Have you ever tried Taiwanese sesame oil chicken rice? It's a traditional dish that's popular in Taiwan because it's warm, comforting, and savory. Follow my super easy foolproof method and you can enjoy this classic dish at home in no time.
When it comes to Taiwanese food, you will probably right away think of beef noodle soup, boba or gua bao. However, in my opinion, Taiwanese sesame oil chicken soup/rice is probably one of the most iconic and underrated Taiwanese dishes. So make sure you give this recipe a try!
Taiwanese sesame oil chicken soup/rice is a traditional dish known for helping postpartum recovery because of its nourishing properties. It's also a popular dish to eat on cold winter days, as the aroma from toasting ginger in sesame oil along with rice cooking wine create a pleasant aroma that can soothe your soul and warm your body.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It's a classic Taiwanese dish that has withstood the test of time.
- It's very easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.
- It's very delicious and soothing, it will warm you up on cold winter days.
- You can make more and freeze some for later!
Ingredients You'll Need
notes
- Rice - this dish is traditionally made with sticky rice, however, many people prefer using regular white rice instead as it's more convenient and easier to digest. Here I use Jasmine rice, but feel free to use whatever other kind of rice that you prefer. (Check out my Taiwanese sticky rice recipe for more details of how to prepare sticky rice)
- Ginger - ginger is the key ingredient of this recipe and you will need a lot of it. After toasting in sesame oil, the spiciness of the ginger will transform into a pleasant aroma that infuses this dish with a wonderful fragrance.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 - Toss chicken pieces with salt and set it aside for 15 minutes.
Step 2- cook rice in rice cooker with a slice of ginger and a few drops of sesame oil.
Step 3 - In a Dutch oven or skillet, brown ginger with sesame oil over medium low heat until it starts to turn brown and the edges become curly.
This is the key step, so be patient and make sure the ginger slices are nicely golden brown as in the picture below (but don't burn the ginger either).
Step 4 - Add chicken pieces and sauté until the surface of the chicken turns white before adding soy sauce, white pepper powder and rice cooking wine. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes.
Step 5 - Add goji berries and cooked rice into the pot. Mix everything together and it's done!
If you have time, cover the lid and let it sit for 5-10 minutes after turning off the heat, as this will allow the flavor to meld together better.
Tips and Tricks
- If you want to replace white rice with sticky rice, check out my Taiwanese sticky rice recipe to learn how to cook the sticky rice properly.
- When sautéing ginger in sesame oil, make sure you cook it over medium low heat, otherwise it may create a bitter taste if the heat is too high.
- Before mixing in rice, there should still be around half a cup of the liquid in the pot, if not, add more cooking wine or water.
- You can replace goji berry with a small handful of dried longan fruit if it's available to you; I personally like it better than goji berry in this dish.
- While sesame oil chicken is traditionally eaten for postpartum recovery starting from the third week after giving birth, it might not be suitable for everybody, so please consult with an expert if you intend to eat it specifically for postpartum recovery.
Recipe FAQs
Of course you can!
I don't recommend doing this since the flavor will not be the same.
If you brown the ginger thoroughly, you shouldn't taste any spiciness from the ginger. Ginger will only be contributing to the flavor and aroma as it's sautéd with the sesame oil, no spiciness should remain.
Yes, you can freeze it and just microwave it when you want to eat it.
I hope you enjoy this simple yet delicious dish!
If you like this recipe, make sure you also try my curried baked chicken thighs with shallots, easy Shandong chicken and mushroom chicken stir fry.
Make Sure You Also Try
I would like to hear from you! If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and comment in the section further down the page. Stay in touch by following my Instagram and Pinterest!
Taiwanese Sesame Oil Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite size
- salt
- 1½ cups white rice, or sticky rice
- 15 slices ginger, thinly slice
- 3 tbsps sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ¼ cup rice cooking wine (michiu)
- 1 tablespoon goji berry, optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, toss chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon of salt and set it aside for 15 minutes.
- Wash and drain the rice really well, cook it in a rice cooker with 1½ cup of water (or 1 cup of water if you use sticky rice ) with a slice of ginger and a few drops of sesame oil.
- In a Dutch oven, add in the rest of the sesame oil and ginger slices, sauté it over medium low heat until the ginger begins to brown and the edges become curly (this usually takes 5-7 minutes). This is the key step, so be patient and make sure the ginger slices are nicely golden brown as in the picture in the post (but don't burn the ginger either).
- Add chicken pieces into the pot and sauté until the surface of the chicken turns white before adding soy sauce, white pepper powder and rice cooking wine. When the liquid is boiling, cover and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add goji berries and cooked rice into the pot. Mix everything together and it's done! If you have time, cover the lid and let it sit for 5-10 minutes after turning off the heat, as this will allow the flavor to meld together better.
Notes
- If you want to replace white rice with sticky rice, check out my Taiwanese sticky rice recipe to learn how to cook the sticky rice properly.
- When sautéing ginger in sesame oil, make sure you cook it over medium low heat, otherwise it may create a bitter taste if the heat is too high.
- Before mixing in rice, there should still be around half a cup of the liquid in the pot; if not, add more cooking wine or water.
- You can replace goji berry with a small handful of dried longan fruit if it's available to you; I personally like it better than goji berry in this dish.
- While sesame oil chicken is traditionally eaten for postpartum recovery starting from the third week after giving birth, it might not be suitable for everybody, so please consult with an expert if you intend to eat it specifically for postpartum recovery.
I made this earlier this year and just had some again after defrosting! It really does hold up well to freezing. The flavors are more delicate than I thought, and even though I don't like spicy stuff, the ginger in here wasn't spicy, just warm and fragrant! So delicious. Also, don't skip the goji berries, whatever you do.
Hi Jess, thank you so much for your comment, I'm so happy to hear you like this dish!