Chinese Chicken Parcels: These are a quick and healthy way to prepare chicken with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Use aluminum foil to wrap the chicken and bake until done. Serve with rice.
On lazy days when I don’t feel like firing up my wok and making a traditional Chinese stir-fry or wok cooking, I always use my oven to make quick and easy meals.
Chinese chicken parcels, marinated, wrapped in aluminum foil, and baked in the oven, are among my favorite dishes.
The aroma as soon as you peel the foil, the juicy and succulent chicken meat, and the exotic aroma of star anise is always appetizing.
I usually shred the chicken into pieces and serve it with freshly steamed rice after it comes out of the oven. The juice from the chicken parcel goes perfectly with rice, and the chicken makes every mouthful of rice oh-so-delicious.
Even as I write this, the thought of the chicken parcel makes my stomach grumble.
If you’re not familiar with star anise, it’s a spice that looks like a star and tastes like anise.
It’s a key component in many Chinese dishes, and you can find it in any spice aisle these days.
Make sure to purchase whole star anise rather than powdered star anise, as whole star anise is more commonly used than powdered star anise. If you find the aroma of star anise to be too strong for your taste, reduce the amount used.
Enjoy the meal and have fun cooking this Chinese chicken parcels recipe!
How many calories are there each serving?
This recipe has a low-calorie count of 313 per serving.
Which dishes should be served with this recipe?
I recommend the following recipes for a filling meal and a quick weeknight dinner.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 pounds (0.6 kg) boneless and skinless boneless and skinless chicken tenders, breasts, or thighs
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp white pepper
- Optional garnish: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or scallions
MARINADE:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (light)
- 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 fresh ginger root (usually peeled and cut into thin strips)
- 2 seeded and finely chopped red chilies
- Optional 4-star anise
- a half teaspoon sesame oil
HOW TO COOK CHINESE CHICKEN PARCELS
- Season the chicken using salt and white pepper. Marinate the chicken for 15-30 minutes using all of the marinade ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (207 degrees Celsius). Divide the chicken into four similar portions and wrap each in 12″x12″ aluminum foil. To make a parcel, tightly seal the foil edges and check for any leakage from the sides of the parcels.
- Place all parcels in the oven for 15-17 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken parcels from the oven and set them aside for 5 minutes to cool.
- Serve with warm steamed rice and garnished with chopped cilantro or scallions.