Hainanese Chicken Rice 海南鸡饭

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 whole fresh chicken

  about 1.2 to 2 kg, at room temperature
• 100 g fresh ginger

  washed, peeled, cut into chunks
• ½ – 2 tbsp  salt

  season to taste 
• 1-2 tbsp  sesame oil
• 4 litres water

  enough to cover the chicken
• 5 sprigs  scallions

  washed and root removed, cut into 3 parts
• 3 cups Premium Thai jasmine rice
• 5 cloves garlic

  peeled and crushed
• 100 g fresh ginger

  washed, peeled, cut into chunks
• 5-6 pandan leaves

  washed
• 3-4 tbsp chicken fat oil

  using fats from the chicken
• Salt

  optional, season to taste
• 3 ¾ cups chicken stock

  from poaching the chicken
• 80 g fresh ginger

  washed, peeled, cut into small pieces
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 sprig scallion

  washed and cut into small pieces
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

  heated in pan
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock

  from poaching chicken
• 5-6 red chillies or birds-eye chillies

  washed and cut into smaller pieces
• 100 g fresh ginger

  washed, peel, sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic

  peeled
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup chicken stock

  from poaching chicken
• Juice freshly squeezed from 1-2 limes

  season to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

  smoking hot
• 1-2 sprigs Parsley or coriander

  washed
• 1-2 cucumbers

  washed and sliced thinly
• Dark soy sauce

  served as a condiment

Instructions

• 1 Wash the chicken clean. Remove the fat deposits from inside the cavity of the
  chicken, near the tail. 
• 2 Rub the chicken with salt all over and leave it aside for 15 minutes before
  washing the salt off.  
• 3 Wash and remove roots of 5 scallions, optional to cut into shorter pieces. Wash,
  peel and cut 100g fresh ginger into chunks.
• 4 Add scallions and ginger to a pot of 4 litres of water. Add 1/2 to 2 tbsp salt,
  season to taste.
  
  Bring to boil over high heat. Then reduce to very low simmering heat. Add the
  chicken breast side down, dipping the chicken in and out of the water a few
  times in the beginning. Water should cover chicken thoroughly. Let it boil for
  about 5 minutes.
• 5 Once boiled, reduce the heat to the lowest so that the water is just steaming
  and not boiling. Cover and let it cook for about 45 minutes until internal
  temperature reaches at least 74C / 165F (thickest part of the meat). During the
  cooking, lift the chicken in and out a few times to change the liquid in the
  chicken’s cavity. Set the chicken stock aside.
• 6 Once cooked, transfer the chicken into a large bowl of ice water for at least 15
  – 20 minutes, enough to cover the whole chicken. This will stop the chicken from
  cooking further and also give the skin a nice jelly-like texture. Then remove
  from the ice water and set aside.
• 7 Rub the skin all over with 1-2 tbsp of sesame oil and set aside to chop and
  serve later.
• 8 Wash 3 cups of rice under running water a couple of times until the water turns
  as clear as possible. It should take about 5-6 times.
• 9 Wash and peel and cut 100g fresh ginger into big chunks. Peel and crush 5 garlic
  cloves.
• 10 Fry the chicken fat in a frying pot (I used a stainless steel pot) over very low
  heat to render until it turns crispy and the oil is separated.
  
  Note: if there is not enough chicken fat, you can add a neutral-flavoured oil
  and fry the chicken fat with the oil.
• 11 Turn heat up to medium. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until aromatic. 
• 12 Add the rice and stir fry for about 2 minutes, making sure the rice is evenly
  coated with the oil.
• 13 Add 3 3/4 cups of chicken stock (1 cup rice: 1.25 cups stock), and 5-6 knotted
  pandan leaves, cover and bring to boil.
  
  Optional to add salt to season.
  
  Once boiled, reduce the heat to simmering, leaving it covered.
  
  Once you can no longer see any water bubbling, turn off the heat and leave the
  pot covered for at least 15-20 minutes. 
• 14 Remove the pandan leaves and fluff the rice with a fork.
  
  Leave it covered until ready to serve.
• 15 Wash and peel 100g fresh ginger and cut into small pieces.
  
  Wash and cut off stem of 5-6 chillies, cut chillies into small pieces.
  
  Peel 5-6 garlic cloves.
• 16 Blend the chilli, ginger, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt until it's a smooth paste. 
  
  Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock.
  
  Squeeze fresh juice from 1-2 limes, season to taste according to your
  preference.
• 17 Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a small saucepan until smoking hot, then pour the
  oil over the chilli mixture.
• 18 Stir and set aside until ready to serve.
• 19 Wash and peel 80g fresh ginger and cut into small pieces.
  
  Wash and remove roots of 1 sprig scallion and cut into small pieces
• 20 Blend the ginger, scallion and 1/2 tsp salt into a rough pesto paste. 
• 21 Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a small saucepan until smoking hot, then pour the
  oil over the ginger mixture.
• 22 Stir and set aside until ready to serve.
• 23 Combine 1 tbsp sesame oil, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 cup chicken stock and stir
  well.
• 24 Drizzle the sauce over chicken to serve.
• 25 Use parsley or coriander, and sliced cucumber to garnish the chicken.
  
  Serve warm with rice and the condiment sauces – chilli sauce, ginger scallion
  pesto, black soy sauce.
  
  Serve the chicken stock as soup. Serve the soup as is, add coriander or parsley
  as garnish. Or add chopped cabbage and carrots, bring to a boil until vegetable
  softened.  

Nutrition Info