ULTIMATE Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

Prepare three sets of ginger and garlic for the three separate components:a. Chicken and Chicken Rice: Peel ginger and cut into large slices. Peel garlic and mash with the back of the knife, so that the garlic is still whole.b. Chilli Sauce: Peel ginger, and roughly chop for easier blending.

Prepare two sets of spring onions:a. Chicken: Cut off the roots of the spring onions. Separate the whites and the greens, keeping them in large chunks.b. Chicken Rice: Cut off the roots of the spring onions. Cut off the white portion, and set aside. Chop the remaining greens for garnishing. If there are any extra greens, reserve them to add to the chicken stock.

Chilli Sauce: Roughly chop the the red chillies for easier blending. Cut and squeeze lime.

Cut off any excess skin or fat off the chicken and set aside for the chicken rice.

Exfoliate the chicken skin by rubbing it with salt to remove any impurities and smoothen the skin, then rinse and pat dry.

Place the chicken to a large pot. Add ginger, garlic, whites of spring onions and salt.

Pour in enough water to fully submerge the chicken (about 2–3 litres, depending on pot size).

Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then immediately reduce to a low simmer. Cover and poach for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the chicken. Skim off impurities as they surface.

OPTIONAL: Halfway through, flip the chicken over to the other side for even cooking. Add the remaining spring onion stalks for extra flavour.

Check doneness by piercing the thickest part of the thigh—the juices should run clear, and the internal temperature should reach 165°F (75°C). Another way to tell that the chicken is cooked through is to see that the chicken joints are slightly tearing.

Once chicken is cooked through, carefully remove chicken from the stock, and set aside.OPTIONAL: Immediately plunge the chicken into a large bowl of ice water. Let it cool in the ice bath for about 10 minutes to firm up the skin. This step creates that ‘collagen jelly’ layer between the skin and the meat.

Reserve the chicken poaching liquid for the rice, chilli sauce and soup to serve.

Add chicken skin and fat on a dry pan, and turn the heat to low. Let the chicken fat and skin render, until oil forms in the pan. The chicken skin should also start to cook in its own fat and crisp up. Use a low heat throughout. Once golden brown, remove the chicken skin. If there is not enough oil, add neutral oil.

Add the washed rice and stir to coat every grain in the fragrant oil. Once there is no visible oil left in the pan, and the rice looks slightly translucent with a glistening oily layer, turn off the heat.

Transfer the rice to a rice cooker. Wiggle in the sliced ginger, smashed garlic, and spring onion stalks evenly in the rice.

Pour in the measured chicken stock. If needed, stir in additional salt to season in the stock before pouring into the rice.

Close the lid and cook at regular white rice settings, or according to the rice cooker’s instructions.

When rice is cooked, remove the aromatics. Pour in sesame oil. Stir with a rice paddle to gently combine. Rice is ready to serve.To cook over the stovetop:a. There is no need to transfer the rice — cook it directly in the same pan. Wiggle in the sliced ginger, smashed garlic and spring onion stalks evenly into the rice.b. Pour in the chicken stock. Rice to water ratio for stovetop would be 1:1.5. For the two cups of rice here, use 3 cups of stock.c. Season with salt, only if needed. Stock should already be seasoned well. d. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.e. Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes.f. Remove the lid, and the aromatics. Drizzle in the sesame oil, and gently fluff with a rice paddle to combine.

While the rice is cooking, add chopped red chilies, garlic, ginger, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and chicken stock to a blender. Blitz until smooth.

Taste test. Adjust salt and sugar to taste.

Preparing the Chicken: Chop the chicken into serving pieces, ensuring clean cuts through the bone.

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, drizzling it with sesame oil.

Serve with the fragrant chicken rice, chili sauce, and a side of clear soup (made from the reserved poaching stock and garnished with chopped spring onions and ground pepper).

Garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced cucumbers. Enjoy!