Make the iconic Hainanese chicken rice at home with this easy recipe, featuring silky poached chicken, seasoned rice & soup, and a delicious ginger spring onions sauce!
3stalksSpring Onionsroots removed and chopped into long stems
½mediumOnionchopped into quarters
For the rice
1cupJasmine Ricewashed & drained
2clovesGarlicfinely chopped
1tspSalt
1tbspButter / Animal Fat
For the soup
2tspSalt
1-2tspWhite Pepper
Apinch ofWhite Sugar
1stalkSpring Onionchopped
Ginger Scallion Sauce
30gFresh Gingergrated
2-3stalksSpring Onionschopped
2tbspSesame Oil
1tspSaltor more to taste
To serve
Kecap Manis / Soy Sauce
Sambal / Chilli Sauce
Instructions
Poaching the chicken
Place all the ingredients for the poached chicken in a large pot and bring it to a boil.
2 pieces Chicken Leg, 1.2 L Water, 30 g Ginger, 3 stalks Spring Onions, ½ medium Onion, 4 cloves Garlic
Skim off any impurities (the white foamy bits) and turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid and leave it on the stove, undisturbed, for 40 minutes.
After the chicken is cooked, remove from pot and set aside to rest. (Optional: place the chicken in an ice bath for about 10-15 minutes for an extra silky texture)
Discard the aromatics from the pot and save the broth for both cooking the rice and soup.
Making the Spring Onion Ginger Sauce
While the chicken is cooking, you can start prepping the spring onion ginger sauce.
Place the grated ginger and chopped spring onions in one bowl.
30 g Fresh Ginger, 2-3 stalks Spring Onions
In a small pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant.
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
Once the oil is heated, immediately pour it over the ginger & spring onions. The hot oil should sizzle when doing so.
Season the mixture with salt and mix to combine. Taste & adjust the seasoning accordingly to your liking.
1 tsp Salt
Cooking the rice
While the chicken is resting, melt butter/animal fat in a separate pot over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until fragrant.
1 tbsp Butter / Animal Fat, 2 cloves Garlic
Stir in rice until it's fully coated. Season with salt and add 1 cup of chicken broth.
1 tsp Salt, 1 cup Jasmine Rice
Bring the pot to a boil then turn to the lowest heat. Cover the pot with a lid and let the rice cook for 15 minutes. Do not move/lift the lid during this time.
Preparing the soup
Bring the remaining broth to a simmer. Season with salt & white pepper. Taste & adjust the seasoning accordingly.
2 tsp Salt, 1-2 tsp White Pepper, A pinch of White Sugar
Add chopped spring onions to the soup when ready to serve.
1 stalk Spring Onion
To serve
Place the poached chicken and rice together on one plate and serve the soup in a separate bowl. Serve with the ginger spring onions sauce, kecap manis / soy sauce, and chilli / sambal.
Kecap Manis / Soy Sauce, Sambal / Chilli Sauce
Notes
Chicken leg yields the best results for the recipe. An alternative would be using chicken thighs, which would cook quicker but with slightly less flavour in the broth without the bone.
Chicken breast is not recommended. The essence of Hainanese Chicken Rice lies in the fatty content of the chicken, which chicken breast lacks.
The low temperature is the secret to that signature silky texture and keeps the chicken incredibly tender, moist, and succulent. If you find your chicken turning out tough, that’s because the cooking temperature is too high.
An optional step to make the chicken extra good is to plunge it into an ice bath after cooking. This stops the cooking process and locks in the juices of the chicken to make it extra silky & succulent.
Traditionally, when using a whole chicken, the chicken fat would be extracted & rendered to cook the rice. For this recipe, I like to use leftover duck fat that I keep in the fridge. Any other animal fat would work. If you don’t have animal fat, just use butter.
Feel free to switch up the serving sauces according to your own taste & preference.
Keyword Asian Recipes, Chicken, Chinese Recipes, Easy Recipes, Halal Recipes