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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
45 minutes
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Serves
4 to 6
Author Notes
As a child, I ate Hainanese chicken rice nearly once a week at the bustling little Hock Hin hawker center two blocks away from my primary school in suburban Kuala Lumpur. In fact, it’s a dish many Malaysians and Singaporeans eat as children.
You might be wondering: That's just chicken and rice; how good can it be?
The gleaming, succulent chicken, that steamy mound of oiled rice, plus the extra large bowl of soup the hawker auntie would generously offer to me for free, was the sort of spirit-lifting dish I found comfort in as a kid, especially after a draining day of classes.
Despite Hainanese chicken rice's history as an affordable dish most commonly served in crowded, humid hawker centers, on pastel plastic plates with non-matching stainless steel cutlery, it’s managed to make even the hoitiest of food critics swoon with delight and induct it into their culinary halls of fame. Little did we know, growing up, that our after-school snack would end up becoming a Michelin-worthy dish!
To cook it at home, all you have to do is simmer the chicken in water—claws, livers, gizzards, and all—along with a few simple aromatics (most commonly ginger and spring onions).
Then, after the flavor and fat of the chicken seeps into the clear broth, remove the bird and use the broth to cook the rice, flavor it all the way through like in a risotto. Any leftover broth is served as soup. What results is a modest meal of succulent, subtly spiced chicken, and glistening pearls of rice made savory and rich by the fatty umami extracted from the chicken. —Jun
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: The Humble Chicken Rice Dish That's Changing What It Means to Get a Michelin Star. —The Editors
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Hainanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- Chicken & Rice
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1
(3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
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1 1/2 tablespoons
kosher salt
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1
(3-inch) piece ginger, thinly sliced into 5 to 6 pieces
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2
garlic cloves
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1 bunch
scallions
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2
star anise pods
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1/4 teaspoon
ground white pepper
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1 tablespoon
sesame oil
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2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
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2
shallots, finely chopped
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2
garlic cloves, finely chopped
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1
(1-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
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2 cups
jasmine rice, rinsed 2 to 3 times to rid it of excess starch
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1 tablespoon
sesame oil
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2 teaspoons
soy sauce
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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2
pandan leaves (optional)
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1
cucumber, sliced
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1 bunch
cilantro
- Chili Sauce
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5 tablespoons
sriracha
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3 tablespoons
chicken broth, from above
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1 teaspoon
soy sauce
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2 teaspoons
fresh lime juice or rice vinegar
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1
garlic clove, finely chopped
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1
(1-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
Directions
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Cook the Chicken: Trim any excess fat off the chicken, especially around the nether-end. Reserve the fatty trimmings. Season the chicken with salt, making sure to season the cavity well. Stuff the chicken with the ginger, garlic, scallions, and star anise. Place the chicken in a large pot and fill with water until the chicken is completely submerged (around 4 quarts). When the water starts boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. (Twenty minutes is a good time for a 3-pound chicken in my experience.)
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Transfer the chicken to an ice bath. Let sit in the ice bath for 1 minute to halt the cooking process. Remove the chicken from the ice bath; rub all over with the sesame oil. Let rest while you prepare the rice and sauce.
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Add the white pepper to the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half.
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Cook the Rice: In another large pot or saucepan over low heat, render the fat off the chicken trimmings and cook for about 5 minutes. Discard the trimmings. Add the vegetable oil. Cook the chopped scallions over medium heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until aromatic. Add the chopped garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for another minute or so, careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until warmed through and combined.
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Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pandan leaves, if using, to the rice. Pour in the chicken broth (reserve 3 tablespoons for the chili sauce) until the rice is submerged by ½ inch. Cook over high heat until it boils, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the rice is glistening and fluffy, with the individual grains of rice still distinguishable. Let the rice sit uncovered for 5 minutes to let it steam, then season to taste.
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Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, mix the sriracha, lime juice, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved chicken broth. Prep the cucumber and cilantro and carve the chicken too.
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To serve the rice, you can go traditional and shape it into little mounds using a small Chinese bowl. Serve with a few slices of chicken and the chili dipping sauce. Garnish with the cucumber slices and a few sprigs of cilantro. Oh, and don’t forget to serve up some of that aromatic chicken broth as a soup too!
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