Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice, considered to be one of the national dishes of Singapore.

Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of my favorite dishes. It is also one of the first Singaporean dishes that I attempted to make on my own here in Houston. I have made it many times for my family and friends and they absolutely love it. 
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A classic Singaporean dish, it is adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from the Hainan province in South China. The rice is cooked in chicken stock with garlic bulbs, ginger and pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), each ingredient with its own unique flavor. When they all come together, the end result is a savory and fragrant rice. There is just something about the flavorful rice that you serve with the tender chicken meat, which was poached in sub-boiling temperature, along with an aromatic sauce. And not forgetting the simple but essential condiments. For such a simple street-food dish, you'd be surprised at how each element could play such an important part to the whole dining experience. 

Hainanese Chicken Rice
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from cookbook "Singapore Hawker Food" by Jimmy Chua

Recipe
Chicken Rice Chilli Sauce
90 g Red Chillies (rinsed and patted dry) (I used chilli padi)
15 g Garlic (skinned)
50 g Ginger (skinned)
1 tsp Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
60 g Lime (juiced)
50 ml Chicken Stock

Chicken
1 Whole Chicken (approx. 3.5 lbs)
3 ltr Water

Sauce
90ml Chicken Stock
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
3 tsp Sesame Oil
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
3 tsp Shallot Oil

Fragrant Rice
450g (approx 2 1/4 cup) Uncooked Rice (rinsed and drained)
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
1 tbsp Chopped Shallots
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 Garlic Bulb (with skin on)
1 bunch Pandan Leaves (screwpine leaves)

Seasoning
600ml Chicken Stock
1 tsp Salt
2 oz piece of Ginger (smashed)
1 tbsp Chicken Stock Powder

Cooking Method
1. Prepare Chilli Sauce first (or it can be prepared a day in advance and kept refrigerated). Blend the red chillies, ginger and garlic until it is fine. Add sugar, salt, lime juice and chicken stock. Blend to mix well.
2. Place chicken in a pot and cover it with water. Bring it to a boil and leave it to boil for 5 min. Turn heat to a low simmer and leave chicken in water for 30 min. (More time will be needed for larger chickens) Remove chicken and place it in iced water for 30 min.
3. Heat oil and stir fry shallots and garlic until it is fragrant. Add rice and mix well. Place rice mixture into rice cooker. Add seasoning, garlic bulb and pandan leaves. Cook according to rice cooker instructions or until cooked. Remove garlic bulb, pandan leaves and ginger pieces before serving.
4. Cut chicken and pour sauce over it. Serve with fragrant rice, chilli sauce and dark soy sauce. Garnish with cilantro and cucumbers.

Serves 4 to 6

This is an updated post that was originally posted on 9/27/2016.