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5 from 16 votes

Chinese Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage

This Chinese Steamed Chicken recipe is marinated with a delicious oyster sauce and steamed with Chinese sausage (lap cheong) and shiitake mushrooms, making it a dish you'll want to enjoy with a big bowl of rice. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 3
Calories: 323kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

  • 3 chicken thighs (boneless)
  • 4-5 dried dried shiitake mushrooms (medium sized)
  • 1 Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong) (lap cheong)
  • 2 stalks green onions

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons Chinese rice wine (miju) (or Shaoxing cooking wine, or dry sherry)
  • ¾ teaspoon sesame oil

Velveting (added right before steaming, not during marinating)

  • 1½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

Preparation

  • Begin by soaking 4-5 dried dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for about 20-30 minutes. Place a plate on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged.
  • Finely chop 2 stalks green onions and separate the whites to mix in with the chicken later, and the greens for garnish at the end.
    green onions chopped, with whites and greens separated.
  • Slice 1 Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong). I like to cut them slightly diagonally to make them larger pieces. Set them aside.
    chinese sausage being sliced diagonally on a cutting board.
  • While the mushrooms are soaking, cut 3 chicken thighs into ½-inch thick slices and add them to a bowl and set it aside for marinating. I usually like removing the skin, but you can leave it on if you want extra chicken fat and flavor in your dish.
    a cutting board with chicken pieces cut into 1.5 inch pieces.
  • Once the shiitake mushrooms are soft, cut off the tough stems and discard them, then slice the mushrooms. If you are using smaller shiitake mushrooms, you can cut them in half instead. Set them aside.
    soaked shiitake mushrooms but cut up into smaller pieces on a cutting board.

Marinate the Chicken

  • Mix the cut chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1½ tablespoons Chinese rice wine (miju) (or Shaoxing wine), and ¾ teaspoon sesame oil and let it sit. The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful it will be. Do not add the cornstarch and oil yet.
    chicken being marinated in a glass bowl.

Steam the Chicken

  • Get your steamer ready with hot water and set it to high heat. Make sure there is at least 2-3 inches of water in the steamer.
    If you don't have a metal or bamboo steamer, you can also use a large pot with a trivet, or a wok with 2 wooden chopsticks crisscrossed at the bottom. Make sure the water doesn't go past the trivet or wooden chopsticks, you don't want the plate to touch the water. Be extra careful when placing the plate on the chopstick version, because it's not very stable.
    trivet and chopstick steamers.
  • Add in 1½ teaspoon cornstarch and mix the chicken well until it is well coated, then mix in 1 tablespoon oil to coat everything.
    chicken being marinated in a glass bowl.
  • Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and the whites of the green onions, and mix everything well.
    A bowl of marinating chicken, chinese sausage, green onions and shiitake mushrooms in a glass bowl.
  • Place the chicken, Chinese sausage, and sliced shiitake mushrooms in a single layer on a large plate or on a plate with a lip. You can also use a pie plate as well.
    plating chinese steamed chicken on a metal plate.
  • Add the plate to the steamer, cover it with a lid, and steam for 10 minutes.
    a metal plate with chinese steamed chicken being put into a steamer.
  • Once the chicken is cooked through, serve your Chinese steamed chicken with white rice and enjoy!
    chinese steamed chicken served with a metal spoon.

Notes

    • Marinate for Flavor: For a more flavorful chicken dish, it's important to marinate your boneless chicken thighs. The longer you marinate, the more the flavors will infuse into the chicken.
    • Have Enough Water for Steaming: Steaming is a great way to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs as it keeps the meat moist and tender. Make sure to prep your steamer with with at least 2-3 inches of hot water and set it to high heat before adding the chicken.
    • Place in a Single Layer: When you're ready to steam, place the marinated chicken, Chinese sausage, and sliced shiitake mushrooms in a single layer on a large plate with a lip or a pie plate. This allows the heat to evenly cook all the ingredients.
    • Don't Overcook: Overcooking can make the chicken dry and tough. Steam the chicken recipe for 10 minutes, and it will be perfectly cooked, juicy, and full of flavor.
    • Add Cornstarch and Oil Right Before Steaming (Not in Marinade): To maximize the marinade absorption, I only mix the cornstarch and oil right before I plate it and put it in the steamer.
    • (Optional) Squeeze Shiitake Mushroom Water: Once the shiitake mushrooms are soft after the soak, I like to squeeze out some of the liquid, so that it absorbs the delicious chicken juices while it is steaming.
    • Rinse Shiitake After Soak: I find it easier to clean out the grit from the shiitake mushrooms after it is soft from soaking because you can easily rub through the gills of the mushroom.
    • How to Remove Hot Dishes from the Steamer: I like to use silicon gloves because I have the most control with it. Alternatively, you can also use special claws that is made specifically for removing hot plates out of the steamer but make sure you have something below supporting the plate like oven mittens or a towel while you are moving it out so you don't accidently drop it.an image of tools i use to add and remove dishes from the steamer, which is silicon gloves or claws.
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