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Hainanese chicken rice recipe
Created by Tiffany Wong
- Cuisine: Singaporean
- Prep Time: 1 hr(s) 30 min(s)
- Cook Time: 2 hr(s) 45 min(s)
- Serves 6
This is a classic Singaporean dish of delicately poached chicken infused with ginger, which is accompanied by rice cooked in chicken stock, a bowl of the hot stock itself, and various sauces. Tiffany makes quick chilli and ginger sauces and also serves this with kecap manis and cucumber.
Ingredients
Chicken1 very fresh chicken (preferably free-range), fat trimmed and reserved for the rice
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
6 slices ginger
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp salt
Stock
1 kg chicken carcasses (or legs or wings)
3 slices ginger
2 spring onions
Chilli sauce
10 long red chillies, seeded and roughly chopped
1–2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
5 cm ~piece of ginger, roughly chopped
lime juice
salt
Ginger sauce
75 g ginger, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ tbsp lime juice
½ tsp salt
Rice
fat from the chicken (or peanut oil as a healthier alternative)
2–3 cm piece of ginger, grated
3–4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and well drained
1–2 tsp salt
2 pandan leaves, each tied in a knot (optional)
To serve
sliced spring onion or blanched shredded cabbage
kecap manis
sliced cucumber
Preparation
Rub the inside of the chicken with the rice wine and half the soy sauce. Pound the garlic, half the ginger and half the spring onion to a paste in a mortar (or blend in a food processor). Rub the paste inside the chicken.Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then turn off the heat and add the chicken, remaining ginger and spring onion. Cover with a lid and leave to stand in the water for 1 hour. After the first 5 minutes, lift the chicken out and drain the water from its cavity, then return to the water. Repeat 2 or 3 times during the hour (this ensures that there’s enough hot water inside the chicken to cook it through). After 30 minutes, bring the water back to almost boiling then turn the heat off again. Cooking the chicken without boiling it ensures it is tender and juicy.
Remove the chicken from the water. Combine the remaining soy sauce with the sesame oil and salt and rub into the chicken. Leave to cool.
To make the stock, add the chicken carcasses, ginger and spring onions to the pot of water and boil for 1–2 hours, until the stock has a strong chicken flavour. Strain the stock through muslin cloth.
Meanwhile, make the chilli sauce. Pound the chilli, garlic and ginger to a paste in a mortar (or blend in a food processor). Add ½ tablespoon of chicken stock and lime juice and salt to taste.
To make the ginger sauce, pound the ginger and garlic to a paste in a mortar (or blend in a food processor) and add the lime juice, salt and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock.
To make the chicken rice, heat the chicken fat in a wok until it releases oil, then add the ginger and garlic and fry until golden. Discard any solid pieces of fat. Add the rice and salt and stir-fry briskly for 1–2 minutes. Transfer the rice to a saucepan or rice cooker and add 3 ½ cups (875 ml) of chicken stock and the pandan leaves if using. Cover with a lid and cook until the stock is absorbed (you may need to add a little more stock towards the end if the rice seems dry).
To serve, slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Reheat the remaining chicken stock and ladle into small serving bowls, garnishing with sliced spring onion or blanched shredded cabbage. Serve the stock alongside the chicken, rice, chilli sauce, ginger sauce, kecap manis and cucumber.
SBS cook’s notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55–60 g, unless specified.
If you enjoyed this Hainanese chicken rice recipe then browse more Singaporean recipes, meat recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.
Singaporean Restaurants
Displaying 10 of 42 Singaporean Restaurants.
| Restaurant | Book Online | Suburb | |
| 1. | Harry's Singapore Chilli Crab | Sydney | |
| 2. | Temasek | Parramatta | |
| 3. | The Old Raffles Place | Collingwood | |
| 4. | Singapore China Town Restaurant | Northbridge | |
| 5. | Bismi's Gold an Fork | Melbourne | |
| 6. | Ginger & Spice | Neutral Bay | |
| 7. | Gingerboy | Melbourne | |
| 8. | Katong Singaporean Restaurant | City Beach | |
| 9. | Suria Takeaway | Girrawheen | |
| 10. | Raffles Room at Steventon Lodge | Tea Tree Gully |
Comments (64)
Previous
12 Nov 2010 12:27 AEST
Phil
Spring Hill
Seared Spring Onion, Ginger, Salt Sauce?
I have sometimes been served Chicken Rice with an intense sauce of chopped spring onion, ginger and salt that has been flash fried in very hot oil. It, like these sauces, is delicious. Does anyone know if it is a different version, perhaps from a different region, or just an imposter?
Agree(0 people agree)
Disagree(1 people disagree)
10 Nov 2010 11:42 AEST
Matt
Gold Coast
Not Kecap Manis
I disagree with Kecap Manis. Traditionally this is eaten with a thick, caramel dark sauce. It's similar to dark soy sauce (as opposed to the light soy sauce), but not as salty. You should be able to find it in the asian grocers, it comes in a glass bottle that's square in shape, with a round neck, and a red piece of label stuck to it, pretty much old school design.
To hainanese symphathiser: This chickn rice originated from Singapore, devised by the clever hainan migrants who settled in SG.
01 Aug 2010 02:02 AEST
Joyce
Doncaster
18 Jul 2010 01:52 AEST
James
north ryde
dont forget the kecap manis
There is a missing ingredient in the chili sauce - kecap manis. Absolutely crucial to the finished result. A small tin of coconut milk in the chicken rice (subsitute ml for ml with the water for cooking) makes a fabulous, of not completely traditiional, little addition.
25 Jun 2010 10:21 AEST
Oliver
Western Sydney
Uneducated tastebuds makes me sad
Alan of Donvale - let me get this straight... the chicken rice made this classic Hainanese chicken rice dish... too chickeny? Oh geez *smacks forehead*
Sorry, but I have to laugh and pity you if you'd rather serve it with plain rice, sweet chilli sauce or soy/honey/ginger sauce. Seriously mate, there's a whole big world out there outside your local westernised chinese takeout/food court. I suppose sweet and sour pork and honey chicken are your ideas of classic Chinese cuisine too? Oh dear lawd
18 May 2010 04:32 AEST
I'm not Hainanese, I just sympathise
Rozelle
Surely Hainan deserves the credit...?
This looks pretty authentic based on childhood memories of watching my Hainanese nanny prepare it. Hope I get to try it myself soon.
Alan, with all due respect -- if you don't like it, go make something else. Don't blame a traditional recipe for not complying with your individual preferences.
But I have to ask, why label it a "Singaporean" recipe when the Hainanese culture (and the practice of eating this beautiful dish) occupies so much more of the world than just a tiny island republic?
25 Apr 2010 01:26 AEST
John Hooper
Brisbane
21 Mar 2010 07:54 AEST
tummy phat
brunswick
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