The Easiest Cantonese Chicken Recipe! Rice Cooker Sauna Chicken
Sauna Chicken has become my new favorite because it really shows how Cantonese cooking can be so simple but still incredibly delicious and flavorful. It takes a few minutes to put together and no complicated technique or fancy sauce needed.
The name is pretty much straightforward. The chicken will be steamed but we don’t need a steamer. You can make it in a rice cooker or a regular pot over the stove.
The chicken will be layered over some high water content vegetables, such as daikon radish, carrot, or winter melon, so the meat is not touching the heat source directly. As the vegetables cook, they will release moisture and the chicken will be steamed gently. All the good flavors will percolate slowly and infuse into the daikon radish. Everything is gonna be delicious.
Sand Ginger (沙姜), also known as Kaempferia galanga, it is not spicy like regular ginger, but it has an intense peppery smell with a mix of ginger, citrus, and camphor-like aroma that gives this dish that authentic touch. It usually comes in dried root slices like this. You have to toast them slightly and grind them into a powder before using. You can purchase it here - /en-sg/products/angelica-dahurica
Aged tangerine peel, aka chenpi (陈皮) is optional but it provides a warm, citrus aroma, makes this dish really special. You will need about 1*1inch square. To prepare it, soak in 3 tbsp of water for 1 hour or until soft, then finely mice it. If you don’t have it, replace it with 2 tsp of lemon peel zest. Or you can watch this video to learn how to age Chenpi at home. You can also buy it here - /en-sg/products/chinese-chen-pi-dried-tangerine-peel
Cordyceps flower (虫草花) is not a flower at all. It is an artificially grown fungus. I think it is more like a mushroom. It tastes mild and earthy and it is widely used in Chinese cuisine for its nourishing properties. If you don’t have it, replace it with your favorite mushrooms, such as enoki, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms will be great.
168 Better Than Takeout Chinese Recipes
168 tested recipes, each with a demo video and step-by-step photos.
The Easiest Cantonese Chicken Recipe! Rice Cooker Sauna Chicken
Mandy Fu
15 minutes
40 minutes
Sauna chicken is such an easy, comforting home-cooked meal. You just let good ingredients cook slowly together, and time does the rest. The chicken comes out tender and fragrant. The daikon becomes soft and almost like a sponge, soaking up all the savory chicken goodness. The sand ginger and chenpi are what give this dish it’s unique Cantonese character, and it is really special.
Ingredients
- 400g / 14 oz boneless chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp of minced garlic
- 2 tsp of minced ginger
- 2 scallions, diced and separate the white and green parts
1/4 tsp of sand ginger powder
1/4 tsp of white pepper
1.5 tsp of soaked and minced aged tangerine peel, optional (if you don’t have it, use 1 tsp of orange zest)
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
500g / 1.1 lb daikon radish, cut into bite-sized cubes （you want to use watery vegetables, like radish and winter melon, zucchini）
- 113g / 4 oz of Cordyceps flower (虫草花) or your favorite mushrooms
- 3 tbsp aged tangerine peel soaking water or chicken stock
Directions
Soak the tangerine peel in 3 tbsp of water for 1 hour and finely mice it; diced the scallion; mince the garlic and ginger; cut the daikon radish into bite-sized cubes.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinade with 2 tbsp of finely minced garlic, 2 tsp of finely minced ginger, the diced white parts of the scallions, 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of white pepper, 1/4 tsp of sand ginger powder, 1.5 tsp of oaked and minced aged tangerine peel, 1 tbsp of cornstarch, and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly and set the chicken aside.
Layer the bottom of the rice cooker with some high water content vegetable, follow up with some mushrooms, then add the marinaded chicken and spread it out.
Turn on the rice cooker and cook for 40 minutes. If cooking on the stove using a regular pot, maintain the heat at low and cooker for 40 minutes as well.
Serve with rice.
Reader favorites
