Hainanese Chicken Rice

Cooking up a plate of Hainanese chicken rice might seem like a Masterchef challenge, but if you’re looking to give it a shot, our chicken rice recipe (which covers the process of preparing the chicken, rice, and chilli paste) should come in real handy!

Ingredients (feeds 4 pax)

For the chicken
1 whole chicken, preferably free range organic chicken
1 small thumb (around 4 inches) of ginger, sliced
5 stalks of spring onions, washed
4 blades of pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 tsp of salt, to rub and ‘exfoliate’ chicken
10 bowls of cold water

For the rice
3 cups jasmine white rice, washed
4 tbsp sesame oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups of chicken broth (the water used to cook chicken)
4 blades of pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
5/6 slices of ginger
70g chicken fats, with skin attached
1/2 tsp of salt, to taste

For chili paste
90g of red chilies
15g of garlic, finely chopped
50g of ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
50ml chicken broth
60ml lime juice, to taste

Method

1. Wash chicken and trim off any excess fat and skin. Use 2 tsp of salt to rub the chicken, making sure any trapped dirt is thoroughly removed, such that the chicken skin is smooth.
2. Stuff chicken with sliced ginger and stalks of spring onion, and then set aside. Add pandan leaves, chopped carrot, and 2 stalks of spring onion, in a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
3. Submerge the whole chicken, breast side down, and then let the chicken simmer for 20 minutes. Once 20 minutes is over, turn off the stove and let the chicken stand in hot broth for 15 to 20 minutes more.
4. Drain chicken broth into an empty pot and set aside, this will be used to cook the rice later.
5. Remove the stuffing from the chicken and immediately submerge it in a large bowl of ice cold water. Once the chicken is cooled completely, drain it and pat dry with paper towel, and cut into serving pieces.
6. Now it’s time to cook the rice. In a frying pan or wok, fry chopped shallots and garlic till fragrant and golden brown. Then pour in the uncooked rice and stir to mix well.
7. Transfer the rice mixture into a rice cooker to cook with chicken broth.
8. While the rice is being cooked, you can prepare the chili sauce. This is when a food processor will come in really handy! But if you don’t own one, it’s alright to use the traditional pounding method.
9. Once the rice is done, plate with sliced chicken, cucumbers, and a serving of the tantalizing chili paste.

Read more about Singapore’s local cuisine at www.YourSingapore.com.

Thanks to The Peranakan Shop for the lovely Peranakan-style plates featured in our photo shoot!