Steamed Chicken — 清蒸扣鸡 Kou Ji

In old Sichuan, killing a chicken was a big deal.Chickens lay eggs. Eggs can be traded for salt. So if someone killed a chicken for you, that means you are the most important guest. They are giving up their income to feed you. That is real respect.

At Chinese New Year, everyone is the most important guest. So the chicken comes out.

This dish is simple on purpose. No fancy sauces. No complicated technique. Just pure chicken flavor. The trick is steaming it skin-side down — the chicken fat renders downward and bastes the meat as it cooks, but the skin stays nice instead of getting soggy. When you flip it over to serve, the beautiful skin is right on top.

Ingredients

• 1/2 a whole chicken, chopped into thick strips
• 8 slices ginger
• 2 green onions
• 100g Shaoxing cooking wine
• 15g salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp goji berries

Directions

1. Blanch the chicken. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken pieces, a few ginger slices, green onions, cooking wine, and 15g of salt. Boil for 5 minutes and skim the scum off the top. This tightens the skin and removes impurities. Remove the chicken.
2. Arrange skin-side down. Place the chicken pieces skin-side down into a steaming bowl. This is the trick — when it steams, the fat drips downward into the meat, basting it from the inside. The skin does not get soggy because it is not sitting in liquid.
3. Season. Top with the remaining ginger slices, a pinch of extra salt, white pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, and goji berries for a little sweetness and color.
4. Steam for 40-60 minutes over boiling water. The time depends on the toughness of your chicken. A young, tender chicken needs about 40 minutes. An older, tougher bird might need the full 60.
5. The flip. Pour the chicken broth out into a separate bowl first. Then flip the chicken onto a serving plate — the skin should now be on top, beautiful and golden. Pour the reserved broth back over the chicken. Garnish with green onions.

Chinese Mom Tips

Why steam skin-side down? Two reasons. First, the rendered fat drips down through the meat, keeping every piece juicy and flavorful. Second, the skin is not sitting in a pool of liquid, so it stays smooth and presentable. When you flip it for serving, the skin looks beautiful on top.

Why blanch before steaming? The quick blanch tightens the chicken skin so it does not shrink and wrinkle during the long steam. It also gets rid of the blood and impurities, so your broth stays clear instead of cloudy.

Goji berries — why? They add a tiny bit of natural sweetness and a pop of red color. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, goji berries are good for the eyes and overall vitality. Plus they look pretty.