Must-Try Hainanese Chicken Rice

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My favorite food of all time! Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients. The secret is in the broth: this is the most amazing, flavorsome Chinese chicken rice dish you've ever tried. Garnish with sliced cucumber, sprigs of spring onions, and cilantro.

Prep Time:
40 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 32 mins
Additional Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 17 mins
Servings:
4
Yield:
4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 1 whole chicken

  • 1 stalk spring onion (Optional)

  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed, or to taste

  • 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root (Optional)

  • water to cover

  • salt to taste

For the Soy Sauce:

  • 5 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 1 ½ tablespoons white sugar, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon garlic oil (Optional)

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

For the Rice:

  • 3 cups uncooked rice, or more to taste

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste

  • 1 (1 inch) piece ginger, crushed (Optional)

  • salt to taste

For the Garlic Chile Dip:

  • 5 red chile peppers, seeded and chopped

  • 2 limes, juiced

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 (1/2 inch) piece ginger (Optional)

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 1 pinch white sugar, or to taste

Ginger Dip:

  • 2 limes, juiced

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 (1 inch) piece young ginger (Optional)

  • teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Trim chicken of all excess fat, reserving fat.

  2. Place chicken, spring onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, and one 1-inch piece ginger in a large pot. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming any scum off the surface, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 1 hour.

  3. Remove chicken from the pot, reserving broth. Rub chicken with salt. Chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate.

  4. Combine soy sauce, 3 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar, garlic oil, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Drizzle over chicken pieces.

  5. Melt reserved chicken fat in a large pot over medium heat. Add rice, 3 cloves minced garlic, crushed 1-inch piece ginger, and salt; cook and stir until rice is glossy and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

  6. Pour enough reserved chicken broth into the pot to cover rice by half an inch. Cover; bring to a boil. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

  7. Combine red chile peppers, juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, one 1/2-inch piece ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 pinch sugar in a blender; blend until garlic chile dip is smooth.

  8. Combine juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, one 1-inch piece ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender; blend until ginger dip is smooth.

  9. Serve garlic chile and ginger dips alongside chicken and rice.

Cook's Notes:

You can also prepare the rice in a rice cooker in step 6.

The tangy garlic and ginger dips are traditionally part of the package, but you can omit them if you like.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

1047 Calories
30g Fat
129g Carbs
60g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 1047
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 30g 38%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 149mg 50%
Sodium 1126mg 49%
Total Carbohydrate 129g 47%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 60g 120%
Vitamin C 96mg 107%
Calcium 111mg 9%
Iron 9mg 51%
Potassium 775mg 16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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