Vietnamese Steamed Whole Chicken with Turmeric and Coriander

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 45 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 cloves garlic (peel)

1 yellow onion (peel)

Vietnamese coriander/mint leaves (rau ram)

Lime, salt and pepper dipping sauce

Large steamer

Directions

Butterfly chicken

This makes it lay flat for faster cooking.

Mix seasonings

Combine salt (remaining 1 tablespoon), sugar, and chicken/mushroom bouillon stock powder in a small bowl. Mix well.

Coat chicken

Rub chicken all over with seasoning mixture. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge covered for better results.

Add turmeric

Rub turmeric powder on the outside of your chicken to give it a beautiful color.

Prepare the steamer

Add water to the bottom of your steamer and heat up the steamer. Once you get good steam going, add a bed of Vietnamese coriander (reserve the other half for garnish if desired), onion and garlic. Lay chicken on top of vegetables with the open side facing down. Steam with a lid for about 45 minutes. To test for doneness, pierce a chopstick at the thigh joint. If the chopstick goes in smoothly and water runs clear, chicken is done.

Make the dipping sauce

In a small bowl, juice the lime. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve

Garnish chicken with remaining coriander and serve dipping sauce on the side.