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Taiwanese sesame oil chicken rice is known for its comforting and aromatic qualities. It’s a popular street food and home-cooked meal in Taiwan, and it’s enjoyed for its delicious combination of flavors and textures. The recipe can be cooked on the stove, pressure cooker, or rice cooker.
Taiwanese sesame oil chicken rice, known as “麻油雞飯” (Mǎyóu jī fàn) in Mandarin Chinese, is a popular and flavorful Taiwanese dish. It consists of tender, poached chicken pieces served with rice cooked in a savory broth flavored with sesame oil and various aromatic ingredients.
All in one pot
The traditional Taiwanese sesame oil chicken rice cooking process involves cooking the chicken in ginger-infused sesame oil until it’s fully cooked and tender. Meanwhile, the rice is cooked separately in chicken broth. Once everything is ready, the chicken is placed on top of the rice and combined. What I’m showing you here is how to prepare this dish all in one pot using a pressure cooker or on the stove. You can also use a rice cooker, but if you use a rice cooker, it won’t be a one-pot because we need to cook the aromatics on the stove first before finishing cooking in the rice cooker.
Easy One-Pot Taiwanese Sesame Oil Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 40 g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into a large chunks
- 3 cups rice I use cups that comes with a rice cooker
- 80 g sesame oil
- 3 cups chicken broth
Aromatics:
- 20 g ginger thinly slice
- 3 pieces green onion cut into 2-inch pieces
Seasonings:
- 2 Tbsp rice wine
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce or more (this depends on the brand of the dark soy sauce)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Instructions
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until softened. Trim off the stems and cut into slices
- Cut the chicken into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks
- Wash the rice in several rinses of water until it runs clear. Drain off the water completely with a strainer
Cooking with an Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- Press saute mode and add sesame oil. You don't have to wait for it to come to "hot". Add the ginger slices and start sauteing until they are fragrant, about 3 minutes or so
- Add shiitake mushrooms and chicken pieces and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add rice wine and scrape off the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing gets stuck. Add the seasonings followed by chicken broth. Add the rice and stir to combine everything. Turn off saute mode
- Turn the pressure release valve to "sealing". Set the pressure cooker timer to 5 minutes and make sure it's on high pressure. It may take about 5 minutes or so for the pressure cooker to come fully pressurized. When it's done cooking, let it do natural release. When the pressure valve has collapsed, carefully unlock the lid. Add the green onion pieces and fluff the rice. The residual heat will soften the green onion without overcooking it.
- The rice is ready to be served
Cooking on the stove:
- Pour sesame oil into a large heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid. Turn on the stove. The oil doesn't have to be hot. Add ginger slices.
- Add the ginger slices and start sauteing until they are fragrant, about 3 minutes or so
- Add shiitake mushrooms and chicken pieces and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add rice wine and scrape off the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing gets stuck. Add the seasonings followed by the chicken broth. Add the rice and stir to combine everything.
- Bring to a simmer and then cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low and let it cook for the next 15-20 minutes or until the rice is fluffy. Turn off the heat. Uncover the lid and add the green onion pieces and fluff the rice to combine everything. The residual heat will soften the green onion. It is ready to be served
Cooking with a rice cooker:
- If cooking with a rice cooker, it won't be a one-pot because we need to cook the aromatics separately on the pan.
- Pour sesame oil into a large heavy-bottom pan. Turn on the stove. The oil doesn't have to be hot. Add ginger slices.
- Add the ginger slices and start sauteing until they are fragrant, about 3 minutes or so
- Add shiitake mushrooms and chicken pieces and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add rice wine and scrape off the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing gets stuck. Add the seasonings followed by the chicken broth. Add the rice and stir to combine everything. Turn off the heat
- Transfer to a rice cooker and use the white rice setting or something similar to cook. When it's done cooking, add green onion slices and fluff the rice. The residual heat will soften the green onion. It is ready to be served
RECOMMEDED TOOLS
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
How to cook Taiwanese sesame oil chicken rice using an Instant Pot pressure cooker
1. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until softened. Trim off the stems and cut into slices
2. Cut the chicken into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks
3. Wash the rice in several rinses of water until it runs clear. Drain off the water completely with a strainer
4. Press saute mode and add sesame oil. You don’t have to wait for it to come to “hot”. Add the ginger slices and start sauteing until they are fragrant, about 3 minutes or so
5. Add shiitake mushrooms and chicken pieces and stir fry for about 1 minute. The chicken pieces won’t be cooked yet. Add rice wine and scrape off the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing gets stuck. 
6. Add the seasonings followed by chicken broth. 
7. Add the rice and stir to combine everything. Turn off saute mode
8. Turn the pressure release valve to “sealing”. Set the pressure cooker timer to 5 minutes and make sure it’s on high pressure. It may take about 5 minutes or so for the pressure cooker to come fully pressurized. When it’s done cooking, let it do natural release. When the pressure valve has collapsed, carefully unlock the lid. 
9. Add the green onion pieces and fluff the rice. 
10. The residual heat will soften the green onion without overcooking it.
11. The rice is ready to be served
Did you make this one-pot Taiwanese sesame oil chicken rice recipe?
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3 comments
I’ve made this using rice cooker. Instead of using chicken stock, I used the water from soaking mushroom. Also, I added premium dark soy sauce instead of salt cause I like the rice to be darker. Taste delicious and full of sesame aroma. Will definitely make it again. Thanks!
Hi Marv…
Thanks for your recipe. I tried making this Taiwanese rice with my crock pot express. Definitely I will make this dish again in the future, it’s very easy and delicious. My husband, 2 y.o son and I, really like it. We are Indonesians, living in the Netherlands. Salam makan enak. Salam manis dari Belanda.
Hi Ria, so glad your hubby and son enjoyed it! Salam manis juga ya dari Amerika 🙂