Hainanese Chicken Rice
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Whole chicken (approx. 1.5kg / 3.3 lb) — 1
- Ginger, plus 2 tbsp grated ginger for the paste — 4 slices
- Spring onions, plus extra to garnish — 2
- Water — 2 L (8 cups)
- Jasmine rice, rinsed — 400 g (2 cups)
- Chicken fat or vegetable oil — 2 tbsp
- Garlic cloves, minced — 2
- Dark soy sauce — 2 tbsp
- Cucumber, sliced, to serve — 1
- Red chillies, for chilli sauce — 2
- Lime juice — 1 tbsp
Method
- Place the chicken in a large stockpot with the ginger slices and spring onions, cover with the water, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Poach the chicken gently for 35-40 minutes, ensuring the water never boils hard, then lift out and plunge into an ice bath to firm the skin.
- Reserve the poaching stock. Skim off 2 tablespoons of fat from the surface for cooking the rice.
- Fry the garlic in the reserved chicken fat until fragrant, add the rinsed rice and stir to coat, then cook in a rice cooker with enough of the poaching stock to cover, as per the cooker's instructions.
- Blitz the chillies, grated ginger and lime juice separately with a little stock to make two dipping sauces.
- Carve the chicken into pieces, serve over the rice with cucumber slices, dark soy sauce and the chilli and ginger sauces on the side.
Introduction: Widely regarded as Singapore's unofficial national dish, Hainanese chicken rice was brought by immigrants from Hainan Island in China and adapted to local taste.
Cultural Background: Widely regarded as Singapore's unofficial national dish, Hainanese chicken rice was brought by immigrants from Hainan Island in China and adapted to local taste. Poached chicken is served with fragrant rice cooked in the poaching stock and chicken fat, alongside chilli sauce, ginger paste and dark soy, a dish prized for its simplicity and precise balance of flavours.
Tips: Plunging the poached chicken into iced water immediately gives the classic silky, jelly-like skin. Cooking the rice in the fat-enriched poaching stock, rather than plain water, is essential to authentic flavour.
Variations: Serve with a light soup made from the remaining poaching stock, garnished with spring onion, as a traditional accompaniment. Use free-range or kampong chicken for a firmer texture and deeper flavour. There is no authentic vegetarian version of this dish, as the poaching stock and rice both rely on chicken for their signature flavour.
Storage: Refrigerate chicken, rice and sauces separately in airtight containers for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Steam or microwave the rice and chicken separately until warmed through; sauces are best served fresh or briefly warmed.
Nutrition: Approx. 560 kcal, 38g protein, 58g carbs, 18g fat, 1g fibre per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Why is the chicken poached rather than boiled?
A: Gentle poaching keeps the meat tender and moist; a hard boil toughens the flesh and clouds the stock.
Q: Can I use chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken?
A: Yes, bone-in thighs work well and reduce the cooking time slightly, though a whole bird gives the most traditional presentation.
- Whole chicken (approx. 1.5kg / 3.3 lb) — 1
- Ginger, plus 2 tbsp grated ginger for the paste — 4 slices
- Spring onions, plus extra to garnish — 2
- Water — 2 L (8 cups)
- Jasmine rice, rinsed — 400 g (2 cups)
- Chicken fat or vegetable oil — 2 tbsp
- Garlic cloves, minced — 2
- Dark soy sauce — 2 tbsp
- Cucumber, sliced, to serve — 1
- Red chillies, for chilli sauce — 2
- Lime juice — 1 tbsp
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