Korean Chicken Bao

Chicken Bao
NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
Find this recipe useful? Share it with your friends!

Fluffy Buns Stuffed with Chicken Bao: The Perfect Homemade Appetizer

Are you ready to take your taste buds on a culinary journey? Introducing Chicken Bao, a traditional Chinese dish that’s sure to impress. These steamed buns are the perfect balance of soft and fluffy on the outside, with a juicy and savory filling of crispy chicken Korean style, paired with crispy cucumbers and red onions. This recipe is a combination of flavors and textures that will tantalize your senses and leave you craving for more.

But that’s not all, this recipe is not only delicious, but also easy to make at home. You can even make them in bulk, freeze them, and have them ready as a perfect appetizer for your next gathering. Steamed buns may seem intimidating to make, but this recipe is fail-proof, tested multiple times to ensure that you can make them at home with ease. So, grab your apron, and let’s get steaming!

The Chicken Bao combination of bun plus meat plus sauce is an old classic for many obvious reasons, but there’s nothing at all boring about it in this context: this sandwich is a gorgeous combination of tart, tangy, soft, crunchy, meaty and crispy that makes it highly entertaining and downright delicious. It’s a no-fail concept executed with love and care, and that makes it really worth seeking out this recipe—and celebrating.

The Chicken Bao buns themselves are soft and puffy. Stuffed with zesty marinated chicken, cucumber, and lots of fresh fixings, they become mini explosions of texture and flavor. The steamed buns are best as soon as they come off the heat, when they’re still soft and pliable. If you have extra buns, they freeze well.

Not what you are looking for? Try these other amazing Appetizer recipes:

Print

Chicken Bao

Chicken Bao
Print Recipe

These steamed bao buns are so delicious and fun to make! I fill the soft, puffy buns with flavorful marinated chicken and lots of fresh fixings.
  • Author: Kitchen Sanctuary
  • Prep Time: 3:30
  • Cook Time: :30
  • Total Time: 4:00
  • Yield: 20 1x
  • Category: Appetizers
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Scale

Buns

  • 3 3/4 cups (450g) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp (equivalent to one packet or 7g) instant dried yeast
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • 3/4 cup + 2tbsp (210ml altogether) warm water
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter very soft
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Chicken Filling

  • 4 chicken breasts sliced into bite-size chunks
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic salt

Chicken Coating

  • 1 1/2 cups (180g) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • vegetable oil for deep frying

Korean Sauce

  • 2 tbsp gochujang paste
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 2 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

To Serve

  • 1 small red onion – thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cucumber – chopped into small pieces
  • Small bunch of fresh coriander – cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp black and white sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Start by making the bao buns – Place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl and mix together.
  • Add the milk, warm water and butter to a jug and stir together until the butter melts. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture at first with a spoon, and then with your hands. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can do this in a mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  • Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover (with clingfilm or a damp tea towel and leave to prove until doubled in size – about 90 minutes – 2 hours).
  • Meanwhile, start on the Korean Chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour.
  • After the dough has proofed, tip it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. Knead the dough again and split into 20 balls. Place a piece of baking parchment on your work surface and roll each ball into an oval on top of the parchment, using a rolling pin – approx. 6cm x 9cm.
  • Brush the ovals with the olive oil and fold each oval over, using a chopstick in the middle to fold over to leave a little space in the fold (so the oil is on the inside of the fold). Remove the chopstick and place each bun onto a small piece of baking parchment.
  • Place the buns on the trays – still on the the baking parchment – as this will help you to move them later. Cover each tray with clingfilm or a carrier bag (ensuring the clingfilm doesn’t touch the dough – or it will stick) and leave to prove for a further hour, until puffed up.
  • Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cups) of oil.
  • Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl. Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
  • Once the oil is hot enough, add in 10-12 of the chicken pieces. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
  • Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken.
  • Meanwhile, put a large steamer pan on to boil. Working in batches, place the buns in the steamer (you can keep them on the baking parchment and steam for 10 minutes. I use a double layer steam pan – placing four buns in each layer. Once steamed, place on a warm plate.
  • While the chicken and bao buns are cooking, make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
  • Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
  • Place all of the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss together to coat. You can leave the chicken chunks whole, or slice up if you prefer.
  • Carefully open the steamed bao buns and stuff with the Korean chicken. Top with slices of red onion, cucumber, fresh coriander (cilantro) and sesame seeds before serving.
Find this recipe useful? Share it with your friends!