Hainanese Chicken Rice

Why this Hainanese chicken rice works

Hainanese chicken rice is Singapore’s national dish for a reason: poached chicken with silky, just-set skin, rice cooked in aromatic chicken fat and stock, and three punchy condiments. The secret is in the stock — it seasons both the chicken and the rice. This version serves 4.

Ingredients

For the chicken & stock

• 1 whole chicken (~1.3 kg), giblets removed
• 4 cm piece ginger, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 spring onions, cut into lengths
• 2 tsp fine salt, plus more for the water
• Ice bath (bowl of ice water) for shocking the chicken

For the rice

• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
• 2 tbsp rendered chicken fat (or neutral oil)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cm piece ginger, minced
• 2½ cups reserved chicken stock (hot)
• ½ tsp salt

For the chili sauce

• 4 red chilies, deseeded for less heat
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2.5 cm ginger
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp reserved chicken stock
• ¼ tsp salt

For the ginger-scallion sauce

• 50 g ginger, finely grated
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp neutral oil, heated until shimmering
• ¼ tsp salt

To finish

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce + 1 tsp dark soy, mixed (the “seasoned soy” dip)
• Cucumber slices, coriander, reserved chicken fat for gloss

Method

1. Poach the chicken

Bring a pot of water large enough to submerge the chicken to a rolling boil. Rub the chicken cavity with salt. Lower the chicken in, return to a boil, then add ginger, garlic and spring onion. Lower to a bare simmer and poach 40–45 minutes, flipping once halfway, until the thigh hits 74°C. Lift the chicken out and plunge into the ice bath 10 minutes — this sets the skin and keeps it juicy. Reserve all the stock.

2. Cook the rice

Heat chicken fat in a pot over medium heat. Fry garlic and ginger until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the rinsed rice and stir 1 minute to coat. Pour in the hot chicken stock and salt, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and steam 12–15 minutes. Rest off heat 10 minutes, then fluff.

3. Make the dips

Chili sauce: blend chilies, garlic, ginger, lime, stock and salt to a rough paste. Ginger-scallion sauce: combine grated ginger and scallion, pour over shimmering oil, stir in salt. Mix the light + dark soy for the seasoned dip.

4. Carve & plate

Chop the chicken through the bone (or slice if preferred), brush with a little reserved chicken fat, and fan over cucumber. Serve with a mound of rice, the three sauces, and coriander. Done.

Cook’s notes

• Use the stock for the rice and the chili sauce — it’s the flavour backbone.
• Resting the chicken in the ice bath is non-negotiable for that snappy, gelatinous skin.
• Leftover rice fries beautifully into chicken-rice patties the next day.