繁體|EN|简体

← Back to Recipes

Braised Chicken Pot with Dried Shiitake

Dried shiitake · Ginger and spring onion chicken · Family dinner pot

Jump to ingredientsJump to method
Cooked chicken thigh pieces and ordinary shiitake in brown sauce, with a blue 90 g pouch behind.

Use 25 g dried shiitake from the Xianyitang 90 g pack and braise with boneless chicken thighs, ginger, garlic and spring onions for an everyday family dinner. Keep smaller caps whole and halve larger ones. The method includes rehydration, mushroom tenderness and chicken doneness checks.

ServesSide dish for 4
SoakingAbout 15–30 minutes, until soft throughout
CookingAbout 50–70 minutes
Total time (including soaking)About 80–120 minutes, including soaking

Times are estimates and some preparation can overlap cooking. Check that fungi are soft throughout and use the doneness checks in the method; thicker ingredients or smaller pans may take longer. If using frozen chicken, thaw in the fridge following the pack first; allow extra thawing time.

Ordinary shiitake soaking in water, with raw chicken, aromatics and seasonings alongside.

Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.

Ingredients

  • Xianyitang dried shiitake, from a 90 g pack; dried weight 25 g
  • Boneless chicken thighs, skin-on or skinless, cut into about 4 cm pieces 600 g
  • Ginger, thinly sliced 10 g
  • Garlic cloves, lightly crushed 2 cloves, about 6 g
  • Spring onions: 15 g whites in short pieces and 10 g greens in lengths or finely sliced; keep separate 25 g
  • Light soy sauce 20 ml
  • Dark soy sauce 5 ml
  • Oyster sauce 20 g
  • Sugar 3 g
  • Neutral oil 15 ml
  • Fresh drinking water for braising, not soaking water 350 ml; top up with hot water as needed
  • Lukewarm drinking water for soaking; discard afterwards About 500 ml

Method

Rehydrate and trim the stems

Weigh 25 g dried shiitake, pick over and rinse. Cover in a roomy bowl with about 500 ml lukewarm drinking water, approximately 30–40°C. Following the pack, soak for about 15–30 minutes until every cap, including its thickest centre, is soft with no hard core. Adjust for size and thickness; if a longer soak is needed or cooking must wait, cover and refrigerate at 5°C or below instead of leaving it at room temperature for prolonged periods. Discard soaking water, rinse again, gently press out excess water and trim tough stems. Keep smaller caps whole and halve larger ones. Rehydration is not cooking. The 90 g label is the pack size; this recipe does not use the whole pack.

Ordinary dried shiitake soaking in water, with dry caps alongside.

Prepare chicken and sauce

Thaw chicken fully, cut into about 4 cm pieces and do not wash raw chicken. Use separate raw and cooked boards, then wash hands and tools. Mix 20 ml light soy, 5 ml dark soy, 20 g oyster sauce, 3 g sugar and 350 ml fresh water. Slice ginger, crush garlic and separate 15 g spring onion whites from 10 g greens.

Brown the chicken and add mushrooms

Heat 15 ml oil in a wide heavy-based pan over medium heat. Fry ginger, garlic and onion whites for about 1 minute. Brown chicken in batches in a single layer for about 4–5 minutes, turning; it is not necessarily cooked through. Return all chicken, add rehydrated shiitake and turn for about 1 minute, then add sauce. Clean utensils that touched raw chicken before using them on cooked food.

Cover and braise until thoroughly cooked

Bring to the boil, cover and maintain a steady gentle simmer for about 40–50 minutes. Turn occasionally and add a little hot water if needed; do not let it dry out. Follow the shiitake pack guidance of 40–60 minutes thorough simmering, checking the thickest mushroom centres are tender without a hard core. The thickest chicken pieces must reach 75°C for 30 seconds. Continue and recheck if the temperature is short or mushrooms remain firm.

Ordinary shiitake and chicken thigh pieces gently braising in sauce.

Reduce lightly and add onion greens

Once mushrooms and chicken are cooked through, uncover and reduce gently over medium heat for about 3–5 minutes, leaving some sauce for rice. Shorten if already concentrated, or loosen with a little hot water. Add 10 g spring onion greens and turn for about 30 seconds. Serve hot with rice; use a trivet and heat protection for hot earthenware.

Cooking tips

  • Ordinary dried shiitake suits this everyday rice accompaniment. Large flower shiitake is a separate product suited to whole stuffed caps or a whole-cap pak choi presentation.
  • Weigh 25 g dried mushrooms rather than counting caps or using the whole pack. Size varies, so check softness through the thickest centre.
  • Weigh 600 g boneless chicken thighs, skin-on or skinless. Other cuts require adjusted cooking and a doneness check. A heavy-based pan works; earthenware must be hob-suitable.

Allergens

Light and dark soy sauces usually contain soya and wheat (gluten); oyster sauce contains molluscs and may also contain soya or wheat. The Xianyitang pack states that it is packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check every actual ingredient label.

Storage and reheating

Keep raw chicken and rehydrated fungi refrigerated at 5°C or below; follow chicken pack instructions. Separate raw and cooked utensils and clean hands and tools after handling raw chicken. Divide cooked leftovers into shallow containers, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 48 hours or freeze. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.

Shop the Xianyitang ingredients for this recipe

Actual Xianyitang shiitake packaging, 90 g.
Actual packaging reference · Shiitake 90 g