After my trip to Singapore, I think I’ve learnt what it takes to make a great Hainanese chicken rice at home. So in this episode, I’m going to take you through the steps to master this iconic dish. Get ready for juicy chicken, epic rice and some iconic sauces.
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Ingredients for Chicken:
– 1 large whole chicken (about 1.7 kg)
– 5cm fresh unpeeled ginger, crushed
– 4 cloves garlic, crushed
– 1/2 bunch spring onion greens
– 2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp MSG
– 1 tbsp sesame oil
– 1 chicken carcass or 4 chicken wings
– Extra chicken fat to render (you’ll need around 1/2 a cup of rendered fat in total)
– 1 tsp salt
Method:
1. To begin, prepare the chicken by trimming off any extra fat, reserving it for the rice. Rub the chicken in salt and leave it at room temperature whilst the poaching pot heats up.
2. Place all the chicken fat in a pot with some added peanut oil if needed, and render on low heat for 20 mins. Retain this as it will be used for both the green sauce and rice.
3. In a large pot, bring water to a light simmer and add the ginger, garlic, spring onion greens, salt, and MSG.
4. Add the chicken to the pot. Dunk the chicken 3 times to replace the water in the cavity so it heats evenly. Ensure it’s fully submerged in the broth. Let it simmer for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure the water is simmering, not boiling.
5. Once cooked, have a large bowl of ice-cold water ready. Dunk the cooked chicken into it to halt the cooking and develop the gelatinous layer under the skin. Leave for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken from the cold water and hang it to dry.
7. Gently brush the skin with sesame oil to prevent it from drying out.
8. Retain the broth for the rice and sauces.
9. Carve the chicken and serve with the sauces and rice.
Ingredients for Chilli Sauce:
– thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated
– 4 cloves garlic, grated
– 6 bird’s eye chillies, sliced
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp sugar
– juice of a lime
– 100ml chicken broth from the pot (adjust quantity to desired consistency)
Method:
1. Combine garlic, ginger, chilli, salt, and sugar in a mortar and pestle, grinding until smooth.
2. Add the lime juice followed by the chicken stock, stirring continuously. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Ingredients for Spring Onion Sauce:
– 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
– 1 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp sugar
– 4 spring onions (white end only), finely diced
– 2 tbsp chicken fat
Method:
1. Add the grated ginger, spring onions, salt, and sugar into a mortar and pestle. Pound until it reaches a smooth consistency, then drizzle with the hot chicken fat.
Ingredients for Rice:
– 600g jasmine rice
– 3 shallots, thinly sliced
– 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
– 6 tbsp chicken fat
– optional: 2 pandan leaves (add if available)
Method:
1. Pour chicken fat into a pot over medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Rinse the rice multiple times.
3. Once the onions and garlic are prepared, combine with the washed rice in the pot, stirring well. Transfer the mixture to a rice cooker.
4. Top up with chicken broth so that it’s about 1 knuckle deep above the rice level. If using pandan leaves, introduce them now.
5. Cook as per the rice cooker’s instructions.
6. Serve the rice alongside the carved chicken and sauces. Enjoy!
