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Plate of steamed Bao

Lime Chicken Bao

A copycat recipe of Disney's Tropical Hideaway's Lime Chicken Bao
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Proofing Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Course Main Course, Snack
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 12 Bao

Equipment

  • Steamer Either the steamer basket that comes with pots/pans sets, or electric.

Ingredients
  

Bao Filling; Marinade

  • 3 Chicken Breasts Thawed if frozen and chopped into rough pieces
  • 1 Lime Zest and Juice
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Crushed/minced
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Lemongrass I used a full package from the grocery store, about 5 small stalks
  • 1 Tbsp Hot Honey
  • 2 Tbsp Cilantro chopped
  • Salt and Pepper

Bao Filling

  • 1/2 Butternut Squash Diced small
  • 1/2 Onion Diced
  • 3 Tbsp Cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 Lime Juiced (optional)

Bao Dough

  • 450 g All Purpose Flour (3 and 3/4 cups)
  • 2 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Instant Yeast Same as 1 packet
  • 3 Tbsp Milk
  • 210 ml Warm Water (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
  • 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter Softened

Instructions
 

Marinate the Chicken

  • Add all of the marinade ingredients into a ziplock bag and close tightly, removing as much air as you can and squishing around the chicken a little bit to make sure that it is all coated. Set in the fridge for at LEAST 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.

Prep your Bao Dough

  • In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
  • In a measuring cup add milk, warm water, and butter. Microwave in 30 second increments until butter is fully melted (depending on how soft your butter was before adding it to the warm water, it may not need to be microwaved. Mine did.)
  • Stir the liquids into the flour mixture with either a spoon or a dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms (it may seem crumbly at first, but DO NOT add more liquid yet.... trust). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. (You may also put it in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, but I like working it by hand). Add additional flour as needed if it gets too sticky.
  • Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel and put somewhere warm to proof. Depending on how warm, it may take one and a half to two hours (or more).

Prep the filling

  • Peel, core, and finely dice half of a butternut squash and add to a pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook until just barely beginning to soften. Drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, finely dice some onions and sweat them off. Add to the cooked squash and set aside.
  • Dump entire bag of marinade and chicken into a hot pan and cook the chicken fully. Discard the Lemongrass and shred the chicken and allow it to soak up all of the goodness in the pan. Add to squash/onion mixture and put in the fridge to meld together.

Assembly

  • Cut squares of parchment paper for later.
  • Remove filling from the fridge and add in 3 Tbsp of chopped cilantro and adjust the seasonings to taste; I added more salt and pepper, as well as the juice of half of a lime.
  • Divide bao dough into 12 equal sized pieces, covering them with a damp towel until ready to work with them. One at a time use your rolling pin to flatten the dough balls into circles that are thinner at the edges than at the center
  • Holding the dough in one hand (I recommend not holding it in the palm of your hand, but rather on your fingers) put 2 Tbsp of filling in the center. Your thumb of the hand holding the dough should be free to assist with pleating
  • Using the thumbs of both hands, as well as your pointer finger of your dominant hand, start gathering the edges of the dough into pleats, rotating slightly as you gather and pinch each one. (Please look up something from a professional as I am not and mine are not pretty). Finish with a twist and pinch and place on a square of parchment
  • Continue until all your Bao are filled and cover once again with the towel to rest as you prepare your steamer baskets

Cooking the Bao

  • If using an electric steamer, you can skip this step. If using a steam basket, fill your pot with a few inches of water and bring up to a boil.
  • Gently place a few of the bao (still on the parchment) into the steam basket and cover with the lid.
  • Set a timer for 15 minutes before removing them (carefully!) from the steamer, and repeat until all Bao are cooked. (Keep an eye on the water level as you don't want to boil the pot dry).
  • Allow the Bao to rest for about 5 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Keyword Tropical Hideaway Recipes