Hainanese Chicken Rice
Poached chicken with fragrant ginger-scallion oil and fluffy rice cooked in chicken stock. A classic Singapore dish that's elegant yet simple, ready in under an hour.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 620
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb chicken, bone-in and skin-on (thighs or breast quarters)
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2.5 oz ginger, divided
- 4 whole scallions, divided
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels on all sides, then season inside and out with salt and pepper.
- 2
Peel the ginger and cut 1 ounce into thin slices; set aside for poaching. Mince the remaining 1.5 ounces into pencil-tip-sized pieces.
- 3
Cut 2 scallions lengthwise from root to tip, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces; reserve for garnish. Chop the other 2 scallions into thin rings.
- 4
Smash the garlic cloves by laying the flat side of a knife on each one and pressing down with your hand until the clove cracks open.
- 5
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water, stirring gently with your fingers for 30 seconds until the water runs mostly clear.
- 6
Fill a 4-quart pot with water to about 2 inches above the rim and bring to a boil over high heat, about 8 minutes.
- 7
Add the sliced ginger and smashed garlic to the boiling water, then gently lower the chicken into the pot.
- 8
Return the water to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot halfway with a lid.
- 9
Poach the chicken for 20 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- 10
Remove the chicken with tongs and transfer to a cutting board; reserve 1.5 cups of cooking liquid in a measuring cup.
- 11
Heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers, about 60 seconds.
- 12
Add the rinsed rice to the hot oil and stir constantly for 2 minutes until it turns translucent at the edges, like frosted glass.
- 13
Pour in the 1.5 cups of reserved chicken cooking liquid and stir once, then bring to a boil over high heat, about 2 minutes.
- 14
Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan tightly with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
- 15
Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork by lifting from the bottom.
- 16
Heat 3 tablespoons of neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 90 seconds.
- 17
Remove from heat, then stir in the minced ginger and chopped scallions; the oil will foam slightly as you stir.
- 18
Cut the poached chicken into bite-sized pieces by slicing against the grain; discard the skin if desired.
- 19
Divide the rice between 2 bowls and mound the chicken pieces on top of each.
- 20
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of ginger oil over each bowl, then scatter the reserved scallion pieces on top.
- 21
Serve with a small bowl of soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon sesame oil on the side for dipping.
Tools you’ll need
- 4-quart pot with lid
- medium saucepan with tight-fitting lid
- small saucepan
- fine-mesh strainer
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- instant-read thermometer
- tongs
- fork
- measuring cup
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
