Hainanese Chicken Rice

With tender chicken, fragrant rice, and savory dipping sauce, Hainanese Chicken Rice from Hainan province in China, has captured the taste buds of food enthusiasts around the world.

Originates from Hainan, this simple and flavorful dish has become popular not only in China but also in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia, with each region adding its own unique variations and flavors to the dish.

Over the course of a few years of making this dish in my own kitchen, I’ve concluded my approaches to achieving tender chicken and elevating the rice’s flavor. So this Hainanese chicken rice recipe will be different from the most other recipes you can find online.

I’m excited to share my simple and unique method to attain golden, tender chicken infused with irresistible savory flavors.

Tips for Making Hainanese Chicken Rice

1. Use Turmeric Powder to Create a Golden Color

Traditionally, Hainanese Chicken Rice does not use turmeric powder to create a golden color. The golden color of the chicken skin in this dish primarily comes from the cooking method and the subsequent ice bath.

After the chicken is fully cooked, it is immediately immersed in ice water or a cold bath. This process will be repeated for a couple of times, known as “shocking,” helps to stop the cooking and firm up the skin.

To make things easier, a easy trick would be massaging the chicken with turmeric powder before steaming. A small dash of turmeric powder can dye the chicken thighs and rice into a yellow hue, at the same time it has a warm, earthy, and slightly spicy with a hint of citrus that can enhance the overall aroma of a dish.

Reminder: It’s advisable to wear gloves while working with turmeric powder since it can stain your hands yellow, and washing off the stains can be quite challenging.

2. Steamed Chicken vs Poached Chicken

Traditional Hainanese chicken is typically poached in simmering water with ginger, spring onions, and other spices. This poaching method helps to infuse the chicken with flavor and ensures that it is tender and moist.

Nevertheless, after trying with both poached and steamed chicken, I noticed that steamed chicken tends to exhibit greater moisture and tenderness. The steamed chicken retains its natural juices and flavors since it cooks in its own steam.

The choice between the two methods depends on your preference for flavor, texture, and the suitability of your cookware for either poaching or steaming.

3. Easy Homemade Chicken Broth

Although we don’t add any water into the pasta bowl, you will notice that as the chicken thighs undergo steaming, they will naturally release a rich, golden, and flavorful juice, which is in fact a concentrated chicken broth.

After removing the cooked chicken, carefully collect the liquid (chicken broth) that has accumulated in the small flipped bowl. This liquid is rich in chicken flavor and can be used for cooking rice.

4. Rice Cooking Techniques

We can use the chicken broth we obtained from steaming the chicken thighs to cook the rice. The chicken broth can add a rich, savory, and umami flavor to the rice, and bring a golden yellow hue to the grains

It’s important to keep in mind that the rice-to-water ratio can be vary depending on your preferred cooking method. Generally speaking, for jasmine rice, the rice to water ratio will be:

• 1:1.1 if you cook the rice in an instant pot or a rice cooker;
• 1:1.25 if you cook the rice on stovetop;
• 1: 2 if you use my microwave rice cooking method.

Check out my “How to Cook Rice in 3 different methods” post for more detailed instructions.  Be flexibility by adding water to the chicken broth to adjust the desired total liquid volume.

5. Serve the Chicken Cold

Hainanese chicken is traditionally enjoyed chilled, which results in the meat becoming exceptionally tender and acquiring a subtle gelatinous quality.

6. Sprite cucumber salad

And this cold chicken dish is often served with cool and refreshing accompaniments like cucumber slices, cilantro, and dipping sauces. These elements complement the chicken’s flavor and create a refreshing contrast.

Here’s how to make the simple and refreshing Sprite cucumber salad:

1. Wash and peel 2 cucumbers into thin slices. Place the sliced cucumber in a container.
2. Add ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 3 tbsps of rice vinegar, 3 slices of lemon, and 2 chopped chili pepper (optional) to the container. Then, pour Sprite into the container until all the cucumbers are fully submerged.
3. Cover the container and refrigerate the Sprite-marinated cucumbers for 1-2 hours. You can also marinate them overnight for even more flavor.
4. Serve the sprite cucumber salad as a side dish for Hainanese chicken rice.

EQUIPMENT

• Large pot (Or a steamer)
• Small bowl
• Large pasta bowl
• Small saucepan (For heating oil)
• Measuring cups
• Rice Cooker (For cooking rice. You can also use an instant pot or a regular pot.)

INGREDIENTS  

– For the Chicken Thighs

• 4 chicken thighs (skin-on)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 4 slices ginger
• 1 tbsp cooking wine (optional)

– Dipping Sauces

• ½ cup chopped scallions
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
• 2 tbsps chopped cilantros (optional)
• 2 chopped Thai chili pepper (optional)
• 2 tbsps vegetable oil
• 2 tbsps soy sauce

– For the Rice

• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 2⅕ cups chicken broth (*You don’t need to by boxed chicken broth. I’ll show you how to easily make it in this recipe.)
• ½ tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS 

– Prepare the Chicken Thighs

1. Take 4 boneless/bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, evenly sprinkle salt and turmeric powder on both sides of the chicken thighs. Massage the seasoning into the chicken thighs to ensure it is evenly distributed.

2. Place a small bowl upside down in the center of a large pasta bowl, place the chicken thighs around the bowl, place a slice of ginger on each chicken thigh. Optionally drizzle the chicken thighs with some cooking wine. Set the pasta bowl on a steamer (or on a steaming rack placed inside a large pot), fill it with cold water, steam over medium high heat for 30 minutes.

3. Once the chicken thighs are fully cooked, move them to a separate plate and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Once the chicken thighs are not too hot to touch, if using bone-in chicken thighs, carefully remove the bones. Then, slice the chicken thighs into 1-inch thick pieces. Cover the sliced chicken thighs with plastic wrap and refrigerate them.

– Prepare the Rice

1. Wash 2 cups of rice thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear.

2. Take the chicken broth from the pasta bowl and pour it into a measuring cup. Add enough water to the cup to make the total liquid volume reach 2⅕ cups (See note 1).

3. Transfer the washed rice to a rice cooker or an instant pot, add the chicken broth you made in previous step, and ½ tsp of salt to cook the rice.

4. After cooking, the top layer of rice may be drier while the bottom layer may be stickier. To evenly distribute the texture, use a rice spoon to fluff the cooked rice until it is well blended.

– Prepare the Dipping Sauces

1. Add chopped scallions, minced ginger, salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorns (optional), chopped cilantros (optional), and chopped Thai chili pepper (optional) into a heat-resistant bowl. Add 2 tbsps of vegetable oil into a small saucepan, heat it on stovetop until smoking hot. Carefully drizzle the hot oil over the prepared ingredients. Add 2 tbsps of soy sauce and stir thoroughly to ensure even mixing.

– Serve

1. Serve the sliced chicken thighs on a plate alongside the rice. You can either drizzle the dipping sauce over the chicken thighs or offer it separately in a small dipping dish. (It’s worth noting that Hainanese chicken is most tasty when served chilled, while the rice is at its best when served hot. It would be smart to prepare the chicken thighs the night before and cook the rice just before serving your meal.)

My other chicken recipes you will also like: