The Many Tasteful Asian Ways to Cook & Savour Chicken

Chicken, you know it, and probably tasted it in many, many dishes across a variety of cuisines. After all, the tenderness and neutral taste makes chicken among the most versatile meats to cook with a great range of flavours. For Asians, chicken is one of the earliest domesticated livestock since ancient times, and has fed royals and commoners alike. And, as Asian cuisines grew and developed through the ages, so too, has the various ways to cook and enjoy chicken.

Braised Chicken

Braising combines both ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ heats to cook. As in, the chicken is first sautéed until browned, then simmered with water in a closed lid. The flavouring ingredients in both steps make the chicken doubly tasty. Try it with rice vinegar, mirin, sake and soy sauce in this umami traditional Japanese comfort dish, the homely and savoury Chinese braised chicken with radish, or the bold and sumptuous Chinese Shaoxing chicken, sweetened with goji berries.

Poached Chicken

Poaching means to cook raw food by dipping it into a heated liquid, such as water, stock or wine. This method actually firms up the chicken meat, giving it a bouncy, yet tender texture. The Singaporean national dish Hainanese Chicken is cooked by poaching in heated chicken broth – a wholesome comforting delight you can make with our recipe!

Soy Sauce Chicken is another savoury dish cooked by poaching. This time, in a rich blend of pre-fried ginger, garlic and spring onions; then added water and heated to a boil with dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, five spice powder and brown sugar. The chicken is submerged in the boiling mixture, and simmered until the sauce’s colours and flavours are imbued into the meat, giving it a yummy brown hue and deep savoury aroma. Take out the poached chicken, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Steamed Chicken

Steam-cooking is a wholesome method that traps heat from boiling water to cook food very gently, which retains your ingredients’ natural juices and colours with little risk of overcooking. Steamed chicken tenderises the meat while keeping its springy mouth-feel. Come have a taste with an authentic Chinese recipe of fragrant and savoury chicken with sweet dates and goji berries, piquant ginger and umami black fungus.

Meanwhile, Asian cultures also often practice a no-waste policy with their livestock, and thus, all parts of a chicken have its uses. Even the feet can be steam-cooked to velvety smoothness in the classic Yum Cha darling, Fung Jao. Have you tasted it? Here’s the authentic recipe! 

Stir-fried and Pan-fried Chicken

Stir-fry uses high heat to quickly imbue the flavours of seasoning ingredients, while thoroughly cooking the chicken. This method lightly softens the meat, but retains the springy texture. It’s also the fastest, easiest way to cook for all Asian cuisines that accentuates your foods’ natural flavours, and among the most common methods to make Asian street foods. 

Whip up the savoury Thai stir-fried glass noodles with chicken. Enjoy a soothing homely meal with the Vietnamese Ginger Chicken. Make it extra flavourful and fulfilling with the delish Vietnamese noodles with lemongrass chicken. Or, go zesty and savoury with the Korean Chuncheon Dak Galbi chicken special, and the classic Buldak spicy chicken. Also check out our basic ingredients guide for Asian stir-fries, and tips to master the technique!

Deep Fried Chicken

Another fast Asian cooking method is to first coat the raw food with a batter, and deep-fried in sizzling oil. This gives your chicken cuts a thin golden crispy crust and tenderises the meat while cooking it firm and chewy. In Asian deep-fried chicken dishes, herbs, spices and sauces are also added to elevate the joyful flavours. Treat yourself to the deep savoury taste of Chinese salted egg-yolk chicken ribs. Or, have a crunchy, umami snack with the Taiwanese street food favourite Popcorn Chicken, and Japanese Karaage Chicken.

Curry Chicken

Inspired by Indian cooking, Southeast Asian curries may come in two general types – the thick gravy ‘dry’ curry and the soupy, creamy curry. Both types begin with a blended paste of mashed herbs and spices, and simmered in medium high-heat. Dry curries such as the flaming Malaysian Devil’s Curry Chicken, cooks the curry paste and chicken in oil, moisturised with water as needed, resulting in a gravy-coated meaty delight. Meanwhile, the creamy spicy Thai Green Curry Chicken is cooked with its paste in water and coconut milk.

Baked Chicken

Baking softens chicken meat and allows it to absorb the richness of your flavouring ingredients—wondrously tasteful in Filipino cooking. Come savour the fragrant and wholesome Lechon Manok chicken baked with lemongrass. Or, indulge in the smoky, bold and piquant flavour of Filipino-style grilled chicken!

Smoked Chicken

Speaking of baked/grilled flavours, chicken can also be enriched by marinating the meat and smoking it on a grill. Here’s a Japanese special that infuses the refreshing aroma of green tea into chicken wings marinated with light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, grated ginger and garlic.

More Flavourful Asian Chicken Dishes

Asian cooking techniques bring out the best textures and flavours of chicken with the most flavour-packed ingredients. So if chicken is your favourite poultry, be sure to check out our extensive collection of amazing Asian chicken recipes!