Hainanese Chicken Rice
Singapore's national dish: silky poached chicken and glossy rice cooked in its own broth, served with ginger-scallion oil and chili sauce.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Soy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
- 6 slices ginger, 4 scallions (for poaching and cavity)
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tbsp ginger, minced (for rice)
- 2 tbsp chicken fat or oil
- 2 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
- 3 tbsp minced ginger, 3 tbsp minced scallion, 3 tbsp hot oil, pinch salt (ginger-scallion oil)
- 4 red chilies, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp reserved stock (chili sauce)
- Cucumber slices, cilantro, and soy sauce, to serve
Steps
- Stuff the chicken cavity with ginger slices and scallions. Lower into a pot of gently simmering water, breast-side down, until just covered.
- Poach at the barest simmer, never a rolling boil, for 35-40 minutes, then plunge immediately into ice water to stop the cooking and tighten the skin. Reserve the poaching stock.
- Heat chicken fat or oil, fry the minced garlic and ginger until fragrant, add rice, and toast 2 minutes.
- Cook the rice in the reserved chicken stock with the pandan leaves until tender.
- Make the ginger-scallion oil: combine minced ginger, scallion, and salt, then pour hot oil over to sizzle.
- Blend chilies, garlic, lime juice, sugar, and a splash of stock into a smooth chili sauce.
- Chop the chicken and serve over the fragrant rice with cucumber, all three sauces, and a bowl of the poaching broth on the side.