Tender, succulent and fragrant, Chinese steamed chicken with shiitake mushrooms requires little effort to cook yet it tastes amazing. A classic dish for both everyday meals and special occasions.
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Don’t miss today’s dish, steamed chicken with shiitake mushroom (香菇蒸鸡) if you ① enjoy chicken (and mushrooms); ② are looking for a healthy but tasty dish; ③ want to cook something really easy.
It’s a perfect choice for several reasons:
- The steaming method preserves the freshness and tenderness of the chicken while bringing out the umami flavour from shiitake mushrooms.
- There is no frying involved so there is no extra fat used and no grease left in your kitchen.
- The cooking process couldn’t be simpler: Mix all the ingredients and leave to steam. I’d say it’s a dish that’s hard to fail!
I’m sure you’ll love the taste of this dish. Please scroll down to learn more!
Ingredients
Chicken
The traditional Chinese steamed chicken often uses chunky pieces of chicken that have the skin on and bones in. I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs which are my favourite cut. They are tender and very flavoursome thanks to a moderate amount of fat.
Mid-joint chicken wings are a great alternative if you enjoy the flavourful skin.
Shiitake mushroom
A popular type of mushroom in Chinese cuisine, shiitake mushrooms develop a unique aroma when dried. They lend meat-based dishes, such as Lion’s Head Meatballs, Dumpling Fillings, a wonderful fragrance.
For today’s steamed chicken, I highly recommend you used dried shiitake mushroom, instead of fresh ones or other types of mushrooms, which definitely contribute to the overall flavour of the dish.
Remember to soak them in water overnight (or until soften) before you start cooking.
Seasonings
Here is the list of ingredient used to marinate the chicken.
- Light & dark soy sauce. The combination of two types of soy sauce is recommended. The dark version gives the dish a beautiful brown shine and a hint of caramelised flavour.
- Oyster sauce. If you’re allergic to seafood, use vegetarian oyster sauce which is known as “mushroom vegetarian stir-fry sauce/素食蚝油”.
- Shaoxing rice wine. Omit it if you’d like an alcohol-free dish.
- Sesame oil
- Ground white pepper
- Corn starch, or tapioca starch, potato starch
- Ginger
An extra kick
Adding fresh chili is my personal twist to this classic dish. It gives the palate a nice kick which I like very much. However, please feel free to skip it if you wish.
Cooking procedure
As I mentioned earlier, it takes only two very simple steps to cook this dish:
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces then mix with all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Leave to marinate for 10 mins or so.
- While waiting, prepare the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms. Trim off the hard stem then half them if you’re using big ones, or keep them whole if small.
Step 2: Steam the dish
- Add shiitake mushroom and chilies to the chicken and mix well. Transfer everything into a serving plate.
- Steam over medium heat for 20 minutes (count from the moment when water starts boiling).
- Sprinkle some finely chopped scallions and you’re ready to serve!
Steaming tips
As shown in the images above, I use a traditional bamboo steamer basket set in a wok. Don’t worry if you don’t have the same equipment! Here are two alternative solutions:
- Put a steamer rack into a wok/large pot then place the plate on top.
- Or use a small bowl to support the plate.
Either way, you’ll need to make sure the wok/pot can be covered properly with a lid for steaming.
Another tip: Use a deep plate (rather than a flat one) to hold the chicken as quite a bit of liquid will be extracted during steaming. Yet, do not crowd the chicken in a bowl since it’ll take longer to cook through all of the pieces.
More delicious chicken dishes
Looking for more ideas to cook chicken? Check out these classic dishes:
📋 Recipe
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Steamed Chicken with Shiitake Mushroom (香菇蒸鸡)
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 500 g chicken thighs, cut into chunks, 1.1 lb, see note 1
- 8 slices ginger
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil¼
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
You also need
- 1 big handful dried shiitake mushroom, rehydrated, see note 2
- 4 bird’s eye chilies, deseeded and chopped, optional
- 1 stalk scallions, finely chopped
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Put chicken pieces into a mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients for the chicken. Mix well then leave to marinate for 10 mins or so.
Steam the dish
- Add shiitake mushroom and chilies to the chicken. Mix then transfer to a deep plate (see note 3).
- Bring water to a full boil in a wok/pot. Place in the chicken plate to steam using one of the following set-ups: in a steamer basket, over a steamer rack or a small bowl.
- Steam over medium heat for 20 mins. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.
Notes
Your Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband isn’t exactly into Chinese food (he’s Malay and grew up eating spicy Malay food). However, I realise if the dish is spicy enough, he would eat it. To make this dish spicy, should I just use bird’s eye chilli (we call it chilli padi in Singapore), or would it be better to add peppercorn instead. Appreciate your advice.
Both options work, but bird’s eye chilli will give a sharper, more direct heat. You could also combine it with peppercorns for a more layered spiciness. Let me know how your husband likes it!
Incredible flavours
Absolutely love your website ⭐️10
Thank you so much for your appreciation, Annie! That means a lot to me.
Wei I love your recipes!
I made this dish (minus the chilies) and followed exactly! It was so delicious and maybe the easiest dish I have made. And, it tasted even better the next day, yum!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Lydia! I’m thrilled to hear you loved the recipe and found it so easy to make. And yes, some dishes really do taste even better the next day—so glad you enjoyed it! Happy cooking!
I’ve made this recipe many times, and it turns out simply fantastic every single time! I had never imagined I could actually cook restaurant style Chinese food at home, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your recipes!!
You’re welcome Sonal. Your kind feedback has brightened up my day! Hope you’ll find more recipes to try.
I loved the cabbage roll recipee with all the details. Will definitely try it out. Will try out the eggplant recipe too.
Thanks for allowing me to save in my inbox.
Love you
My pleasure to share. Happy cooking, Jameela!
I cooked this recently and it was a very nice dish indeed, so I see myself cooking it quite often from now on. Minimum effort, too, as long as you plan ahead and soak the mushrooms overnight. I often find the shiitake mushroom flavor overpowering and I feared it will be the case here too. However, I followed the recipe closely and it turned out a very balanced dish, the softness of the mushrooms complementing the velvety chicken nicely (I used chicken thighs too).
Another very nice recipe from one of my favorite Chinese cooking blogs, thank you Wei!
You’re welcome Eddie. Thank you for sharing your experience and positive feedback. So happy to hear that!
I and my partner love this recipe! “Lovely pure flavours”.
Wei, Another superb recipe! As always not all ingredients at hand! But dried black fungus served me well! And I did solve the conundrum of how to steam the dish. I had a pot large enough to take the chicken dish and another small enough to act as a trivet!
It was a superb meal served on jasmine rice and garnished with the spring onions. Great flavours. It’s a keeper!
I like your improvised steaming set up. Glad you enjoyed the dish!
I want to say thankyou so much for all these recipes you send me. Im half Chinese myself. My mum is Chinese. Growing up, my mum would make all these traditional meals. It bring back so many memories of my childhood with my mum & Chinese grandmother in the kitchen.
You’re welcome Tracy! It’s my great pleasure to share and I’m very happy that you find my recipes helpful.
Hi Wei – just wanted to say a big thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it last night and it took me back to my childhood when my mum used to cook it for me (I miss her as I now live in another country). My husband (who isn’t Chinese) totally loved it too and has asked make it as one of my regular dishes.
I’m so happy my recipe has brought back sweet memories for you. Hope you’ll be able to eat your mum’s food soon.