Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken （药材蒸鸡）

How about having steamed herbal chicken for dinner?

It wasn't always easy to plan daily menu for the day. Everyday, before I called of my day to rest, my brain will start thinking about breakfast and lunch for the boys to school. For dinner, I would normally brainstorm during my coffee break (at home) after dropping kiddos to school unless I already planned to cook something which require marinate overnight.

Here's how I made my steamed herbal chicken:-

Ingredients (A) needed...

- 3 Chicken Maryland

- 5-6 Codonopsis Pilosula (dang shen 党参)

- 14 pieces of Fragrant Solomon's Seal (玉竹 yu zhu)  

- 3 big pieces (or 4 smaller pieces) of Angelica Sinensis ("female ginseng" or dang gui 当归）

- 0.5 tbsp of American Ginseng (花旗参 or pao shen 泡参)

- 13 Red Dates (Note: Mine was halved when I purchased them. It is okay to use the whole red dates without cutting them into half)

- 5-6 slices Ginger

- 60ml Chicken Stock (or use about 1 bottle of chicken essence)

- 1.5 tbsp Goji Berries (added last)

Now the steps...

In a big bowl which allow you to put in the steamer later, put in the chicken marylands and marinate them with:-

- 1.5 to 1.75 tsp of salt

- 1.5 tsp light soy sauce

- 0.5 to 1 tsp sesame oil

- 0.25 tsp white pepper

- 1 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine (shao xing绍兴酒)

- 2 tbsp of D.O.M Bénédictine liquor or Brandy (or you may use back the Chinese cooking wine)

Cling wrap the bowl of chicken and let it marinate in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Next, remove the cling wrap and put in the rest of the ingredient A (except Goji Berries) - As per the 3rd photo above. When the water in the steamer is boiled, place in the bowl of chicken marylands (4th photo above) and steam them  over high heat for about 60 minutes or until cooked!

Oh, don't forget your goji berries!! Remember to add in the goji berries, extra 1 tbsp of cooking wine and 1 tbsp of D.O.M Bénédictine liquor around the last 4 minutes of steaming.

Steamed herbal chicken is now ready!! Served warm with warm rice and vegetable dish of your choice. :)