Hainanese chicken rice recipe

Chicken poached below a simmer and plunged into ice water for its jelly-like skin, served with rice cooked in the rendered chicken fat and the poaching stock with garlic and pandan.

2 hoursmedium12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 100 g chicken fat
• 600 g jasmine rice
• 2 pandan leaves
• 60 g fresh ginger
• 7 clove garlic
• 6 long red chilies
• 2 limes
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 cucumber
• 1 tbsp salt

How to make Hainanese chicken rice

1. Pull the lumps of fat from the cavity of a 1.6 kg chicken and set them aside (you need about 100 g; ask the butcher for extra if needed), rub the bird with 1 tbsp salt, rinse it and slip 60 g sliced ginger inside.
2. Lower the chicken into a large pot of boiling water (about 4 litres), bring it back just to a simmer, then lower the heat so the water barely trembles and poach for 20 minutes; turn off the heat, cover and let it steep for 40 to 45 minutes.
3. Lift the chicken into a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes to set the skin into a thin jelly, then drain it and brush it with ½ tsp sesame oil; keep the poaching stock.
4. Render the chopped chicken fat in a wok over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes and discard the solids, fry 3 minced garlic cloves for 1 minute, then add 600 g washed and drained jasmine rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until every grain is coated.
5. Transfer the rice to a pot with 875 ml hot poaching stock, 2 knotted pandan leaves and 1 tsp salt, cover and cook on low heat for 11 to 12 minutes, then leave to rest off the heat for 5 minutes.
6. For the chili sauce, pound 6 long red chilies, 60 g ginger and 4 garlic cloves into a coarse paste, then add the juice of 2 limes, 1 tbsp stock and salt to taste.
7. Mix 2 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sesame oil and 100 ml stock, chop the chicken into pieces, spoon this dressing over it and serve with the rice, 1 sliced cucumber, the chili sauce and a bowl of hot stock.

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