Steamed Chicken with Black Beans
Whenever the word steam or steamed shows up in the title of a recipe, we often think the dish would be bland, boring, or is being made because someone is unwell. While that may be true, banish those thoughts when it comes to this dish of Steamed Chicken with Preserved Black Beans. It will have you going back for more and you may even ask after 2 servings, if there is any remaining. It is that good.
With chicken being one of the more popular proteins many of us use, we are constantly looking for ways and recipes to switch things up. A well-stocked pantry with a few versatile specialty items can yield multiple dishes by applying different cooking methods and techniques to the process. Last week I felt like eating chicken and like many of you, I ran through in my head the usual ways we cook chicken – curry, stew, fried, baked, roast, soup, salad – all of which I found to be unappealing. The following day as I was moving around some stuff in the fridge, I saw the container of preserved black beans which I always keep on hand. It is one of those versatile specialty ingredients that adds excellent umami and depth of flavour to everything to which it is added. I have used it to stir fry bora, karaila, broccoli and used it in a stuffing. Anyway, deprived of Dim Sum and unable to travel to literally feed by hunger, I decided I was going to make one of my favourite dishes, steamed pork ribs with black beans, instead, I would use chicken. The dish turned out well that I am sharing it with you. Eat it with any of the following:
Plain rice
Vegetable fried rice
Bread (get the crusty, hearty type that can really sop up things)
Boiled ground provisions
Rice noodles
Even nice hot, thick Sada roti would work
Now you may ask, what is preserved black beans? Sometimes you might see it labelled as fermented black beans, Chinese fermented black beans or salted black beans. It is dried, salt cured black beans. The beans should be readily available at one of the Asian stores but if you can’t find any, use black bean sauce as a substitute, though the flavour would not be as pronounced.
While this recipe can and does work with all parts of the chicken, it is perfect for those, who like me, tend to find the breast ho-hum. It keeps the breast meat tender, moist and very flavourful.
It is important that the chicken marinates overnight so that it really absorbs the flavourings.
In the notes of the recipe, I give times for if you are cooking only the chicken breasts or all other parts of the bird. Give it a try. You will need a large wide pot with a cover, and a level steamer rack on which you can comfortably sit a heatproof bowl.
Let’s get to the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 large whole skinless chicken breast, cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons preserved black beans, divided (see directions below)
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Minced hot pepper to taste 3 tablespoons sliced scallions (white/purple parts only)
2 tablespoons regular soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste
2 whole scallions, sliced thinly for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Rinse the preserved black beans and divide it – 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon. Set aside the 1 tablespoon of the beans for use later. Finely mince the beans with the garlic and add to the meat.
3. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the meat – dry sherry, hot pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt to taste. Toss well to mix and coat the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Can be marinated for up to 48 hours.
4. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the fridge and bring it up to room temperature. Transfer the meat to a heatproof bowl.
5. Add 3 inches of water to a pot, insert the steamer rack, cover pot, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the water comes to a boil, remove the lid and carefully rest the bowl on top of the steamer rack. Cover and steam for 20 minutes or until meat is tender. Five minutes before the meat is finished cooking, scatter the reserved tablespoon of black beans over the chicken.
6. When the chicken is done cooking, carefully lift the bowl from the pot. Let meat rest for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Serve with plain rice, vegetable fried rice or stir-fried noodles.
NOTES
• If using boneless chicken breast for this recipe, steam for 12 – 15 minutes.
• If you would like to steam the other parts of the chicken – legs, thighs, wings and back – remove the skin from all parts except the flap section of the wing. Rinse, pat dry and season. Cut the chicken into small pieces – thighs, legs, wings and back, halved. Use 1½ more of the quantity of the ingredients to season. For example, 4½ tablespoons of fermented black beans instead of 3; use 6 cloves of garlic instead of 4 etc.
• Steam the chicken for 35 – 40 minutes or until cooked through. The time will vary depending on the size of the chicken.
• Keep a kettle of boiling water on standby to replenish the pot as the meat steams (if necessary).
• If using black bean sauce instead of preserved black beans, use only 2 tablespoons of the sauce for the breast. The sauce has more salt than the preserved black beans so take that into consideration when adding salt to taste. Use 4 tablespoons if steaming the other parts of the chicken.