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How to cook Hainanese chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice is a Singapore hawker classic of gently poached chicken with silky skin, fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat and stock, and a trio of chilli sauce, ginger paste and dark soy. This version uses a whole chicken poached off the heat, then shocked in ice water.

Ingredients

For the chicken and poaching stock

• 1.6 kg whole chicken, fresh or fully thawed
• 2 tbsp coarse salt, for rubbing
• 5 cm ginger, smashed
• 4 stalks spring onion, knotted
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 litres water, plus extra to top up
• 1 tsp salt, for the stock
• 1 large bowl ice water, for shocking the chicken

For the rice

• 400 g long-grain jasmine rice
• reserved chicken fat and skin trimmings from the cavity (about 60 g)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 3 cm ginger, finely minced
• 500 ml chicken poaching stock, cooled slightly
• 3 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste

For the chilli sauce

• 8 red chillies, roughly chopped
• 2 bird's eye chillies (cili padi), optional for extra heat
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 cm ginger
• 2 tbsp calamansi or lime juice
• 2 tbsp warm chicken stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the ginger paste and dark soy dressing

• 80 g young ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp hot cooking oil
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp warm chicken stock

To serve

• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 small bunch coriander, leaves picked
• 4 bowls chicken soup (from the poaching stock), with sliced spring onion
• 1 tsp white pepper, for the soup

Steps

1. Prep the chicken10 min
   Pull out any fat pockets and loose skin from the cavity and set aside for the rice. Rub the whole chicken inside and out with the coarse salt, rinse well under cold water, then drain.
2. Bring the stock to a simmer10 min
   In a pot large enough to submerge the chicken, combine the water, ginger, spring onion, garlic and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
3. Poach the chicken40 min
   Hold the chicken by the neck end and dip it into the hot stock three times, filling the cavity each time, then lower it in breast-side up. The water should just cover the bird; top up with hot water if needed. Bring back to a bare simmer, then switch off the heat, cover tightly and let it sit for 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Check doneness5 min
   Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer: juices should run clear with no pink, and a thermometer in the thigh should read at least 74 C. If still pink, return the chicken to the hot stock, simmer gently for 5 minutes and recheck.
5. Shock in ice water10 min
   Lift the chicken out, letting the cavity drain back into the pot, and plunge it into the ice water for 10 minutes. This sets the skin and gives a smooth, slightly springy texture. Drain, rub lightly with the sesame oil from the dressing list, and rest on a rack.
6. Render the chicken fat8 min
   While the chicken chills, put the reserved fat and skin trimmings in a wok or pan with 1 tbsp cooking oil over medium-low heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the fat melts and the bits turn golden. Discard the solids and keep the liquid fat.
7. Fry the rice aromatics4 min
   Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then drain well. In the same pan with the rendered fat, fry the minced garlic and ginger over medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the grains look glossy and coated.
8. Cook the rice in a rice cooker30 min
   Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add 500 ml of the poaching stock, 1/2 tsp salt and the knotted pandan leaves, stir once and cook on the normal setting. Let it rest for 10 minutes after it switches to warm, then fluff with a fork. Alternative: cook in a covered pot over low heat for 15 to 18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, then rest 10 minutes off the heat.
9. Blend the chilli sauce5 min
   Blend the red chillies, bird's eye chillies if using, garlic, ginger, calamansi juice, warm stock, sugar and salt until smooth. Taste and adjust with more salt, sugar or citrus to your liking.
10. Make the ginger paste5 min
    Pound or blend the young ginger with 1/2 tsp salt to a fine paste. Spoon it into a small heatproof bowl and pour 2 tbsp very hot oil over it; it should sizzle gently. Stir and let cool.
11. Mix the dark soy dressing2 min
    Stir together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil and warm stock until evenly combined.
12. Make the soup5 min
    Reheat 1 litre of the poaching stock over medium heat until steaming. Season with white pepper and salt to taste, then ladle into 4 bowls with a few slices of spring onion.
13. Carve and serve8 min
    Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces through the bone, or slice off the meat for a boneless plate. Arrange over the cucumber slices, drizzle with the dark soy dressing and a spoonful of the stock, and scatter over the coriander. Serve with the rice, chilli sauce, ginger paste and soup.

Tips

• Pat the chicken dry before poaching only if you want a drier skin; leaving it damp helps it stay glossy after the ice bath.
• If the stock boils hard during poaching, the skin can split. Keep it at a bare simmer, then rely on the off-heat rest to finish cooking.
• Use the leftover poaching stock for the rice and the soup so the flavour is consistent across the plate.
• Rinse the rice well but do not soak it, or the grains can turn mushy when cooked in stock.
• Make the chilli sauce and ginger paste a few hours ahead so the flavours settle.

Food safety and allergens

Always confirm the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 74 C with no pink juices before chilling and serving. Refrigerate leftover chicken, rice and stock within 1 hour of cooking, keep them for up to 2 days, and reheat the rice until piping hot.

Contains: sesame, soy, wheat

Watch it being made

• Hainanese Chicken Rice • TastyTasty · 3,170,595 views · YouTube
• The Greatest Chicken And Rice Dish To Ever Live (Hainanese Chicken Rice)Joshua Weissman · 1,728,881 views · YouTube
• Super Easy One-Pot Hainanese Chicken RiceThe Crystal Cookbook · 1,150,757 views · YouTube

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