Foil-Wrapped Herbal Chicken
Foil-Wrapped Chinese Herbal Chicken
I love Chinese herbs. I will happily breathe in the pleasant herbal/tonic aroma whenever I walk pass Chinese medical halls. And I especially love the taste of dang gui. Some people may say it’s not the best herb around because it is considered “heaty”, but I think everything is fine in moderation. Just avoid dang gui during ‘that time of the month’ and drink more water after consuming it. This is a simple home-cooked version of the Chinese herbal chicken. Buying the herbs individually is definitely more economical than buying the pre-packaged mixes, and you can always experiment using the leftover herbs for other soups and dishes.
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Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 2 chicken thighs
- 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 8 red dates
- 8 slices of Dang Gui
- 2 pieces of Dang Shen, cut to approx. 2 inch length
- 2 tsp of wolfberries
- 6 pieces of Pao Shen
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 inch ginger, finely slicedMarinade Sauce:
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp grated gingerDirections
In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the sauce evenly and marinade chicken in the sauce for a few hours. Turn the chicken halfway through the marinating process to ensure that the marinade sauce is absorbed evenly. On a large piece of aluminium foil, place a small amount of ingredients at the bottom and place the chicken on top. Pour half of the remaining marinade sauce over the chicken and lay the rest of the ingredients over the chicken. Wrap the aluminium foil tightly (just 1 layer). Steam at high heat for 35 minutes. Open the parcel and flip the chicken to the other side and steam for another 10 minutes. Serve.
How to lay the ingredients on the foil
Preparing to steam the foil packages
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I love herbal chicken too! But didn’t dare to eat often cos of the heatiness. I like the intro to the different herbs. I can only name out a few basic ones. lol
“I am the type who happily breathe in the pleasant tonicky aroma whenever I walk pass chinese medical halls.”
Haha, I have that habit too! It makes me feel healthy for an instance! =D
I love dang gui too! It’s the female ginseng leh. I think it’s good! I love it with prawns!
My confinement lady used to make dang gui egg for me … think tea eggs … sooooo nice!!
It needs more than 35 minutes to cook…. I think 1 hour.
Hendra … that’s why I mention in the instructions that after 35 mins, you need to open up the parcel to flip the chicken and steam for another 10 mins… however, if you don’t flip, I guess steaming it for an hour will cook it too :)
Can i use microwave to cook it?
Hi Winly, metal (aluminium foil, spoon, container)in microwave oven – is a huge no no. It will cause sparks and even fire. For more info read these::
http://science.howstuffworks.com/aluminum-foil-in-the-microwave.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_heat_aluminum_foil_in_a_microwave
Can i put this into the oven instead of steaming it?
Hi Sharon, I’ve never tried baking with this recipe before but based on my experience with other recipes, it’s challenging to bake chicken in foil, so I usually dice the chicken to small pieces first or pre-cook a bit (either microwave or pan) before putting in the oven. Hope this helps.
This is perfect post Wiffy!
I have a box chinese herbs prepack my mum gave me.
I was debating if i should make soup tonight but this method looks really good.
Really enjoying your blog !well done :)
Thank you,
Lisa
Hi!
I’m a student away from home, so I miss home food, especially herbal remedies.
I tried your recipe out, making some modifications based on my preferences/what I had. http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/01/steamed-herbal-chicken-parcels.html
Please take a look (:
Thanks for the idea, it tasted really good! I’m just wondering, why isn’t the chicken flesh tender and falling off the bone like the foil wrapped herbal chickens we buy outside ): I get this only with slow-cooking for soups, but am wondering if you can get the same effect with the steaming method!
Thanks for all the help and ideas!
Wonderful recipe. When I run out of cookin ideas, this provide an alternative. Cheer!
Yummy nnnnnnnn mmmmm. Kkkkkkk
May I know is that intended to be no salt in this resipe? Kc
Hi kc, there is already light soy sauce in the recipe hence no salt, but if you like to add salt to season, feel free to do so.