Growing up in Singapore, Hainanese chicken rice was a BIG DEAL for many people. Despite being readily available in many restaurants and food courts, there’s always a search for the best chicken rice in the country. Now that I’m living in New York City, finding a decent plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice is not as easy and cheap. Out of desperation for a good plate of chicken rice, I created this recipe to satisfy my craving.
If you’re a Singaporean who’s missing home or just feeling adventurous, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Origins of Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore
Chinese immigrants from Hainan first brought Wenchang Chicken Rice (文昌鸡饭) to Singapore in the late 19th – early 20th century. Over many years, the dish was modified by locals and eventually became Singapore’s national dish today!
Yes, Leaving the Chicken to Further Cook Without Heat is Necessary
Boiling on high heat, cooks through 70-80% of the chicken. Allowing it to sit in the broth without heat cooks the chicken thoroughly without causing the protein to toughen, leaving us with soft and moist meat.
Don’t Forget to Dunk The Chicken in an Ice-Cold Bath
Cold water stops the cooking process and prevents the chicken from getting overcooked. You don’t want to be left with dry and tough chicken, especially when you’ve worked hard to get here.
Traditionally the Chicken is Eaten Cold, so You should Eat it Cold
If it helps, it’s exactly like eating cold-cured meat. Eating the chicken cold allows the hints of garlic and ginger flavors to come through. Placed on top of the warm rice, it’s the perfect pairing!
Pandan? Panda! Pandan!
I remember watching an episode of Great British Bake Off and Paul Hollywood responding negatively to Kim-Joy’s use of pandan in her baked goods. Honestly, the audacity of that man!
Pandan is a fragrant plant commonly used in South-East Asian cooking and desserts. The best way to describe the flavor would be a mix of vanilla and coconut with a hint of “grass.” It adds a beautiful fragrance to the rice, so don’t dismiss it until you try it!
Pandan can be found in the frozen section of most Asian grocery stores. Refer to the photo below if you have no idea what it looks like.
How do I use the Soy Dipping Sauce?
The dipping sauce can be poured over the chicken and rice, or used as a dipping sauce for the chicken. It adds extra umami flavor that you won’t want to miss!
Do I need to make the Garlic Chili Sauce too?
You absolutely don’t need to make the chili sauce for this recipe. The chicken and rice are already delicious on their own.
Peel garlic and ginger, then slice ginger into ½-inch thick pieces.
Cut and discard the root end of spring onions and cut stems into 3 pieces.
Prepare chicken thighs by rubbing salt on the skin and washing it away under cold running water. Cut any excess fats on chicken thighs and set aside for rice. Make sure to reserve at least ⅓ cup of chicken fats.
Place garlic, ginger, spring onions and chicken stock cube into a large pot. Pour water into the pot and cook over high heat on the stove for 10minutes.
Place chicken thighs in the pot and bring it back to a full boil. Once the broth is boiling, cook the chicken at a full boil for 15 minutes (uncovered without a lid). Turn off heat, cover pot with lid and let chicken sit in broth for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken from the pot and immediately place in ice water. Remove from ice water after 5-10 minutes, pat dry with kitchen towel and coat with a generous amount of sesame oil.
Strain any leftover solids from the broth, making sure that the broth is clear.
With a small pan, cook excess chicken fats over medium-low heat until dark brown. Remove browned chicken fats and leave behind the liquid chicken oil on the pan. Proceed to stir-fry garlic and ginger in chicken oil until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Place uncooked rice, chicken broth, pandan leaves, sugar and salt in the rice cooker pot. Pour all of the ginger/garlic chicken oil mixture over the uncooked rice. Cook rice in the rice cooker until fully cooked (follow instructions for white rice). When rice is fully cooked, remove ginger and pandan leaves from rice. Gently smash any garlic that's left behind in the rice.
Place chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a medium bowl to make the soy dipping sauce. Stir everything until sugar granules are completely dissolved.
Using a juice squeezer, squeeze juice from lime. Place chicken broth, fresh chili, lime juice, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth consistency to make the chili sauce.
Remove bones from cooked chicken thighs, slice and place over rice. Serve with soy dipping sauce and chili. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Peel garlic and ginger, then slice ginger into ½-inch thick pieces.
Cut and discard the root end of spring onions and cut stems into 3 pieces.
Prepare chicken thighs by rubbing salt on the skin and washing it away under cold running water. Cut any excess fats on chicken thighs and set aside for rice. Make sure to reserve at least ⅓ cup of chicken fats.
Place garlic, ginger, spring onions and chicken stock cube into a large pot. Pour water into the pot and cook over high heat on the stove for 10minutes.
Place chicken thighs in the pot and bring it back to a full boil. Once the broth is boiling, cook the chicken at a full boil for 15 minutes (uncovered without a lid). Turn off heat, cover pot with lid and let chicken sit in broth for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken from the pot and immediately place in ice water. Remove from ice water after 5-10 minutes, pat dry with kitchen towel and coat with a generous amount of sesame oil.
Strain any leftover solids from the broth, making sure that the broth is clear.
With a small pan, cook excess chicken fats over medium-low heat until dark brown. Remove browned chicken fats and leave behind the liquid chicken oil on the pan. Proceed to stir-fry garlic and ginger in chicken oil until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Place uncooked rice, chicken broth, pandan leaves, sugar and salt in the rice cooker pot. Pour all of the ginger/garlic chicken oil mixture over the uncooked rice. Cook rice in the rice cooker until fully cooked (follow instructions for white rice). When rice is fully cooked, remove ginger and pandan leaves from rice. Gently smash any garlic that's left behind in the rice.
Place chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a medium bowl to make the soy dipping sauce. Stir everything until sugar granules are completely dissolved.
Using a juice squeezer, squeeze juice from lime. Place chicken broth, fresh chili, lime juice, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth consistency to make the chili sauce.
Remove bones from cooked chicken thighs, slice and place over rice. Serve with soy dipping sauce and chili. Enjoy!
No Comments