Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese chicken rice, 海南雞飯 (hoi laam gai faan in Cantonese) is one of Asia’s most beloved dish. Originating from Hainan Island in China, this dish has travelled and found its way to various countries across Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, and has been adapted to many different regional variations.

This dish is a delicious blend of succulent and tender poached chicken, fragrant rice cooked in chicken broth, and a range of mouthwatering dipping sauces (ginger scallion oil, chilli garlic sauce and sweet dark soy sauce).

Traditionally, Hainanese chicken rice is prepared using a whole chicken. But to simplify things, you can use chicken thighs instead. Turmeric powder is also not compulsory, it’s just there to add a bit of vibrant golden colour to the skin you see in pictures.

ingredients (for 3 people):

to make the chicken broth:

• 6 chicken thighs
• 5 spring onions (greens; white part  for ginger scallion oil)
• 5 slices ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2L cold water (or enough to cover chicken)
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional)

to make the rice:

• excess skin cut from the chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 cups rice
• 3 cups chicken broth

to make the sauces:

1) chilli and garlic sauce:

• 2 tbsp minced chillies 
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 lime juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• a pinch of salt

2) ginger scallion oil:

• 5 spring onion (whites), minced
• 2 tbsp ginger, minced
• Pinch of salt
• 5 tbsp hot oil

3) sweet dark soy sauce:

• 1.5 tbsp dark soy
• 1 tbsp light soy
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp chicken broth

steps to make hainanese chicken rice:

cook your chicken:

1. Rub and exfoliate your chicken thighs with salt. Rinse well and pat dry.
2. Use scissors to trim off the excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs. Set the excess skin aside, as we will use it later to make the aromatic rice.
3. Add your chicken to a large pot, then add all the chicken broth ingredients listed above. Bring the water to a boil, and scoop out the scum and foam off the surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
4. Dunk the chicken into an ice bath and let it sit for 5 minutes. After cooling, pat the chicken dry with kitchen towels, remove the bones off the chicken and cut into slices.

make the rice:

1. Wash your rice three times and drain the water.
2. Using the excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs, add it to a frying pan ( and fry for 5 minutes to render out the fat and oils.
3. Add minced ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 2 minutes until golden and fragrant.
4. Add the fried skin, ginger and garlic to the rice.
5. Add 3 cups of chicken broth to the rice, and cook using a rice cooker.

make the dipping sauces:

1. Chilli and garlic sauce: Crush the chilli and garlic with a pestle and mortar (or blend all the ingredients with a blender). Add lime juice, sugar, and salt to taste.

1. Ginger scallion oil: Heat oil in a saucepan until smoky. Immediately pour it into a heatproof dipping bowl of minced ginger and spring onions. Add salt and mix.
   
2. Sweet dark soy sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients into a dipping bowl and mix well.

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