Hainanese Chicken Rice is the National Dish of Singapore and is usually very complicated to make, but creates a velvety soft chicken with amazing rice and a variety of sauces. This is a much easier version, that may not QUITE match the full version but is still delicious and much easier.
It may look complicated, but it is essentially nothing more than cooking rice with a couple more ingredients. Don’t be intimidated!
1 cup rice
1 3/4 cup water (can use a good chicken stock if desired)
2 pieces of chicken (this used a bone-in, skin on thigh and boneless skinless breast)
Or however many can fit in the pot.
Marinade
1″ ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
3 tsp soy sauce
2 scallions, white and green, sliced thin
dash of sesame oil
Rice
1″ piece of ginger, sliced into thin ovals
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chicken stock paste
2 scallions, white and green, sliced into 1″ pieces
Garnish
Sliced cucumber
Sliced tomato
Scallion greens
Shredded carrot
Chili Crisp
Vietnamese Fish Sauce
Sambal
Whatever you like.
Put the chicken in a bowl and cover with the marinade. Make sure it is all over the chicken. Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Wash the rice until the water runs mostly clear.
Toss rice in a rice cooker or pot with heavy bottom and lid, add water.
Add the “rice ingredients”
Place chicken pieces on top.
Cook in rice cooker according to directions.
If using a pot, bring water to a boil then move to a burner on low heat. Cook for about 35 minutes. Check after 20 minutes for doneness. You want to slightly overcook the rice so it starts to toast the bottom.
Once done, transfer chicken to cutting board. Dig around in the rice and remove the pieces of ginger.
Carefully remove the bone, if any, and slice the chicken into long strips.
Spoon the rice into a small bowl and then invert onto a plate to make a nice mound.
Add sliced chicken to plate.
Add garnish.
