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Home / Cuisine / Asian / Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 September 1, 2011 · Updated: 💻March 26, 2019 · 🗨 49 Comments

Recipe ▼

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious.

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious. | RotiNRice.com

Hainanese Chicken Rice is a perennial favorite in Malaysia. This simple yet tasty dish is enjoyed by locals as well as visitors and is a mainstay at the food courts. The wonderful flavor of the rice and chicken combine really well with the garlic chili sauce.

Silky Smooth Textured Chicken

Achieving a silky smooth texture of the chicken is an important part of its preparation and this can be tricky. If the chicken is over cooked, it will be dry and tough. Under cooking it may leave the chicken a little too “pink” at the joints, which may not be safe for consumption.

To get it just right calls for a short and gentle simmer on the stove followed by a long poaching of the chicken in the boiling water with the heat turned off. The chicken is then shocked in a cold water bath for a few minutes to stop the cooking. The timing is all important.

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious. | RotiNRice.com

Using Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks

It has been a while since I last tasted Hainanese Chicken Rice. During my recent visit to England, my dear friend DongXing and I decided to prepare this tasty dish using her mom’s recipe for the chicken. We used chicken thighs and drumsticks instead of a whole chicken. Because of that, the steeping time had to be reduced by half.

The Tasty Rice

Originally, the rice is cooked using chicken fat and broth but my mom came up with the idea of using butter instead. This allowed us to reserved the chicken steeping broth for soup. It worked out really well. We were able to cook the rice while the chicken hung out in its hot and steamy bath.

Amazing Results

The results were no less stellar! The thighs and drums were perfectly cooked – silky smooth and not pink at all! I have since cooked this twice at home and the family totally enjoyed it.

Simmering and Steeping time

I would like to add that the simmering and steeping times was just right for this time of the year with the home ambient temperature in the mid 70’s F (mid 20’s C). Changes will likely be needed in the winter when the average temperature in the house drops to the mid and upper 60’s Fahrenheit (upper 10’s Celcius). Ahh…the trials of cooking in temperate climate! Hopefully I will be able to test out my theory and add a note to the recipe in the winter.

Similar Products Used in Making This Hainanese Chicken Rice

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.

Aroma Simply Stainless 3-Cup(Uncooked) 6-Cup (Cooked) Rice Cooker
Aroma Housewares RS-03 6-Cup Simply Stainless Steamer

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious. | RotiNRice.com
5 from 4 votes

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious.
Author : Linda Ooi
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : Chinese
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Servings : 4
Calories : 795kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 inch ginger (peeled and smashed) (30g)
  • 3 chicken leg quarters (thighs and drums attached)
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cucumber (sliced thinly into coins)
  • 4 Napa cabbage leaves (sliced)

Fragrant Rice

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 inch ginger (peeled and smashed) (30g)
  • 2 cups long grain rice (rinsed and drained) (400g)
  • 2½ cups water or chicken broth (600ml)
  • ½ tsp salt

Garlic Chili Sauce

  • 5 fresh red chilies
  • 1 inch ginger (peeled)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar (60ml)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

Sesame Garlic Sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Bring a pot of water with ginger (enough to cover chicken by about an inch on the top) to boil. Rub chicken leg quarters with some salt and lower them into boiling water. Bring water back up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes if using electric stove or 7 minutes if using gas stove. Turn off heat and leave chicken to poach in boiling water on the stove for 30 minutes. Do not open lid. **

Fragrant Rice

  • Melt butter in pot. Sauté garlic and ginger for 1 to 2 minutes. Add rice and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add 2½ cups (600ml) water and salt to pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow it to simmer until all water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting and leave pot on for another 5 minutes.
  • Turn off heat, remove pot. Allow cooked rice to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Alternatively, transfer rice to rice cooker. Add water and salt and press the cook button.

Garlic Chili Sauce

  • Blend all garlic chili sauce ingredients until fine. Remove and divide into 4 small dishes. Drizzle a little soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil onto the chili sauce. Store the remaining chili sauce in a glass jar.

Sesame Garlic Sauce

  • Place garlic and sesame oil in a small microwaveable dish and microwave on high for 1½ minutes. Remove and mix in 2 tablespoon soy sauce. Set aside for now.
    Hainanese Chicken Rice-9

Putting it together and serving

  • Line a dinner plate with sliced cucumbers. When chicken is ready, remove and immediately submerge it in a cold bath for 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve the chicken broth for soup. Remove bones from chicken leg quarters and cut into bite size pieces. Place onto sliced cucumbers. Drizzle the prepared sesame garlic sauce over chicken.
  • Skim off fat from reserved chicken broth. Discard ginger. Bring it back up to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add Napa cabbage and allow it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Ladle into 4 serving bowls.
  • To serve, divide rice onto 4 plates. Dish a portion of chicken onto each plate. Serve immediately with garlic chili sauce and a bowl of soup for each place setting.

Notes

** Simmering and steeping time is right for home ambient temperature in the mid 70’s F (mid 20’s C). Changes will likely be needed in the winter when the temperature drops to the mid and upper 60’s F (upper 10’s C).

Nutrition

Calories: 795kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @RotiNRice or tag #RotiNRice

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious. | RotiNRice.com

Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice served with silky smooth poached chicken, thinly sliced cucumber, and garlic chili sauce. It is so simple yet so delicious. | RotiNRice.com

NOTE: This post was updated on September 18th, 2014 with new pictures.

Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎


2.1K shares

Categories: 🗂 Asian, Chinese New Year, Main Dish, Poultry, Rice & Grain Tags: 📋 Chinese

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Comments

  1. Lyndsey ~The Tiny Skillet says

    September 1, 2011 at 10:41 am

    5 stars
    Biren, I am so happy you posted this. I have always wanted to try Hainanese chiken rice, but since I am not where I can get it made for me…looks like I have to try making it myself to get a chance to try it. Your photos are so helpful, and your explanation as well. It is still quite hot and humid here in Florida…usually through October.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 12:26 pm

      I hope it works out well for you. Happy cooking! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Hyosun Ro says

    September 1, 2011 at 11:25 am

    I just love how different cultures create so many unique dishes with the same simple ingredients such as chicken and rice. I can totally see myself making this and loving all those great flavors in the chicken, rice, and sauce. The soup made with the broth and cabbage sounds great too. Great post again!

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 12:30 pm

      Thanks Hyosun! It is really interesting as many of the dishes have similarities like the Chinese chap chai and the Korean japchae. I will be posting that soon. So glad to hear you like the flavors of this dish. I hope you will give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

      Reply
  3. Jill Colonna says

    September 1, 2011 at 11:30 am

    Biren, I love this post. Your chicken sounds wonderful. In fact, it even sounds cool: it hangs out in a hot and steamy bath while you can get on with the other steps. Great short-cuts, too. Oh, and did I say it all looks absolutely delicious?

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 12:36 pm

      LOL…you crack me up Jill! It is most convenient that the chicken pieces decide to hang out. It does make life a little less hectic and them a little more relaxed. 😉

      Reply
  4. Belinda @zomppa says

    September 1, 2011 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    One of my favorite dishes – love the dipping sauces.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 12:36 pm

      I like the dipping sauces too! 🙂

      Reply
  5. anncoo says

    September 1, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Hi Biren, I love chicken rice too and your chicken looks very delicious. Just a little feedback, normally I would like to add some English celery and whole onion (skinned) into the boiling water before soaking the chicken. Hope you don’t mind 🙂

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 12:38 pm

      No problem Ann. Adding the English celery and onion would make the chicken and soup even more flavorful. I will try that the next time. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Haruna says

    September 1, 2011 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    YUM-YUM! 😀

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 12:38 pm

      🙂 🙂

      Reply
  7. Gertrude says

    September 1, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Biren, I am coming over for lunch 🙂 This is my fav and I can eat this everyday.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 1:07 pm

      You are most welcomed for lunch any day, Gertrude. It would be fun to eat and laugh together. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Lyn says

    September 1, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    5 stars
    Beautiful post, Biren! 😀
    Your fragrant rice sounds so delicious with butter added! I’m gonna try using your recipe next time! 😉

    I don’t fancy chicken rice at all when I was young bcoz firstly, I preferred noodles even ’til now. Secondly, I don’t liked meals with mostly meats only but now I’ve a balance in-take under my hubby’s influence (he’s a meat-eater) and lastly, chicken rice is just too common, you can almost see it everywhere you go that made me feel so sicked of it, not to mention about eating (weird me). But ever since I was preggy with my 2nd gal, I kept craving for chicken rice and I can ate almost everyday at least once! From then on, I’ve fell in love with chicken rice, esp the fragrant rice! 😀 The funny thing is, my 2nd gal loves chicken so much too! Maybe bcoz I kept eating it while having her. lol

    Have a great day! 😉

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 1:23 pm

      Thanks Lyn! I know what you mean by overdose of chicken as it is the favorite meat in your neck of the woods. I am glad though that you finally liked chicken rice again as it is a really tasty dish. In the old days, the rice is made using chicken fat but butter works just as well. In fact, the butter makes it fragrant and it is so much simpler to use. I can’t wait for you to try it. 🙂

      Reply
  9. DongXing says

    September 1, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    I am so glad we got a chance to cook this together. My husband was so turned off from this dish ever since I cooked a whole bird like this which turned out still pink on the inside – I lost my nerve about cooking it again. It was an excellent idea of yours to use chicken quarters. Now this dish has been requested again, complete with the dipping sauce and most importantly, the cucumbers at the bottom of the chicken. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 1, 2011 at 11:22 pm

      I think many people are put off cooking this dish as it can be tricky getting it just right. I don’t blame you for being jittery about cooking it again. I may have attempted it once and never did it again for the same reason. Glad we were able to overcome that. So good to hear your family has requested for it again. My family enjoys it very much too. Yes, the cucumber is a must. It is so tasty after absorbing that sesame garlic sauce.

      It would be wonderful if we were living a little closer to each other. It was fun cooking with you. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Parsley Sage says

    September 1, 2011 at 4:10 pm

    That looks so good! I’m really loving that sesame garlic sauce. I’d eat it all 🙂

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 2, 2011 at 10:21 am

      I like the garlic sauce too! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    Biren, thanks for this recipe. My husband is a big Hainanese chicken rice fan but I don’t know how to cook the whole chicken! I really like this recipe because you use thighs and drumsticks – more approachable for me. I will have to make this dish so my husband will stop dreaming about it. 😉

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 2, 2011 at 10:24 am

      You are most welcomed Nami! For a long time I did not cook this dish as it is hard to get it just right. The pinkness in the chicken puts a lot of people off and when it is boiled for too long, the texture of the meat is rough. I am so glad I got to try it out with my friend…two heads are definitely better than one! 🙂 Have fun trying out the recipe and surprising your hubby with it. 🙂

      Reply
  12. torviewtoronto says

    September 1, 2011 at 10:51 pm

    wonderful salad presentation

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 2, 2011 at 10:21 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  13. Sheila says

    September 2, 2011 at 4:01 am

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! I love Hainanese dish. I’ll be visiting Singapore next weekend and I’d like to try this to surprise my friend.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 2, 2011 at 8:59 am

      Hi Sheila, thanks for visiting! You will find chicken rice in most, if not all the food courts in Singapore but homemade is special. Enjoy your vacation and I hope you will visit again soon. 🙂

      Reply
  14. Shu han says

    September 2, 2011 at 4:03 am

    i love hainanese chicken rice! but im guessing this rice is more like butter rice instead, which i bet still tastes delicious! apparently the cold water bath is quite important because it helps give that lovely gelatinous layer underneath the skin which is what makes “white cut chicken” taste not like just plain chicken! however, i must say, your method seems much easier to manage and looks delicious too! (:

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 2, 2011 at 9:03 am

      The butter makes it fragrant. My mom told me that in the old days, chicken fat was used to fry the rice and the chicken broth used as the liquid. Butter is very similar. This method of poaching gives the gelatinous layer even without the cold water bath. I prefer my chicken warm and therefore chose to omit the cold bath. 🙂

      Reply
  15. Jeannie says

    September 2, 2011 at 11:56 am

    Wow! my favorite chicken parts, the “drumsticks” 😀 and I add a few slices of ginger into my chicken rice too:D

    Reply
  16. Cooking Gallery says

    September 2, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    First of all, I have the same dishware…;)!! And what a coincidence! I just made Hainanese chicken too two days ago, I didn’t make the rice though, maybe I should make a small portion so that it feels more authentic ;). Your chicken rice looks extremely yummy!

    Reply
  17. tigerfish says

    September 2, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    Chili sauce is not an option for me. When having chicken rice, I must have chili 😀

    Reply
  18. Sophia says

    September 2, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    Oooooh! My childhood dish!!! I love that you also shared the chili sauce with us. I used to dump loads of that on my rice!

    Reply
  19. Clarkie @ Beloved Green says

    September 2, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    Someone literally just asked me where I wanted to travel to next and I said Singapore and Malaysia. I must have been channeling this dish!

    Reply
  20. Christine says

    September 2, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    Looks easy and tasty!

    Reply
  21. Joanne says

    September 3, 2011 at 5:56 am

    I’ve never had or heard of this dish before but it sounds delicious!

    Reply
  22. Kristi Rimkus says

    September 3, 2011 at 10:46 am

    I love chili sauce with almost everything. This looks like a wonderful meal and what fun to have someone to cook with!

    Reply
  23. Bentocat aka Bentokato says

    September 3, 2011 at 11:15 am

    I love Hainanese Chicken Rice and other southeast asian dishes too! Greetings from the Netherlands!

    Reply
  24. Ashley@BakerbyNature says

    September 3, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    This sounds delicious; anything with fresh garlic and ginger are sure to steal my heart!

    Reply
  25. LeQuan says

    September 4, 2011 at 1:42 am

    I love Hainanese Chicken Rice and yours definitely looks delicious! Ive never seen the rice cooked with butter and sauteed garlic and Ginger before. That sounds like a wonderful idea, I’ll have to try it next time. Thanks for your recipe to this lovely dish, Biren.

    Reply
  26. Nutmeg Nanny says

    September 4, 2011 at 9:46 am

    This sounds great! That chili dipping sauce sounds right up my alley!

    Reply
  27. Quay Po Cooks says

    September 4, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    Biren, thank you for posting this. I have always wanted to make chicken rice at home. Now I can!

    Reply
  28. Magic of Spice says

    September 5, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    What a beautiful dish and presentation Biren! Ans I love that chili sauce, delightful 🙂

    Reply
  29. Lindsey@Lindselicious says

    September 8, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    Oh I just had this last week and was wanting to know how they make this! Bookmarking this for later!

    Reply
  30. Lilly says

    September 9, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    I’ve seen this dish in Asia but haven’t got the change to eat it as there are so many great dishes out there. It sounds wonderful and easy enough to make it even on a busy work day. I thought that the rice was boiled in the chicken stock, or at least I think I read that somewhere.
    Anyway have a great weekend!

    Reply
  31. Pepy@Indonesia Eats says

    September 9, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    Lately, I have seen a package Hainanese chicken rice ready to heat up at the Asian grocers and made from free range chickens. I’m tempting to try as I’m too lazy to make one. It’s been years I haven’t made it again. Yours is looking very yummy

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 9, 2011 at 8:20 pm

      Wow…instant Hainanese chicken rice! There really are all kinds of pre-packaged food out there. I’ll be interested to know what you thought of it once you’ve tried it.

      Thanks Pepy! It is actually quite easy to prepare once you get the hang of it. I will likely be making this quite often. 🙂

      Reply
  32. A Little Yumminess says

    September 13, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Thanks for posting. You have inspired me…I am toying with the idea of making chicken rice(love it) but keep putting if off..doesnt seem to difficult

    Reply
  33. Adora's Box says

    November 20, 2011 at 3:35 am

    I will never tire of this dish. One of the best comfort food. The way you made it really looks like the chicken rice in Malaysia. I am craving for it now, Biren.

    Reply
  34. Aban says

    December 16, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    Great blog Biren! My husband always talks about this dish!
    Thanks for the recipe will definately ty it!

    Reply

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My grace is sufficient for thee…
2 Corinthians 12:9

Hi, I’m Linda! I make quick, easy meals, and spin on classics and old favorites with focus on Malaysian, Chinese, and American cuisines. Read more →

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