This is absolutely one of my favourite ways to cook and eat chicken. I had fond memories eating this as a child growing up. Hainanese Chicken Rice is a poached chicken that is served with chicken stock infused rice with garlic and shallot oil. It is then paired with three different types of sauces: soy garlic, chilli garlic, and ginger scallion. The reason I absolutely love this dish is because of the fact that every part of the chicken is used in the cooking process! The broth from the chicken is used to create the chicken rice along with the 3 sauces! I’ve tried and tested this recipe over ~20 times now- trust me when I say this recipe is super delicious.
What is Hainanese Chicken?
Hainanese Chicken originated from Hainan in Southern China. It is based on the well-known dish “Wenchang” which dates back to the Qin dynasty. The dish then migrated to Singapore and Malaysia and is now deemed one of Singapore’s National dishes. It is a poached seasoned chicken, served with seasoned rice, sauces, and chicken soup!
Couple Tips
The three most important things in my opinion to this recipe is:Â
1) Organic Chicken
I would recommend using good quality chicken because the quality definitely shows in the taste overall- I’ve tried both organic and non-organic chicken. Don’t get me wrong, this recipe is still delicious with regular chicken but if you really want to to level up that taste- go for the organic.
2) Exfoliate the Chicken
This is a key step to help remove the impurities in the chicken skin, smoothen out the texture, and give it a really smooth and springy skin afterwards! Take the time to use the kosher salt to really give your chicken a nice spa day.Â
3) Marinate the Chicken Overnight
I would HIGHLY recommend doing this because by salting and marinating it over night you’re able to really penetrate the chicken meat, and bones to help ensure your soup is full of flavour!
Hainanese Chicken Rice | Rice, Soup, 3 Sauces
Equipment
- Stock Pot
Ingredients
Hainanese Chicken
- 1 whole chicken 3.8- 4lb (preferably organic)
- 1/2 onion diced in half
- 2" ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks scallion washed
- 1/8 kosher salt for exfoliating/ scrubbing the chicken
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon optional
- salt to taste
Garlic Shallot Oil
- 1 whole garlic (around 8-10 cloves) minced
- 4 small shallots minced
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 2 pieces chicken fat/skin
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chicken Rice
- 2 cups rice washed and drained x4
- 1/2 cup quinoa optional
- 2-2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 tbsp garlic shallot oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 pieces cooked chicken fat/skin finely diced
Soy Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp chicken broth
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic shallot oil
Ginger Scallion Sauce
- 2-3 stalks scallion washed and diced thinly
- 2" ginger peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chilli Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sambal Chilli Sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sugar coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp chicken broth
- 1 tbsp garlic shallot oil
Assembly
- cilantro
- sesame oil
Instructions
Hainanese Chicken
- Clean the chicken by rubbing 1/4 cup of kosher salt all around it. Make sure to exfoliate the skin, this is super important to make sure you're removing all the impurities from the chicken skin and it will taste and look so much better. Remove about 2 pieces of excess skin/fat and set aside. Once you're finished, rinse and pat dry. Season chicken with 2 tbsp of kosher salt. (Note: if you have time, I would highly encourage to do this the night prior to so that the chicken can marinate overnight for optimal flavour!)
- Stuff the chicken with 1/2 onion, 2" ginger slices, and 2 stalks of scallion. Place into a stock pot and add in ~14 cups of cold water or until the chicken is fully submerged in water. Place onto the stove on medium-high heat.
- Once the pot boils, turn to a low/simmer and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, carefully using long chopsticks or a tong, flip the chicken over and cook for another 15 minutes. Season the soup with salt or 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon. After 30 minutes or once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, remove and submerge in an ice cold bath for 10 minutes. This allows the chicken to stop cooking and to make the skin "springy".
- After 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the ice cold water bath. Discard the onion, ginger, and scallion inside the cavity. Pat down with paper towels and drizzle with sesame oil to prevent the chicken from drying.
Garlic Shallot Oil
- Using a small sauce pan, heat up 1/4 cup sesame oil with 2 pieces of chicken fat/skin. Cook until the skin is crispy and brown (~5 minutes). Remove the pieces of chicken fat/skin and finely dice up. With the rendered fat add in 1 whole minced garlic and 4 shallots minced- cook until fragrant (~3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Wash your rice and transfer into a rice cooker or pot if using the stovetop. Add in 2 cups of chicken broth from the Hainanese Chicken and add in 2-3 tbsp of the garlic shallot oil with the finely diced chicken fat/skin. If you're using a stove top, heat the rice until it boils. Once it boils simmer for 25-30 minutes until rice is tender. If you're using a rice cooker, follow the instructions of your pot.
Soy Garlic Sauce
- Combine 1 tbsp of garlic shallot oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 2 tbsp chicken broth. Mix together and set aside.
Chilli Garlic Sauce
- Combine 2 tbsp of Sambal chilli sauce, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp coconut sugar, 2 tbsp chicken broth, and 1 tbsp garlic shallot oil.
Ginger Scallion Sauce
- Using a small sauce pan, heat up 1/4 cup avocado oil, 2" ginger minced, and 2-3 stalks of scallion, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until fragrant ~5 minutes. Add in 1 tbsp of chicken broth. Set aside.
Serving
- Serve with 1 cup of chicken broth with freshly chopped scallions, 1 cup of rice, and some sliced chicken! Dip with your choice of sauces. Enjoy!
Let me know how you enjoy this recipe in the comments below! Stay tuned for more recipes!
xx, CWC
2 Comments
Helene Larway
What size chicken do you use for Hainanese chicken rice?
Christina Chow
around 3.8- 4lb chicken!