Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Singapore's national dish, built on a gently poached chicken, stock-steamed rice perfumed with ginger, garlic and pandan, and a trio of punchy condiments. White-cut (poached) is the classic hawker version shown here.

Prep

25 min

Cook

75 min

Total

100 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.6 kg (3½ lb) whole chicken, free-range if possible, giblets reserved for stock
• •60 g (¼ cup) old ginger, smashed for stock, finely minced for paste
• •6 g (6 stalks) spring onions, tied for stock, thinly sliced for paste
• •2 leaves pandan leaves, tied into a knot, or null
• •15 g (1 tbsp) salt, for poaching water
• •500 g (2½ cups) jasmine rice, rinsed until water runs clear
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) chicken fat or peanut oil, for toasting rice
• •20 g (4 cloves) garlic, minced
• •15 g (1 tbsp) young ginger, minced, for rice
• •600 ml (2½ cups) hot chicken stock, from poaching the bird
• •1 tsp salt, for rice, or to taste
• •300 g (about 1 cucumber) cucumber, sliced, for serving
• •500 ml (2 cups) light chicken broth, warmed, for serving
• •20 g (1 tbsp) fresh ginger, finely minced, for paste
• •10 g (2 tsp) salt, for paste
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) hot chicken stock, for paste
• •45 ml neutral oil
• •20 g (4 cloves) garlic, for chili sauce
• •30 g (2 tbsp) fresh red chilies, sliced, for chili sauce
• •10 g (1 tbsp) ginger, for chili sauce
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice, for chili sauce
• •1 tsp sugar, for chili sauce
• •1 pinch salt, for chili sauce
• •60 ml (¼ cup) thick dark soy sauce, kecap manis, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and rub all over with 15 g salt. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes while you bring the poaching liquid to a gentle simmer.
2. 2 Fill a pot large enough to submerge the chicken with water, add the smashed old ginger, tied spring onions, pandan leaves, and 15 g salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a bare simmer so only small bubbles break the surface.
3. 3 Lower the chicken breast-side down into the liquid. The water should just cover it; if not, ladle hot stock over the top. Hold the bird so the cavity fills with liquid, then release. Maintain the barest simmer — never a rolling boil, which toughens the meat.
4. 4 Poach for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken finish in the residual heat for 35–40 minutes. Internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh must read 75 °C (165 °F) on an instant-read thermometer.
5. 5 Lift the chicken out and plunge immediately into a bowl of iced water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking and set the skin. Drain, pat dry, and rub the skin with a thin film of peanut or sesame oil for gloss. Set aside to come to room temperature.
6. 6 Strain the poaching stock and skim off excess fat. Reserve 600 ml hot for the rice, 500 ml for serving broth, and the rest for another use.
7. 7 For the rice: heat 30 ml chicken fat (rendered from the reserved skin and fat) or peanut oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add minced young ginger and garlic, and fry 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
8. 8 Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat each grain in the fat for about 1 minute. Pour in 600 ml hot reserved chicken stock and 1 tsp salt, add a knotted pandan leaf, and bring to a boil.
9. 9 Stir once, cover tightly, reduce to the lowest possible heat, and cook 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid. Remove from heat and rest, covered, for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and discard the pandan.
10. 10 For the ginger-scallion paste: pound 20 g minced ginger with 10 g salt until a coarse paste. Stir in 30 ml very hot chicken stock, then slowly pour in 45 ml hot neutral oil while mixing — the oil should sizzle on contact, cooking the ginger into a soft, pale sauce. Stir in sliced spring onions.
11. 11 For the chili sauce: blend 30 g red chilies, 20 g garlic, 10 g ginger, 15 ml lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, a pinch of salt, and 30 ml chicken stock to a coarse purée. Adjust with more stock or lime to a spoonable consistency. The sauce should be bright and sharp.
12. 12 To serve: arrange cucumber slices on a platter. Chop the chicken through the bones into bite-sized pieces (a heavy cleaver works best) and arrange on the cucumber.
13. 13 Serve the rice in bowls, with the chicken, the warm broth seasoned lightly with salt and a grind of white pepper, and small dishes of the ginger-scallion paste, chili sauce, and thick dark soy sauce alongside so each diner can mix to taste.