The Asian Larder

Recipes

Hainanese Chicken Rice

A poached chicken and rice dish

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Poached chicken, rice cooked in its own stock, and a sharp ginger chilli sauce. Simple ingredients, a lot of flavour.

Hainanese chicken rice

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 50 g fresh ginger, sliced, plus extra for the sauce
  • 2 spring onions
  • 400 g jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Method
 

  1. Put the chicken in a large pot with the garlic, ginger and spring onions. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer.
  2. Poach for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking and firm up the skin.
  3. Skim the fat from the poaching liquid and reserve 700ml of it.
  4. Fry the rice in the oil for 2 minutes, then cook it in the reserved poaching liquid instead of water, the same way you would cook rice normally.
  5. Make the chilli sauce by blending extra ginger, the chopped chilli, rice vinegar and a splash of the poaching liquid.
  6. Carve the chicken, serve over the rice with the chilli sauce and a little soy sauce on the side.

Notes

Nutrition figures are an estimate and will shift with the size of chicken used.

Tips for the best chicken rice

  • The iced water plunge is what gives the skin its characteristic silky texture, do not skip it.
  • Cooking the rice in the poaching liquid rather than plain water is where most of the flavour comes from.
  • Keep the poach gentle, a rolling boil will toughen the chicken.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken?

Yes, though a whole chicken gives more poaching liquid for the rice and a better ratio of skin to meat, which is part of the dish.

What do I do with the leftover stock?

Serve a small bowl of it alongside the meal, seasoned lightly with soy sauce, the way it is traditionally served.

Read next

Kitchen basicsHow to use a rice cookerKitchen basicsWhat is nori

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Huì

Huì

Huì is a Beijing-born chef working in the UK. She writes The Asian Larder, with tested Asian recipes for British home cooks and honest advice on where to buy every ingredient.
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