Chinese Smoked Chicken is tender, fragrant, and full of flavor. This version is adapted from Florence Lin’s Chinese Regional Cookbook and updated to use an Instant Pot for the steaming step, which saves time while preserving moisture and texture.
Chinese cooking relies on a variety of techniques to achieve ideal textures. Steaming is commonly used to keep chicken moist before a final finish—whether frying, roasting, or smoking. Although steaming adds a step, it produces juicy, tender meat that’s well worth the extra time.
In this recipe, a whole chicken is first rubbed with a simple dry marinade of toasted coarse salt and Szechuan peppercorns and then refrigerated overnight (or up to two days) to develop flavor.
Next, the chicken is pressure-steamed in the Instant Pot for 25 minutes. If you prefer stove-top steaming, allow at least 45 minutes for a whole chicken to cook through.
After steaming, let the chicken cool. You can refrigerate it until you’re ready to smoke, or continue immediately to the smoking step. Stove-top smoking is straightforward: line a wok and its lid with foil, place a blend of hickory chips and tea leaves in the bottom, and set an oiled rack on top for the chicken.
Smoking the steamed chicken over medium heat takes about 15 minutes. The gentle smoke and tea produce a beautiful amber skin and a subtle, complex aroma.
Serve Chinese Smoked Chicken warm or cold. After brushing with a little sesame oil and carving into pieces, the chicken is ready to enjoy as a main course or as part of a larger spread.
Chinese Smoked Chicken (Instant Pot)
Marinate the chicken overnight or up to two days. Pressure steaming before smoking ensures tender, juicy meat.
Main Course
Chinese
Ingredients
- 4 pound whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1/4 cup hickory chips
- 2 tablespoons black tea leaves (I used oolong)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Instructions
Marinating Chicken
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Toast coarse salt and Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until the peppercorns are fragrant. Let cool. Rub the salt and peppercorn mixture all over the chicken, inside and out. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.
Steaming Chicken (Instant Pot Method)
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Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot. Place the steam rack inside and set the seasoned chicken on the rack.
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Steam on high pressure for 25 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Remove the chicken and let it cool. You can smoke it immediately or refrigerate and smoke later.
Wok-Smoking Chicken
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Line the inside of a wok and the lid with foil. Place hickory chips and tea leaves on the foil in the bottom of the wok.
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Put an oiled rack in the wok and set the steamed chicken on the rack. Cover with the foil-lined lid and smoke over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
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Turn off the heat and let the wok sit for 5 minutes to allow the smoke to dissipate.
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Remove the chicken and brush it lightly with sesame oil.
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Cut the chicken into pieces and serve warm or cold.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Florence Lin’s Chinese Regional Cookbook.
If you enjoy this authentic preparation, you may also like:
Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup
Chinese Braised Chicken and Chestnuts
