Originates from Hainan, simple and flavorful Hainanese Chicken Rice 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. I'm excited to sharemy simple and unique method to attain golden, tender chicken infused with irresistible flavors.
Rice Cooker (For cooking rice. You can also use an instant pot or a regular pot.)
Ingredients
For the Chicken Thighs
4chicken thighs(skin-on)
½tspsalt
¼tspturmeric powder
4slicesginger
1tbspcooking wine (optional)
For the Dipping Sauces
½cupchopped scallions
2tbspminced ginger
½tspsalt
1tspsugar
½tspSichuan peppercorns(optional)
2tbspchopped cilantros(optional)
2chopped Thai chili pepper(optional)
2tbspvegetable oil
2tbspsoy sauce
For the Rice
2cupjasmine rice
2⅕cupchicken broth(*You don't need to by boxed chicken broth. I'll show you how to easily make it in this recipe.)
½tspsalt
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken Thighs
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.
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.
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
Wash 2 cups of rice thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear.
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).
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.
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
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
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.)
Video
Notes
1.Rice-to-water ratio
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.