 | |
| Course | Dish |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Taiwan |
| Main ingredients | chicken, sesame oil, rice wine, ginger |
| Sesame oil chicken | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 麻油雞 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Sesame oil chicken | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Sesame oil chicken (Chinese:麻油雞;Tongyong Pinyin:má yóu jī;Tâi-lô:muâ-iû-kue) is a traditional Taiwanese dish made by cooking chicken with sesame oil, rice wine, and ginger. The dish has a long history in Taiwanese food culture and is widely consumed during colder seasons.[1] It is also traditionally served to women duringpostpartum confinement, due to its perceived warming properties, high protein content, and relatively low cost. Over time, it has also become a popular everyday dish and a representative example of Taiwanese home-style cooking as well as a national specialty.[2]
The essential ingredients of sesame oil chicken are: chicken, rice wine, ginger and sesame oil. Additional ingredients may include glutinous rice, red dates, goji berries, andAngelica sinensis. Common seasonings may includeMSG and rock sugar.
The chicken is typically cut into pieces, blanched to remove blood and impurities, then rinsed and excess fat removed. Ginger slices are stir-fried in sesame oil over high heat until aromatic. The chicken is then added, followed by rice wine and water to cover the ingredients. The mixture is brought to a boil and simmered over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. Rice wine used in the dish does not usually evaporate completely during cooking, resulting in a noticeable alcohol content in the final dish. To reduce alcohol levels, longer cooking times or reduced amounts of rice wine may be used.[3]
Since rice wine is a primary ingredient and is not fully evaporated during standard cooking, sesame oil chicken may contain alcohol levels that exceed recommended intake limits for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, children, or legal driving thresholds.[4]
Intraditional Taiwanese herbology concepts, sesame oil chicken is considered a "warming" (熱補) dish. Heated sesame oil, ginger, and rice wine are all regarded as warming ingredients, and the dish is traditionally recommended for individuals with cold or deficient constitutions.[5]
Conversely, individuals with heat-related conditions—such as fever, inflammation, or colds—are often advised to avoid consuming sesame oil chicken. It is also commonly believed that the dish may be unsuitable during menstruation or pregnancy due to its warming properties, though individuals with cold-type symptoms such as low menstrual flow or menstrual pain may still consume it.[6]
During cooking, high-temperature heating of sesame oil may cause carbonization, which can produce compounds associated with adverse reactions such as skin irritation or inflammatory symptoms.[7]
The Taiwan Sesame Oil Chicken Festival (or "MayoG Festival") was a past promotional event, notably held around 2008 to celebrate this traditional, nourishing winter dish, with events featuring free servings of the savory, ginger-infused chicken stew.[8]
