Hainanese chicken rice is one of those recipes I have been making for 15 or more years, that my family never gets tired of. I originally saw this recipe on a food travel show about Singapore and had to try making it. There are many things I love about this dish.
It is super economical because basically the whole dish comes from one whole chicken. The cooking liquid is used for the soup and also to cook the rice. It all has wonderful ginger/garlic flavor which is amplified by the amazing hot sauce and dark soy. Even though we had this a few days ago, I’d be thrilled to eat it again today. We all love this hot sauce recipe, which is basically doctored up Sriracha sauce, and you can use either dark soy, or sweet dark soy for this, both of which I linked to on my Favorite Items page.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 whole chicken neck and gizzards removed
- 4 inch section fresh ginger washed and cut into slices
- 2 scallions
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- salt
For the rice:
- 2 tbsp chicken fat or canola oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 inch section fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 cups long grain rice washed a few times then soaked for 10 minutes and drained
- 2 cups reserved chicken broth from cooking chicken
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp salt
For the hot sauce:
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp reserved broth
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 inch section fresh ginger peeled
- salt to taste
To serve:
- sliced scallions for the soup
- dark or sweet soy sauce
- cilantro
- sliced cucumber I pickled mine with a little rice vinegar
Instructions
For the chicken:
- For the chicken, heat the sesame oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and add the whole chicken and brown it slightly. Add the ginger, scallion, and cover with water by 1 inch. Season generously with salt. Bring to a low boil then reduce to simmer and cook until meat is tender and nearly falling apart, about 1.5 hours. Depending on the size of the chicken this could take more or less time.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool. Remove the meat and season with salt and pour a little broth over to moisten then cover to keep warm. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and reserve it. Taste it and season with salt if needed. You will serve it on the side as the soup and also use it to cook the rice.
For the rice:
- Drain your soaked rice. Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the sesame oil and the salt and stir. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and cook for 10-12 minutes on low. Let stand for 10 minutes off the heat before removing the lid.
For the hot sauce:
- Blend all ingredients in a small blender. Taste and season if needed.
To serve:
- Ladle the soup into small bowls and top with green onions. Serve the soup along side the rice, chicken, cucumbers and sauces.
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