Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
1 whole chicken (about 3-4 lbs), cleaned
4 slices ginger
4 cloves garlic
4 green onions, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons salt
Ice water (for shocking the chicken)
For the Rice:
2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices ginger
2 tablespoons chicken fat or vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (reserved from poaching the chicken)
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Ginger-Garlic Sauce:
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons grated garlic
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt to taste
For the Chili Sauce:
4 red chilies, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
For the Soy Sauce Mixture:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
Garnishes:
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Sliced cucumbers

Instructions

Poach the Chicken

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the ginger slices, garlic cloves, and green onions.

Carefully lower the chicken into the pot, ensuring it is fully submerged.

Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook the chicken for about 30-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).

Remove the chicken from the pot and immediately plunge it into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and firm up the skin.

Reserve the poaching liquid for the rice and sauces.

Once cooled, rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons of salt to exfoliate the skin, then rinse off the salt and pat dry.

Prepare the Rice

In a large pan, heat the chicken fat or vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add the minced garlic and ginger slices, and sauté until fragrant.

Add the rinsed and drained rice, stirring to coat each grain with the oil.

Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook according to the rice cooker instructions.

Make the Ginger-Garlic Sauce

In a small bowl, combine the grated ginger and garlic.

Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan until hot, then pour it over the ginger and garlic mixture. Stir to combine and season with salt to taste.

Make the Chili Sauce

In a blender, combine the chopped red chilies, garlic, ginger, lime juice, sugar, and salt.

Blend until smooth, then add 1/4 cup of the reserved chicken broth to thin the sauce as needed.

Make the Soy Sauce Mixture

In a small pan, combine the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and chicken broth.

Heat until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.

Serve

Carve the chicken into serving pieces.

Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the chicken pieces.