Singapore-Style Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

Method25 steps · about 2 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Measure 3 rice-cooker cups of dry jasmine rice using the cup supplied with the cooker. Wash it and soak in enough clean water for 20 minutes. Meanwhile peel and chop the separate 2 tbsp rice garlic and grate the separate 1½ tbsp rice ginger; keep both ready for frying.

   Soak the rice · 20 minUses 3 rice-cooker cups uncooked jasmine rice · Water, enough to wash and soak the rice, discarded · 2 tbsp chopped garlic for the rice (about 6 cloves) · 1½ tbsp grated ginger for the rice (about 1 thumb-sized piece)

2. 2

   Step 2: After the twenty-minute soak, drain the rice in a sieve for a separate 20 minutes so it is well drained. Discard the washing and soaking water, keeping the prepared rice separate from the chopped garlic and grated ginger.

   Drain the soaked rice · 20 minUses The soaked rice, separate from reserved aromatics and soaking water

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   Step 3: Use a fully thawed 1–1.2 kg whole chicken. Remove any remaining innards or feathers without washing raw poultry or rubbing it with wash salt. Trim off the visible fat and reserve it cold for the rice. If the bird has feet attached, remove and reserve the two feet cold for the soup; keep the trimmed bird refrigerated until stuffing and immediate poaching. Clean hands and utensils before preparing produce.

   Uses 1–1.2 kg whole chicken, fully thawed

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   Step 4: Wash the two bunches of spring onions and drain thoroughly. Separate their white sections for the chicken cavity. Chop the green sections, put them in a dry heatproof bowl and refrigerate for the optional spring-onion oil.

   Uses 2 bunches spring onions, white and green parts separated · Water, as needed to wash aromatics, garnish and soup vegetables, discarded

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   Step 5: Wash the eight pandan leaves and fold them into two equal bundles of four leaves each. Peel and prepare the 5–6 slices of cavity ginger. Keep one pandan bundle for the chicken and the other for the rice.

   Uses 8 pandan leaves, folded into 2 equal bundles · 5–6 slices ginger for the chicken cavity (about 1 thumb-sized piece) · Water, as needed to wash aromatics, garnish and soup vegetables, discarded

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   Step 6: If making the chilli sauce, wash and remove the stalks from all six large red chillies and three chilli padi. Peel its six garlic cloves and 5–6 ginger slices. Wash and squeeze 1–2 limes to taste, keeping the juice separate from the other sauce aromatics. Otherwise skip the chilli-sauce preparation and mixing actions.

   Uses 6 large red chillies, for optional chilli sauce · 3 chilli padi, for optional chilli sauce · 6 cloves garlic, for optional chilli sauce · 5–6 slices ginger, for optional chilli sauce · 1–2 limes, for optional chilli sauce · Water, as needed to wash aromatics, garnish and soup vegetables, discarded

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   Step 7: If making the chilli sauce, blend its prepared red chillies, chilli padi, garlic and ginger finely. Transfer the blended paste to a clean bowl, keeping the reserved lime juice separate.

   Uses All optional chillies, sauce garlic and sauce ginger, separate from lime juice

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   Step 8: If using the garnish, wash the cucumber (1) and parsley (1 stalk), discard the washing water and slice the cucumber thinly. Keep both refrigerated until serving.

   Uses 1 cucumber, optional garnish · 1 stalk parsley, optional garnish · Water, as needed to wash aromatics, garnish and soup vegetables, discarded

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   Step 9: Put all the cavity ginger, all spring-onion white sections and one four-leaf pandan bundle inside the chicken. Secure the opening with a few toothpicks to keep the aromatics inside. Count the toothpicks so every one can be removed before serving; proceed directly to poaching.

   Uses The trimmed raw chicken, separate from reserved fat and feet · All white sections, separate from the optional green condiment · All prepared cavity ginger slices, separate from the pandan bundles · One of the two equal four-leaf pandan bundles

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    Step 10: Choose a tall narrow pot that can safely hold the whole chicken, with the water about 1 inch above it. Start with the 3 l water guide and adjust only as needed to submerge the bird. Bring to a full boil. Using a secure heatproof lifting tool and protecting your hands from splashes and steam, fully dip the chicken in and out three times, then leave it submerged and cover the pot.

    Uses The stuffed chicken ready for immediate poaching · Water from the 3 l starting guide, enough to submerge the bird

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    Step 11: Allow the covered water to return to a boil, about 5 minutes as a guide. Turn the heat to low and simmer the submerged chicken for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat, keeping the lid closed for the next covered hot-water phase.

    Simmer the chicken · 10 minUses The covered chicken and poaching water

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    Step 12: With the heat off, keep the pot covered for 35 minutes. Then check the chicken with a food thermometer in the thickest breast and innermost thigh/wing, away from bone: it must reach 74°C/165°F throughout. If needed, return the pot to a gentle simmer and continue until fully cooked before any ice cooling.

    Covered hot-water chicken phase · 35 minUses The covered chicken and hot poaching stock

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    Step 13: Prepare a clean basin of ice water (1) large enough to immerse the bird. Once the chicken is fully cooked to 74°C/165°F, lift it out securely with clean heatproof utensils, keeping its stock in the pot. Put only the cooked chicken into the clean ice bath for about 20 minutes, then remove and drain it; discard the used ice water.

    Cool the cooked chicken in ice water · 20 minUses The fully cooked chicken lifted from its retained stock · 1 basin clean ice water, enough to immerse the cooked chicken

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    Step 14: Put the drained cooked chicken on a clean plate and coat it with all 2 tbsp chicken-coating sesame oil. Keep the bird promptly refrigerated until chopping and immediate serving. Keep the cooked stock separate: reserve 3 cups for the rice, 2 tbsp for each optional sauce if selected, and the remaining stock for the cabbage-carrot soup. Keep the stock needed for this meal covered and hot until each immediate use. Any stock not needed for this meal should be cooled promptly in shallow containers and refrigerated or frozen; do not leave it standing warm.

    Uses The drained cooked chicken, separate from discarded ice water · 2 tbsp sesame oil for coating the chicken · The cooked poaching stock, separate from the lifted bird

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    Step 15: If making the chilli sauce, mix its blended paste and reserved lime juice with all 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp chilli-sauce sugar, 1 tsp ketchup, one pinch chilli-sauce salt and 2 tbsp drawn from the prepared chicken stock. Keep the finished sauce refrigerated until serving.

    Uses The blended chilli paste, if this sauce was selected · The prepared lime juice, separate from its blended aromatics · 1 tsp rice vinegar, for optional chilli sauce · 1 tsp sugar, for optional chilli sauce · 1 tsp ketchup, for optional chilli sauce · 1 pinch salt, for optional chilli sauce · 2 tbsp drawn from the same prepared chicken stock

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    Step 16: If making the dipping sauce, mix all 1 tbsp dipping-sauce sesame oil, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine and 1 tsp dipping-sauce sugar with a separate 2 tbsp draw from the same prepared chicken stock. Keep refrigerated until serving. This sauce contains unheated rice wine.

    Uses 1 tbsp sesame oil, for optional dipping sauce · 2 tbsp light soy sauce, for optional dipping sauce · 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine, for optional dipping sauce · 1 tsp sugar, for optional dipping sauce · A separate 2 tbsp draw from the same prepared chicken stock

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    Step 17: Heat all 3 tbsp rice oil in a wok. Add the reserved chicken fat and fry to render it until its solids are golden brown. Remove and discard the crisp solids, keeping the combined cooking oil and rendered fat in the wok.

    Uses 3 tbsp oil for frying the rice aromatics · The trimmed chicken fat reserved for rendering

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    Step 18: Add the prepared rice garlic and ginger to the retained oil and fry until fragrant without burning. Immediately add all the soaked, well-drained rice and the separate 1½ tsp rice salt and mix well.

    Uses The cooking oil and rendered chicken fat with crisp solids removed · All chopped rice garlic and grated rice ginger, separate from the rice · All rice after the separate twenty-minute draining stage · 1½ tsp salt for the rice

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    Step 19: Transfer the fried rice mixture to the rice cooker. Add the 3 cups of prepared chicken stock reserved for the rice and put the remaining four-leaf pandan bundle on top. Use the cooker’s suitable white-rice program and cook until the rice is tender and fully cooked; the program length depends on the appliance.

    Uses All fried rice, aromatics, oil and rice salt · The 3 cups reserved from the prepared chicken stock · The remaining four-leaf pandan bundle

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    Step 20: When the rice is fully cooked, remove and discard the pandan bundle and fluff the grains gently. Keep the rice hot for serving, or promptly cool and refrigerate if serving later.

    Uses The cooked rice and its pandan bundle

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    Step 21: If making the spring-onion oil (10 tbsp), put the drained chopped greens in a stable dry heatproof bowl. Heat all 10 tbsp condiment oil until very hot and shimmering, without letting it burn. Take the pan off the heat and carefully pour the hot oil over the greens, keeping hands and face clear of splashes; it should sizzle and release their aroma. Let it cool enough to handle. Otherwise keep the unused greens refrigerated for another use.

    Uses 10 tbsp oil, for optional spring-onion oil · All chopped green sections if making the optional oil, separate from the whites used inside the chicken

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    Step 22: Wash and peel the medium carrot (1 medium) and slice thinly for the soup.

    Uses 1 medium carrot for the soup · Water, as needed to wash aromatics, garnish and soup vegetables, discarded

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    Step 23: Wash all five selected cabbage leaves and cut them into chunks for the soup.

    Uses 5 cabbage leaves for the soup · Water, as needed to wash aromatics, garnish and soup vegetables, discarded

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    Step 24: Bring the remaining prepared chicken stock to a boil. Add all the carrot, cabbage and two raw chicken feet and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes before checking. Continue until the cabbage and carrot are tender and the feet are fully cooked to 74°C/165°F; the first ten-minute guide does not guarantee doneness. Add only as much of the separate pinch of soup salt as needed and serve with the chicken rice.

    First cabbage-carrot soup check · 10 minUses The remaining prepared stock after rice and selected sauce draws · All sliced carrot · All cut cabbage · 2 raw chicken feet for the soup · Soup salt from the pinch allowance, to taste

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    Step 25: Remove all toothpicks and discard the cavity aromatics before chopping the cooked chicken. Arrange it on a serving plate with the optional cucumber and parsley. Serve promptly between eight portions with the hot chicken rice and cabbage-carrot soup. Offer the optional chilli sauce, dipping sauce, spring-onion oil and dark soy sauce separately, using only as much as wanted.

    Uses The cooked chicken, separate from its reserved stock · The finished rice, with pandan removed · A serving draw of chilli sauce, if made · A serving draw of dipping sauce, if made · A serving draw of spring-onion oil, if made · Prepared garnish, if selected · Dark soy sauce, optional drizzle · A serving of hot soup with fully cooked feet and vegetables