Hainanese Chicken Rice

Name: Hainanese Chicken Rice
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Cuisine: Singapore and Malaysia
Ingredients: 1 (3–3½ lb) whole chicken, 1.4–1.6 kg, at room temperature for 45 minutes; 30 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) fine sea salt, for rubbing and the pot; 5 cm fresh ginger, sliced; 4 scallions, knotted; 4 l (4 qt) water, enough to cover the chicken; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, plus 1 tsp light soy, to finish; 400 g (2 cups) jasmine rice, rinsed until clear and drained well; 2 tbsp chicken fat or neutral oil, trimmed from the cavity and rendered; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped; 600 ml (2½ cups) chicken poaching stock; 1 pandan leaf, knotted, optional; 3 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt; 4 fresh red chilies, roughly chopped; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 tsp sugar; 5 cm fresh ginger, finely grated, for the ginger sauce; 2 tbsp neutral oil, hot, for the ginger sauce; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce or kecap manis; 1 cucumber, sliced, to serve; 1 bunch cilantro, to serve

Silky poached chicken, rice cooked in its fat and stock, three sauces

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 50 min
Total: 2 h 15 min
Level: Some skill

Brought to Southeast Asia by migrants from China's Hainan island, chicken rice is now Singapore's unofficial national dish. A whole chicken is poached gently, then plunged into iced water for silky, tight skin; the rice is fried in chicken fat and cooked in the poaching stock. Chili, ginger and dark soy sauces make the plate.

Ingredients

Chicken

1whole chicken (3–3½ lb)1.4–1.6 kg, at room temperature for 45 minutes
30 gfine sea salt (1 tbsp + 2 tsp)for rubbing and the pot
5 cmfresh gingersliced
4scallionsknotted
4 lwater (4 qt)enough to cover the chicken
1 tsptoasted sesame oilplus 1 tsp light soy, to finish

Rice

400 gjasmine rice (2 cups)rinsed until clear and drained well
2 tbspchicken fat or neutral oiltrimmed from the cavity and rendered
4 clovesgarlicfinely chopped
2 cmfresh gingerfinely chopped
600 mlchicken poaching stock (2½ cups)
1pandan leafknotted, optional
3 gfine sea salt (½ tsp)

Sauces

4fresh red chiliesroughly chopped
3 clovesgarlic
1 tbsplime juice
1 tspsugar
5 cmfresh gingerfinely grated, for the ginger sauce
2 tbspneutral oilhot, for the ginger sauce
2 tbspdark soy sauce or kecap manis
1cucumbersliced, to serve
1 bunchcilantroto serve

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: soy, gluten, sesame
Origin: Singapore and Malaysia (from Hainan, China)

Method

Pull any lumps of fat from the chicken's cavity and save them. Rub the bird all over with 10 g salt (this scrubs and seasons the skin) and put the ginger and scallions in the cavity. Don't rinse it: washing raw chicken splashes bacteria around the sink.
Bring the water and remaining 20 g salt to a boil in a pot just large enough for the chicken. Lower the chicken in breast down, holding the legs. Lift it out to drain the cavity and dip it back twice (this equalizes the temperature inside), then submerge.
Return to a boil, then immediately reduce to the barest simmer — 80–85°C (175–185°F), with hardly a bubble. Cover and poach for 35–45 minutes. 40 min
Check the thickest part of the thigh: it must read 74°C (165°F), and the juices run clear. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with iced water.
Lift the chicken into the iced water for 10 minutes to stop the cooking and firm the skin. Drain, rub with sesame oil and soy and rest. Keep the stock. 10 min
For the rice: render the chicken fat in a saucepan over medium heat (or use oil). Fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant and pale gold, 1 minute. Add the drained rice and stir for 2 minutes to coat each grain.
Add 600 ml poaching stock, the salt and the pandan leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat to the minimum and cook for 15 minutes. Rest off the heat, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff. 25 min
Sauces: blend the chilies, garlic, lime juice, sugar and 2 tbsp warm stock to a rough purée. Put the grated ginger and a pinch of salt in a bowl and pour over the hot oil. Pour the dark soy into a third dish.
Carve the chicken into pieces through the bone, or take the meat off and slice. Serve at room temperature with the rice, cucumber, cilantro, the three sauces and a small bowl of hot stock with scallions.

Why it works

Poaching just below a simmer cooks the meat so gently that the proteins barely tighten, leaving it silky and moist; boiling would make it stringy. The ice bath stops the carryover cooking and sets the gelatin under the skin into a thin, smooth jelly — a texture prized in Hainanese cooking. Toasting the rice in chicken fat before simmering in the stock makes each grain fragrant and distinct.

Common mistakes

Boiling the chicken. It must barely tremble.
Skipping the ice bath — the skin stays flabby and the meat keeps cooking.
Wet rice: drain it very well after rinsing or it turns mushy.

Variations

With thighs: Poach 1.2 kg bone-in thighs for 20–25 minutes to 74°C (165°F), then ice.
Roast-style: Instead of icing, roast the poached chicken at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes for golden skin.

Make ahead and storage

The stock freezes for 3 months. The chili sauce keeps 1 week in the fridge. Leftover chicken keeps 3 days.

Notes

Pandan leaves are sold frozen in Asian shops; skip them if you can't find them.