This Hainan chicken recipe is a simplified version of the popular dish seen throughout Southeast Asia consisting of steamed or poached chicken along with a ginger dipping oil that compliments it perfectly.
The debate of origin for Hainan chicken stretches back decades ago when Malaysia and Singapore split and since have both have laid claim to the dish.
Traditionally, Hainan chicken is served with seasoned rice but since this is the low-carb/keto version, we omitted it and just focused on making the delicious juicy chicken with the dipping sauce!
There are many variations of Hainan chicken and every household has their own special way of making it. Today, I’ll be showing you how my family makes Hainan chicken, the super quick and easy way!
Typically, you would see a whole chicken poached or steamed, skin on, chopped and served on a plate.
However, we prefer a much simpler version, so we take boneless chicken thigh, skin or no skin and just steam with some green onions and ginger for 10-15 minutes and that’s it.
Just remember, it’s all about the ginger and green onion oil dipping sauce! This dish would be nothing without it, so make sure to generously dip the chicken and enjoy!
The special ingredient needed for this recipe are Coarse Sea Salt and Japanese Sake. All these can be picked up on Amazon or a local Asian supermarket.
Here is the sake we normally use for reference. You can substitute the Japanese sake for Dry Sherry if needed.
Now, let’s get steaming!
Prepping Time 5M
Steaming Time 12M
Total Time 17M
Net Carb/Serv ~1g
Serving 2
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Japanese Sake (can be replaced with dry sherry)
- 1 Inch Ginger
- 2 Stalk Green Onion
- Water
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp Fresh Ground Ginger (about 1/2 inch of ginger)
- 1/2 Stalk Green Onion
- 3 tbsp Neutral Oil (no taste)
- 1/2 tsp Coarse Sea Salt (MUST be coarse otherwise will be too salty, use 1/4 tsp if you’re sensitive to salt)
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Grate 1 tbsp of ginger with a grinder and set aside.
3) Slice 1/2 inch of ginger into thin slices.
4) Finely chop 1/2 stalk of green onions and set aside.
5) Chop 1 stalk of green into 1 inch lengths.
6) In a small mixing bowl, combine ingredients for the sauce – neutral oil (we use vegetable oil), finely chopped green onions, grated ginger, and Coarse Sea Salt. Note – this sauce tends to be on the salter side, so if you’re sensitive sodium, we recommend starting with 1/4 tsp and working your way up.
7) Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken thighs and set aside.
8) In a stove top pot, add Japanese sake, sliced ginger and 1 inch green onion stalk. Add enough water to cover 1/2 inch from the bottom of the pot and bring to boil.
9) Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, place chicken thighs on a steaming rack (or directly in the water if you don’t have one), completely cover and steam for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165F.
10) Place cooked chicken onto cutting board and slice into bite-size slices. Transfer to a serving place, drizzle some reserved broth on top and serve with dipping sauce from step 6).
Hope you enjoy your low-carb/keto Easy Hainan Chicken!
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Easy Hainan Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Japanese Sake can be replaced with dry sherry
- 1 Inch Ginger
- 2 Stalk Green Onion
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 Stalk Green Onion
- 3 tbsp Neutral Oil no taste
- 1/2 tsp Coarse Sea Salt MUST be coarse otherwise will be too salty, use 1/4 tsp if you're sensitive to salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Grate 1 tbsp of ginger with a grinder and set aside.
- Slice 1/2 inch of ginger into thin slices.
- Finely chop 1/2 stalk of green onions and set aside.
- Chop 1 stalk of green into 1 inch lengths.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine ingredients for the sauce - neutral oil (we use vegetable oil), finely chopped green onions, grated ginger, and Coarse Sea Salt. Note - this sauce tends to be on the salter side, so if you're sensitive sodium, we recommend starting with 1/4 tsp and working your way up.
- Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken thighs and set aside.
- In a stove top pot, add Japanese sake, sliced ginger and 1 inch green onion stalk. Add enough water to cover 1/2 inch from the bottom of the pot and bring to boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, place chicken thighs on a steaming rack (or directly in the water if you don't have one), completely cover and steam for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165F.
- Place cooked chicken onto cutting board and slice into bite-size slices. Transfer to a serving place, drizzle some reserved broth on top and serve with dipping sauce from step 6).
Video
Nutrition
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