This Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken is a simplified version of the Herbal Chicken you’d typically find at Chinese restaurants. It’s lighter, simpler yet full of flavour, which makes it perfect for everyday cooking. The chicken turns out soft and tender and the soupy sauce has a rich umami natural sweetness from the chicken and the herbs.
For this recipe you only need very few ingredients and literally less than 10 minutes of active time and let the steaming do the rest of the work. Perfect when you don’t even feel like cooking.
Most of us would probably associate Steamed Herbal Chicken with lots of complicated herbs. However, you can make a delicious one with only a few basic herbs.
I love making this dish when I want something healthy and nutritious that doesn’t take too much effort. It’s naturally low in oil, high in protein, and steaming keeps the flavours clean and light. For a complete meal, I would recommend pairing it with a bowl of steamed rice and vegetables. Do try this Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken recipe at home!
Watch the full tutorial on how to make Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken here:
If you love this Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken recipe, you might also like my Super Simple Steamed Salted Chicken recipe.
What chicken should I use for this Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken recipe?
You can use any chicken for this recipe. However, if you like the chicken skin to turn yellow naturally after steaming, you can try using corn-fed chicken. You can also use village chicken. This is a special breed of chicken commonly available in Malaysia and if I’m not mistaken in Indonesia. The meat is more springy.
Solomon’s seal (玉竹), goji berry and red dates, why these herbs?
The solomon’s seal adds fragrant sweetness while the goji berry and red dates adds sweetness and some sourness to balance the dish.
Ingredients 材料：
2 whole chicken legs (900 grams +/-) 2个整个鸡腿（900克左右）
12 grams solomon’s seal 12克玉竹
12 grams goji berry 12克枸杞
1-2 red dates (pitted) 1-2颗红枣（去核）
1/2 cup water 1/2杯水
Marinate for chicken 鸡肉腌料：:
½ teaspoon salt 半茶匙盐
1 teaspoon cornstarch 1茶匙玉米淀粉
½ tablespoon cooking oil 半汤匙食用油
Garnish 装饰:
1 tablespoon coriander 1汤匙香菜
Method:
Prepare the chicken — Wash 2 whole chicken legs thoroughly. Remove any blood clots or impurities. Marinate with salt, cornstarch and oil for 30 minutes.
Prepare the herbs and assemble — Rinse the herbs thoroughly. Place herbs on a heatproof plate. Lay marinated chicken on top. Pour some water around the chicken.
Steam — Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Place the chicken plate on the steaming rack. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Steam for 1–1.5 hours until chicken is soft and tender.
Serve — The sauce should be rich, naturally sweet, and fragrant from the herbs. Serve hot, with rice.
Cooking tips:
Thorough cleaning is crucial — removing any blood clots while cleaning the chicken ensures the soup is clear and free from strong odors.
Low heat steaming — keeps the meat juicy, tender and fall of the bone and allow the herbs to infused into the soupy sauce.
Wash the herbs — rinse the herbs with water to remove any impurities.
You might enjoy these other recipes:
Print Recipe for Simple Steamed Herbal Chicken Recipe:
Steamed Chicken with Simple Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 whole chicken legs +/- 2个整个鸡腿（900克左右） 900 grams
- 12 grams solomon’s seal 12克玉竹
- 12 grams goji berry 12克枸杞
- 1-2 red dates 1-2颗红枣（去核） pitted
- 1/2 cup water 1/2杯水
Marinate for chicken 鸡肉腌料：:
- ½ teaspoon salt 半茶匙盐
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1茶匙玉米淀粉
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil 半汤匙食用油
Garnish 装饰:
- 1 tablespoon coriander 1汤匙香菜
Instructions
Prepare the chicken
- Wash 2 whole chicken legs thoroughly. Remove any blood clots or impurities.
- Marinate with salt, cornstarch and oil for 30 minutes.
Prepare the herbs and assemble
- Rinse the herbs thoroughly. Place herbs on a heatproof plate. Lay marinated chicken on top. Pour some water around the chicken.
Steam
- Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Place the chicken plate on the steaming rack. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Steam for 1–1.5 hours until chicken is soft and tender.
Serve
- The sauce should be rich, naturally sweet, and fragrant from the herbs. Serve hot, with rice.