The Ultimate Hainanese Chicken Recipe 海南雞飯

The key to a good Hainanese Chicken is tender juicy meat and chewy firm skin. It should taste light even when the chicken is fatty and flavourful.

This is the most requested chicken dish at our home in hotter months. Believe me, making a Hainanese chicken is a labour of love. Though it is not difficult to make, it takes time to prep and there are steps to follow to make it just right. Once you master all the techniques, you can create this delicious wholesome meal that will have everyone asking for more any time. This Ultimate Hainanese Chicken Recipe is all you need.

This will the best recipe you will ever try. Create restaurant quality chicken right at home.

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Hainanese Chicken Recipe

Prep time, 1.5 hour Cooking time, 1 hour.

Ingredients

1 chicken, about 1 kg

4 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of cooking wine

1 thumb size piece of galangal, smashed

1 thumb size knob of ginger, smashed

1 pandan leaf

4 cloves garlic

1 stick of lemon grass, smashed

Cooking Method

1. Wash and dry the chicken. Rub the whole chicken inside and out with salt and wine.

2. Stuff the chicken with all the herbs listed. Put chicken in the fridge to marinate over night.

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3. The next day, take chicken out of the fridge and let it sit until it is close to room temperature.

4. Boil enough water in a pot to cover the whole chicken. Place chicken in the pot, boil with lid closed for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit in the pot with lid for a further 50 minutes. Save the broth to make rice.

5. Prepare a big bowl of very cold icy water. Take the chicken out the pot when it has finished cooking and plunge it into the ice water bath for 1 minute. The skin will shrink, making it firm.

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6. Remove it from the water. Dry the outside if the chicken using a cloth or paper towels. Hang it in a airy place to dry for at least 2 hours.

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7. Cut and serve

Fragrant Chicken Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cooking oil, chicken fat or coconut oil

3 shallots, cut in half

3 cloves of garlic, smashed.

2 pandan leaves, fold or knot

1 piece of lemon grass, smashed and cut into pieces about 1.5 inches.

3 cups of rice grains, cleaned and dried.

3 cups of broth from cooking the chicken.

How To Make Rice

1. Add oil or fat to a wok. Add in shallots, garlic, pandan leaves and lemon grass. Stir fry lightly until fragrant. Add in rice, stir fry and coat each grain with oil. Remove from heat.
2. Add all stir fried ingredients to a rice cooker. Add in 3 cups of chicken broth. Cook rice.
3. You can remove all the herbs before serving the rice, if you choose.

To make a simpler version of the rice by adding rice grains, oil and chicken broth to a rice cooker.

Chili Sauce Recipe

1/2 cups of red chili, chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

2 teaspoon ginger minced

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons 9f white sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Using a mortar and pestle, pound all ingredients until soft. Store sauce in the fridge over night.

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Ginger Sauce Recipe

1 cup of green onion, minced

1/4 cup of ginger minced

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, adjust to taste

1/2 cup of very hot cooking oil

Place all ingredients in a heat safe bowl and pour hot oil over it. Stir. Let it sit for a few hours before serving. Or store in the fridge over night.

Try my Easy Tofu Stir Fry

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Tips to Making the Best Chicken

• Buy the freshest chicken you can find, chilled, not frozen if possible. Preferably with yellow fat.
• The whole chicken has to be submerged in the water when cooking . Weight it down if it floats. I find that it is easier to use a high and narrow pot.
• The icy water should be very cold as we want the water to stay cold even when a hot chicken is plunged inside.
• Adjust the salt levels to your own liking. It is better to be a little over salted as the chicken is eaten cold.
• If you can’t find all the fresh herbs, just use what you can find. Or try using dry ones.

Try making Unstoppable Pepper Buns