Malaysian Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe
Malaysian Hainanese chicken rice recipe features tender and juicy poached chicken, slightly oily fragrant rice accompanied with ginger sauce, cucumber slices, chilli sauce, and soy sauce.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1.5 kg chicken
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 knob ginger smashed
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 stalk spring onion white part only
- 10 cups water
For the Rice:
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 3 tbsp chicken fat reserved from poaching
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 stalk pandan leaf knotted
- 3 cups chicken broth reserved from poaching
- salt to taste
Ginger sauce for Hainanese chicken rice
- ½ cup ginger finely grated
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup chicken broth
Instructions
Preparing the chicken:
- Wash the chicken thoroughly and remove any giblets. Pat it dry with paper towels.
- Rub the chicken generously with salt and sesame oil. Make sure to get the seasoning under the skin as well otherwise all the chicken would not have the same taste.
- In a large pot pour water and then add the smashed ginger, garlic cloves, and the white part of the spring onion. Bring the water to a boil.
- Gently put the chicken into the boiling broth.
- Reduce the heat to a low level. Cover the pot, and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stab the thickest part of the thigh with a fork, if the juices run clear, the chicken is done. If not give some more time to get the chicken done.
- Remove the chicken from the broth and immediately throw it into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This would also help to keep the skin firm, rigid and juicy. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Strain the chicken broth and save 3 cups for cooking the rice. Skim off and keep 3 tablespoons of chicken fat for added flavor.
Cooking the Rice:
- Rinse the rice thoroughly and drain well.
- In a large pot or rice cooker, heat the chicken fat that you saved from poaching the chicken. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the rice and stir it gently. Mix all the fat and aromatics with rice. Pour in the reserved chicken broth from poaching and add the knotted pandan leaf. Season with salt to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover the rice and let them simmer until the rice are cooked and fluffy. It would take about 15-20 minutes.
Making ginger sauce for Hainanese chicken rice:
- In a bowl, combine the grated ginger, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and chicken broth. Mix well so that the sugar dissolves completely.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the ingredients according to your taste preference. You can add more soy sauce for saltiness, vinegar for acidity, or sugar for sweetness.
Serve the Malaysian Hainanese chicken rice:
- Remove the skin from the chicken and chop it into bite-sized pieces. You can also shred the chicken if you prefer.
- Make a bed of fragrant rice, and put some chicken over it accompanied by the ginger sauce. You can garnish with sliced cucumber and fresh cilantro for a pop of color and freshness. Enjoy your delicious homemade Malaysian Hainanese Chicken Rice!