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Authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice

A plate featuring moist, sliced poached chicken served over fragrant rice, garnished with fresh cilantro, making up a perfect Chicken Rice dish.
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A guide to making moist, poached chicken and fragrant rice cooked in chicken broth, served with essential dipping sauces.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs)
  • 1 inch ginger, sliced
  • 3 scallions, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 2 tablespoons chicken fat or vegetable oil
  • 3 cups chicken broth (from poaching)
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger (for rice)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (for rice)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
  • 1/4 cup cucumber slices (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Clean the whole chicken thoroughly. Rub the inside and outside with salt.
  2. In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil to cover the chicken. Add the sliced ginger and scallions.
  3. Gently lower the chicken into the boiling water. Reduce heat immediately to a low simmer. Poach for 30–40 minutes, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
  4. Once cooked, immediately transfer the chicken to an ice bath to stop the cooking process and tighten the skin. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Reserve the poaching liquid (this is your broth).
  5. Rub the cooled chicken skin with a little sesame oil for shine. Chop the chicken into serving pieces.
  6. To cook the rice, heat chicken fat or oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or rice cooker insert. Sauté the minced ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  7. Add the white rice and stir to coat the grains with the fat. Cook for 2 minutes.
  8. Pour in 3 cups of the reserved, strained chicken broth. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
  9. Cook the rice using your preferred method (stovetop or rice cooker) until done. Fluff with a fork.
  10. Serve the chopped chicken over mounds of fragrant rice. Garnish with cilantro and cucumber slices. Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauces.

Notes

  • For extra juicy chicken, dunk the chicken back into the hot poaching liquid for 30 seconds after removing it from the ice bath just before chopping.
  • Use the leftover poaching liquid as a simple soup base, seasoned with a little white pepper and chopped scallions.
  • If you do not have chicken fat, use vegetable oil for cooking the rice, but the flavor will be less authentic.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookerycourier.com/chicken-rice-authentic-hainanese-recipe/