A soft, yet crusty, bread surrounds succulent pieces of chicken and savory bits of celery, mushrooms, green onions, and bamboo shoots in these big and hearty Chinese Chicken Buns. Soon after you bite into a freshly baked one and let the flavors flood into your mouth, you’ll pat yourself on the back and say, “Damn, I’m a good cook!” It had been years since I last made these buns, but while deciding what to make for a Chinese New Year’s post, I remembered these delicious buns and it occurred to me that they would make fabulous Super Bowl fare, too! They can be made ahead and frozen for future use. But seriously, after you’ve taken your first bite of one, you’ll want to live in the present and not the future!
Chinese Chicken Buns
Adapted from a Sunset Magazine recipe
Ingredients:
2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough
6 dried Asian mushrooms
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken meat, breast and thigh meat
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2-3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3-4 stalks of green onions
1 8 oz can of sliced bamboo shoots
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 eggs, hard boiled
Cilantro leaves, optional
Flour
Butter, melted
Sauce Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/3 cup water
Directions:
1. Remove frozen bread dough from the package and thaw as package directs, rubbing surface with a little bit of oil and covering with plastic film. Thaw just until pliable, about 1-2 hours at room temperature.
2. Hard boil the eggs and let cool.
3. Rinse and soak dried Asian mushrooms in enough hot water to cover them until soft and pliable, about 20 minutes. Cut off and discard tough stems; cut remaining mushrooms into thin strips.
4. Cut chicken meat into 1/2-inch-thick strips, each about 2-inches long.
5. Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger.
6. Thinly slice celery stalks on the diagonal.
7. Wash green onions. Cut into 2-inch lengths (including tops).
8. Drain can of bamboo shoots.
9. Stir together sauce ingredients (listed above).
10. Pour 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch frying pan and place over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
11. Add celery; cook, stirring for 1 minute.
12. Stir in sliced mushrooms, sliced green onions, bamboo shoots, and sauce mixture. Cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Let cool.
13. Peel the eggs and cut in quarters, lengthwise.
14. With a lightly-floured knife, cut each thawed loaf into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a round about 7-inches in diameter.
15. Place 1-2 sections of hard boiled eggs in the center of the dough. Top with 1/2 cup of the cooked chicken filling.
16. Gather edges of dough up around filling, being careful not to stretch the dough. Pleat in the edges and tightly pinch together to seal.
17. Turn on oven to 350 degrees F.
18. Place, buns, pinched side down about 2 inches apart on a lightly greased or parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Lightly cover and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 30-45 minutes.
19. Brush with melted butter and bake for 30-35 minutes or until browned. Serve warm.
20. If made ahead, cool thoroughly on racks, then cover and refrigerate or freeze. To reheat, bake uncovered, in a 350 degree oven until hot, about 20 minutes if chilled. If frozen, bake for 35 minutes.
Makes eight.
Linnell’s Notes:
1. Dried Asian mushrooms can be found in most grocery stores and in Asian markets. The most common ones are the dried Shitake mushrooms. To soak dried mushrooms, place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Place a smaller bowl or plate on top of them to keep them submerged in the water.
2. I always double the recipe! Eight is never enough!
3. I tend to always add a little more of everything – more mushrooms, more celery, more green onions, more meat . . . and I usually double the amount of sauce.
4. I cut the 2-inch top segments (white part) of the green onions in half lengthwise, so that there are no thick pieces of onion to bite into.
5. Although the inclusion of slices of hard boiled egg is typical in a Chinese Chicken Bun, you can always choose not to include them if they are not to your liking.
6. I like the taste of cilantro in these buns, so I sprinkle a few cilantro leaves on top of the dough before adding the meat mixture.
7. Sometimes for an added rich and exotic flavor, I add pieces of Chinese Sausage into the chicken mixture.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
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