Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese chicken breast sliced on grey plate with cucumber

Recipe by Molly
at missmollymakes.com

5 from 3 votes

A beloved dish in Southeast Asia. Tender poached chicken served with fragrant rice cooked in chicken broth, chilli sauce and spring onion/scallion oil. The dish is flavourful yet subtle, with a focus on the quality chicken and the amazing sauces (my favourite!!). A comfort chicken & rice that will wow you!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 50

Servings: Servings

Calories: 1027kcal

Ingredients

The Chicken

1½-2 kgs (3-4 lb) whole chicken
6 cloves (6 cloves) garlic roughly chopped
8 thick slices (8 thick slices) ginger
6 stalks (6 stalks) spring onion/scallion cut into quarters
1 tbsp (1 tbsp) sesame oil
2 tbsp (2 tbsp) shaoxing chinese cooking wine
2 tbsp (2 tbsp) light soy sauce
1 tsp (1 tsp) salt

The Rice

2 tbsp (2 tbsp) neutral flavoured oil rice bran, canola or peanut
2 cloves (2 cloves) garlic minced
3 thick slices (3 thick slices) ginger
400 g (2 cups) long grain rice basmati or jasmine
1 tsp (1 tsp) salt
2 ½-3 cups (2½-3 cups) chicken stock (from poaching chicken)
1 tsp (1 tsp) chicken stock powder or msg optional

The Red Sauce

3-4 (3-4) long red chillies roughly sliced
3 cloves (3 cloves) garlic minced
80 mls (⅓ cups) white vinegar
80 g (⅓ cups) white sugar
½ tsp (½ tsp) salt
2-3 tbsp (2-3 tbsp) chicken stock (from poaching chicken)

The Green Sauce

2-3 stalks (2-3 stalks) spring onion/scallion finely sliced
1½-2 tbsp (1½-2 tbsp) ginger finely grated or sliced
1 tsp (1 tsp) salt
⅔ cup (⅔ cup) neutral flavoured oil rice bran, canola or peanut

Serving

cucumber sliced
spring onion finely sliced
kecap manis

Instructions

Trim the fat and skin surrounding the inner part of the chicken cavity and set aside for the rice.
Place the chicken in a large pot and fill it with enough water to cover the chicken completely.
Add the garlic, ginger, spring onions, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, light soy, and salt to the pot. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Let the chicken simmer very gently for 45-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 75°C/165°F. Skim any frothy impurities from the surface of the stock as it cooks.
When the chicken is nearly done cooking, taste the stock to see if it is sufficiently seasoned. It should taste like a strong savoury chicken stock. If it tastes weak, add a little more salt. You can also boost with chicken stock powder, a little fish sauce, or some MSG to boost the umami flavour. See notes above for tips.
In a separate saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the reserved chicken fat and skin until the fat renders/melts down and it is about half the size. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the rice and salt and stir to coat the rice with the oil.
Steal 2½ cups of the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Let the rice simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. Add more stock if the rice isn't sufficiently cooked if necessary.
Leaving the stock behind, gently lift the chicken from the pot and place it in a large bowl of ice water for 10 minutes, no more as we want the chicken to still be warm when serving. This will help to make the skin firm up and stop the cooking process. After that time, remove the chicken and place it on a plate, rub the sesame oil all over the chicken to prevent the chicken from drying out. Cover until rice is finished cooking.
For the red sauce, combine the chillies, garlic, white vinegar, caster sugar, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth or leave a little chunkier. Set aside to allow flavours to meld.
In a small saucepan, heat the cooking oil until very hot, when you start seeing wisps of smoke. Turn off heat.
Add the spring onions, ginger and salt to a heatproof bowl and pour over hot oil, allowing to sizzle. When it has cooled, transfer a serving dish.
To serve, press one cup of rice into a small bowl and invert it onto individual dinner plates.
Carve the chicken into small pieces and arrange them on a plate with the sliced cucumber and pour about 1 cup of the broth into small bowls to accompany.
Allow each person 3 small bowls of red, green sauce and kecap manis for dipping. Be generous with the sauces, add a little of each sauce to every spoonful of the dish. The chicken itself is simple it its flavour but comes alive with the sauces

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