Sesame oil chicken is a Taiwanese dish of chicken cooked with sesame oil, rice wine and ginger, eaten for warmth and recovery during postpartum confinement.

Postpartum confinement is widely practiced in Taiwan, and its food emphasizes warmth, nourishment and recovery. A defining feature of Taiwanese confinement cuisine is the extensive use of sesame oil, rice wine and ginger. One of the best-known dishes is sesame oil chicken, which is commonly eaten throughout the confinement period, alongside ginger duck, liver dishes, fish soup and herbal broths.

Where to eat Sesame oil chicken soup in Taipei

The editor picks for Sesame oil chicken soup in Taipei are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Taipei signature-dishes index or the Taipei food guide.

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Make it at home

Serves 450 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (1.5kg), chopped into 12 pieces
  • 100ml black sesame oil
  • 100g fresh ginger, sliced thick
  • 500ml Taiwanese mijiu rice wine (or Shaoxing as substitute)
  • 500ml water
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 100g goji berries, soaked
  • Cooked rice noodles or jiu cai (Chinese chives), to serve

Method

  1. Heat sesame oil in a heavy clay pot until smoking. Add ginger; fry 5 minutes until curled and dark.
  2. Add chicken pieces, brown all sides 8 minutes.
  3. Pour in rice wine (carefully, it may flame). Add water and sugar; bring to the boil.
  4. Reduce heat, cover, simmer 25 minutes until chicken is tender.
  5. Add goji berries in the last 5 minutes.
  6. Serve in deep bowls with rice noodles or chives at the bottom.

Editor tip. The ginger must be browned in the sesame oil first; this is what gives the soup depth. Mijiu rice wine is the Taiwan canon; Shaoxing substitutes but is sweeter.

Common allergens: Sesame, Alcohol.