Dad's Steamed Chicken with Mushroom and Chinese Sausage, Perfected Over 61 Years
Why this recipe
Most steamed chicken with mushroom and chinese sausage recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 235.9K views, 4.1K likes on YouTube.
There are a handful of dishes that always bring me back to childhood. Steamed Chicken with Mushroom and Chinese Sausage (冬菇臘腸蒸雞) is one of them. The Cantonese homestyle meal is as classic as it gets, but it's not something you'd usually find at restaurants.
That's why I'm so excited to share my dad's recipe—so those who grew up eating this comforting dish an recreate it at home and others who have yet to try it can experience it, too.
On steaming
In addition to its flavor and texture, one of the best things about this dish is how easy it is to prep and cook. Steaming is by far one of the simplest, most hands-off cooking methods, making recipes like these ideal for busy weeknights.
My dad's steaming set up here is quite simple—he uses a wok and steaming rack—but you can also get a dedicated steamer if it's something you plan to do often.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Wash ingredients
Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms (1 oz) twice. Soak in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, placing a bowl on top of the mushrooms to fully submerge them if needed.
Drain out the water and rinse one more time with clean water, then set aside.
Rinse the cloud ear fungus (0.50 oz) once, then soak in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain out the water and soak in clean warm water for another 5 minutes. Drain again and set aside.
Rinse the goji berries (0.25 oz) and soak in room temperature water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain out the water and set aside.
Rinse the Chinese sausage (2 link) and set aside.
Prep chicken
Prep the chicken (1.3 pound). If using chicken drumsticks, remove the skin off by using a paper towel to grip and pull it off. You can skip this step if using a boneless, skinless cut.
Debone the chicken. Cut down the vertical tendon along the bone through the meat to expose the bone. Break the bone by hitting it with the back of the cleaver. Using the cleaver to pin down the bone, pull the meat off and trim off the parts still connected to the bones. (Save the bones for cooking stock!)
Cut chicken into 1/4-inch chunks and place into bowl.
Cut the ginger (0.50 oz) into slices. Trim off the peel and cut into quarters. Add to the chicken.
Add the cooking wine (1 tablespoon) to the chicken and mix together by hand. Set aside and let sit for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cut Chinese sausage
Cut the Chinese sausage at a diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Cut the white parts of shallots (0.50 oz) into 2-inch segments, trimming apart the bulb at the root if needed. Dice the green parts of shallots (0.50 oz) for garnish.
Peel the remaining ginger (0.50 oz) and cut into thin slices, then into quarters.
Marinate chicken
In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce (2 tablespoon), light soy sauce (2 teaspoon), sugar (1.5 teaspoon), salt (0.50 teaspoon), white pepper (0.25 teaspoon), cooking wine (2 teaspoon), and cornstarch (2 teaspoon). Stir to thoroughly combine, taste test and adjust to preference.
Add the marinade to chicken and mix by hand until well incorporated. There's no need to add all of the marinade if it feels like too much.
Add the sesame oil (1 teaspoon) and mix in by hand.
Add the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and cloud ear fungus and mix by hand.
Add the oil (1 tablespoon) and mix by hand.
Add ginger and shallots and again, mix by hand.
In a steaming plate, first plate the cloud ear fungus on the bottom, followed by all of the other ingredients, making sure to leave a slight dip in the middle of the plate.
Add Chinese sausage pieces on top and spread them out evenly.
Finally, place the goji berries on top and spread them out evenly.
Steam chicken
In a wide wok with a steaming rack, add water to the bottom of the steamer rack, cover and bring to a boil on high. To give things a head start, you can also boil water separately and add it to the wok first.
Once the water comes to a boil, carefully place the steaming plate inside and cover. Steam on high for 14 to 15 minutes. The timing will vary based on depth and width of plate, amount of water and size of wok.
Sprinkle on the diced shallot greens (or green onions), remove the plate from wok, and serve!
Pairs well with
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We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.
Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.
