Hainanese Chicken Rice

Name: Hainanese Chicken Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
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)); 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; 5 fresh red chilies; 1 inch ginger ((peeled)); 3 cloves garlic; ¼ cup rice vinegar ((60ml)); 2 tsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; 2 cloves garlic ((minced)); 2 tbsp sesame oil; 2 tbsp soy sauce

Asian, Chinese New Year, Main Dish, Poultry, Rice & Grain

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

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.

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.