Malaysian, Singaporean · dinner
Hainanese Chicken Rice Poached chicken served over rice cooked in chicken broth and fat, with a trio of sauces: ginger-garlic chili, ginger-scallion oil, and a light soy dressing. A Malaysian and Singaporean classic that is simple in method but rewards careful seasoning and gentle poaching.
total 2 hr 10 min
prep 40 min
cook 1 hr 30 min
servings 6 Keep this recipe Add a copy of Hainanese Chicken Rice to your Saucepan library.
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Back to 6 servings Chicken 1.5 kg whole chicken, giblets removed; about 3 to 3.5 lb, bone-in with skin 2 tsp salt, plus more for scrubbing and seasoning the broth 0.125 tsp ground white pepper 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry 2 tbsp light soy sauce 10 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, plus more for the broth 2 scallions, trimmed and halved 2 pandan leaves, tied into knots; optional 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, for rubbing the cooled chicken Broth 3 garlic cloves, smashed, plus more for the rice 2 chicken wings or a couple handfuls of chicken bones, for extra flavor in the poaching liquid 4 L water, for poaching 1 star anise, optional 10 black peppercorns, optional Rice 500 g jasmine rice, about 2 1/2 cups; rinsed until the water runs mostly clear 4 tbsp vegetable oil, for rendering the chicken fat 2 small shallots, minced 7 garlic cloves, minced 10 cm fresh ginger, minced 2 pandan leaves, optional Ginger-garlic chili sauce 6 red bird's eye chilies, or milder red chilies for less heat 5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 4 large garlic cloves 1 tsp sugar, 1 to 2 tsp to taste 0.5 tsp salt 0.5 cup reserved poaching broth, about 125 ml 1 tsp rice vinegar, or lime juice Ginger-scallion oil 3 scallions, white parts only, finely sliced 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated 0.5 tsp salt, flaky salt preferred 0.25 cup neutral oil, such as peanut, heated until smoking Soy dressing 3 tbsp light soy sauce 4 tbsp reserved poaching broth Serving 1 small cucumber, sliced 1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves for garnish cherry tomatoes, optional, for serving
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1 Step 1: Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Rub it all over and inside the cavity with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and the white pepper, then mix the rice wine and soy sauce and rub them over the skin.2 Step 2: Bring the 4 liters of water to a boil with the chicken wings or bones, star anise and peppercorns. Skim any scum, then add the sliced ginger, smashed garlic and scallions.3 Step 3: Lower the whole chicken breast-side up into the simmering water, making sure it is fully submerged. Return to a gentle simmer, then reduce to very low heat so the water barely moves, cover and poach for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast reads 155 to 160°F (68 to 71°C) and the juices run clear.4 Step 4: Lift the chicken out and plunge it into a large bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes to firm the skin and stop the cooking. Drain well, pat dry, and rub the skin with the toasted sesame oil.5 Step 5: Meanwhile, cut the chicken fat from the cavity into small pieces. Render it with 2 tablespoons of the oil over low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes, until golden and crisp; strain and reserve the fat, and keep the crispy bits for garnish if you like.6 Step 6: Strain the poaching broth, season it with salt until it tastes like a well-seasoned soup, and keep it hot. Reserve about 1/2 cup for the chili sauce and 4 tablespoons for the soy dressing.7 Step 7: For the rice, heat 2 tablespoons of the rendered chicken fat and the remaining oil in a wok or heavy pot over medium heat. Fry the shallots, garlic and ginger until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Strain out the aromatics and reserve the flavored oil.8 Step 8: Add the drained rice to the flavored oil and stir for about 1 minute to coat each grain. Transfer to a rice cooker or heavy pot, add the pandan if using, and pour in about 2 1/2 cups of the hot poaching broth (or the rice cooker's water line for jasmine rice). Cook on the standard rice setting, or bring to a boil, cover, and cook on very low heat for about 15 minutes, then rest covered for 10 minutes.9 Step 9: For the ginger-garlic chili sauce, pound or blend the chilies, ginger, garlic, sugar and salt until very smooth. Stir in the reserved hot broth and the rice vinegar, then taste and adjust salt and sugar.10 Step 10: For the ginger-scallion oil, combine the sliced scallion whites, grated ginger and flaky salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour the smoking-hot neutral oil over the top and stir to combine.11 Step 11: For the soy dressing, stir the light soy sauce into the reserved 4 tablespoons of hot broth until combined.12 Step 12: Carve the chicken into pieces and arrange over the rice with cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with the chili sauce, ginger-scallion oil, soy dressing and a bowl of the seasoned broth.getsaucepan.com/r/9f5dae88-008b-5f03-a398-4c15191b2288
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