeds and shredded scallions on top.
Kitchen Tips
- Make sure the plate sits above the water, not in it. Steam needs to circulate freely for even cooking.
- Let the bird rest after steaming so the juices redistribute and the meat stays moist when you cut into it.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until golden and fragrant. They burn quickly so keep your eye on them.
Ingredients
Directions
Any large pot that will hold a deep sided plate such as a pie tin will work.
Put a few inches of water in the pot and then put an inverted dish or wide can with the ends removed in the water and then place the plate on the support.
Anything that will hold the plate above the water and let the steam circulate will work.
Bring the water to a boil and put the chicken in the pot.
Cover tightly and let steam for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the bird and how well done you want it.
Turn off the heat, remove the lid and let the steam disperse.
Remove the chicken and let it cool until you can handle it comfortably.
While the chicken steams, heat the oil quite hot and then let it cool.
Rub or brush the oil over the chicken and then the salt.
At this point, you can bone and shred the chicken, cut it into Chinese style serving pieces or just disjoint it western style.
Place on a bed of greens --lettuce or whatever you like.
Heat the sesame oil in a small pan and brown the ginger.
Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Pour sauce over the chicken and serve warm or at room temperature.
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