Foil-Wrapped 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.

Ingredients

 
- 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 sliced
Marinade 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 ginger
Directions
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.

 

Preparing to steam the foil packages

source: noobcook