Chicken and Shiitake Mushroom Claypot Rice (Bo Zai Fan)
A Cantonese classic made easy at home: fragrant jasmine rice cooked in a clay pot until the bottom turns golden and crispy, topped with marinated chicken and shiitake mushrooms. The crispy rice crust at the bottomis the real reward.
Ingredients
- 200 g jasmine rice
- 250 ml water 1:1.25 ratio of jasmine rice to water
- 2 chicken thighs, boneless, cut into small bite-sized pieces (about 170g)
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, pre-soaked until softened and sliced
- A few drops of vegetable oil
- A handful of spring onion, finely chopped, for garnish
- 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce, for drizzling
FOR THE MARINADE
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp finely chopped spring onion
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice cooking wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Soak the rice: Rinse the jasmine rice and place it in the rice pot. Add the water, drizzle with a few drops of vegetable oil, and soak for 1 hour.
- Marinate the chicken: Combine the diced chicken thighs with the ginger, spring onion, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, corn flour and oil. Cutting the chicken into small pieces helps it cook through evenly. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook the rice: Heat the pot over medium-high heat until the rice boils. Stir gently, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 6 minutes.
- Add the toppings: Arrange the marinated chicken and sliced shiitake mushrooms over the partially cooked rice, leaving space between the pieces so everything cooks evenly. Drizzle oil around the edges of the pot. This is what creates the crispy rice crust. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until you smell a charred aroma.
- Rest and steam: Turn off the heat and leave to steam with the lid on for 7 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Uncover, garnish with the spring onion, and drizzle with sweet soy sauce. Serve immediately.
Don't overcrowd the chicken and mushrooms on top of the rice. Give them a little space so the heat can reach everything evenly.
Video
Notes
This recipe works well in a traditional clay pot or a Japanese donabe. I made mine in a HexClad rice pot instead, as shown in the blog photos, which is also a great tool for this recipe.
Cutting the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces helps it cook through more easily.
I use a 1:1.25 ratio of jasmine rice to water. If you're using short grain or sushi rice instead, I'd recommend a 1:1 ratio, as it needs less water to cook properly.
If you don't have sweet soy sauce, simply mix soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar (or syrup or honey) in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has fully dissolved. Set aside to cool before using.
If you don't have corn flour, plain flour works as a substitute. Corn flour gives the chicken a lighter, silkier coating, while plain flour creates a slightly thicker one, but both help lock in moisture and tenderise the meat.
