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.
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