Authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice made easy! Follow this step-by-step recipe for tender chicken, aromatic rice, and the best homemade chili sauce ever.

Introduction
Hainanese Chicken Rice is a cherished dish across Southeast Asia, especially in Singapore and Malaysia. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know I share a lot of chicken rice recipes—it’s no secret that it’s one of my all-time favorites!
This iconic dish is the epitome of comfort food, featuring tender poached chicken, aromatic rice, and a vibrant chili sauce. Despite my many takes on it, I realized I’ve never shared a truly ‘classic’ version. So here it is—my ultimate recipe for Hainanese Chicken Rice! This version stays true to tradition, starting with poaching a whole chicken and using the flavourful stock to bring every element of the dish together.
Whether you’re an experienced cook or trying this for the first time, this recipe will guide you in making restaurant-worthy Hainanese Chicken Rice right in your own kitchen.
Want to get straight to the recipe? Scroll all the way to the end of the post!
What is Hainanese Chicken Rice?
Hainanese Chicken Rice originated from Hainan, China, but it has become a culinary hallmark of Southeast Asia. The dish features:
- Tender, poached chicken with silky skin
- Fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat and stock
- A tangy chilli sauce that adds brightness to the meal
Served with a bowl of light chicken broth and garnished with fresh herbs and cucumbers, it’s a complete meal that’s both satisfying and elegant.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simply Authentic Flavours: Enjoy the perfect harmony of savory and aromatic notes, all created with simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Easy and Approachable: Classic chicken rice might seem daunting, but this recipe simplifies it with clear, step-by-step instructions for every component.
- Comforting yet impressive: Perfect for both weeknight dinners and special occasions.
Key Ingredients for Hainanese Chicken Rice

For the Chicken:
- Whole Chicken: The star of the dish, poached to tender perfection.
- Coarse Salt: This is used to polish the surface of the chicken for that signature smooth skin. You will need a coarse salt such as sea salt and Himalayan pink salt for proper exfoliation.
- Ginger and Garlic: Aromatic staples for poaching the chicken and enhancing the stock! Generally, an equal amount of ginger and garlic is used.
- Scallions / Spring Onions / Green Onions: The three can be used interchangeably. Purists will say this is not essential, but these add a layer of flavour to the stock with not much additional effort. The whites are used, while the greens are chopped as garnish.
For the Rice:
- Jasmine Rice: Light and fluffy, ideal for absorbing flavours.
- Chicken Skin and Fat: This renders down to chicken oil to add richness and a signature aroma. This makes the rice a sinful treat, but it’s SO GOOD. If you have chicken fat on hand, you can use that. Alternatively, neutral oil works.
- Ginger and Garlic: Ginger and garlic makes an appearance in the rice preparation too.
- Chicken Stock: The base for cooking the rice, infusing it with depth! This stock is the chicken poaching liquid.
The Chili Sauce:
- Fresh Red Chilies: Provide heat and vibrancy! Any medium heat chillies will work, I used Spur chillies. Fresno and Serrano will work too.
- Bird’s Eye Chillies: You can stop at the fresh red chillies, but for an even better kick, add 1-2 stalks of bird’s eye chilli.
- Ginger and Garlic: Surprise, surprise! To create a cohesive flavour profile across the dish.
- Chicken Stock: Using the same chicken stock or chicken poaching liquid creates a cohesive profile across the dishes!
- Lime Juice and Vinegar: The much-needed tang in the chilli sauce! Balances the spice with a touch of acidity.
- Sugar: Sugar will also balance out the spice from the chillies.
NOTE: See my post on ‘Best Sauces for Chicken Rice’ for more chicken rice sauce options!
The Role of Chicken Stock
The chicken stock is the heart and soul of Hainanese Chicken Rice. It not only poaches the chicken but also serves as:
- The base for the rice
- A key ingredient in the chili sauce
- A light soup accompaniment: Completing the meal with a comforting, flavourful broth.
Ginger and garlic feature prominently in all three components, creating a unifying thread that ties the dish together and enhances its aroma.
Key Steps to Making Hainanese Chicken Rice
1. Ingredient Prep

Prepare three sets of ginger and garlic for the three separate components:
- Chicken & Chicken Rice: Peel ginger and cut into large slices. Peel garlic and mash with the back of the knife, so that the garlic is still whole.
- Chilli Sauce: Peel ginger, and roughly chop for easier blending.
Prepare two sets of spring onions:
- Chicken: Cut off the roots of the spring onions. Separate the whites and the greens, keeping them in large chunks.
- Chicken Rice: Cut off the roots of the spring onions. Cut off the white portion, and set aside. Chop the remaining greens for garnishing. If there are any extra greens, reserve them to add to the chicken stock.
- Chilli Sauce: Roughly chop the the red chillies for easier blending. Cut and squeeze lime.
2. Prepare the Chicken

- Cut off any excess skin or fat off the chicken and set aside for the chicken rice.
- Exfoliate the chicken skin by rubbing it with salt to remove any impurities and smoothen the skin, then rinse and pat dry. This step ensures smooth, taut skin after cooking.
3. Poaching the Chicken

- Add the chicken to a large pot. Add ginger, garlic, and whites of spring onions to the water. Fill with water. Turn on the heat and let this come up to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and poach for 50 to 1 hour minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Skim off impurities as they surface.
- Halfway through, option to flip the chicken over to the other side for even cooking. Add the remaining spring onion stalks for extra flavour.
- Check doneness by piercing the thickest part of the thigh—the juices should run clear, and the internal temperature should reach 165°F (75°C). Another way to tell that the chicken is cooked through, is to see that the chicken joints are slightly tearing.
- Carefully remove chicken from the stock, and set aside.
- OPTIONAL: Carefully remove the chicken and immediately plunge it into a large bowl of ice water. Let it cool for 10 minutes to firm up the skin. This step creates that ‘collagen jelly’ layer between the skin and the meat.
- Reserve the poaching liquid for the rice, chilli sauce and soup to serve.
4. Make the Chicken Rice

- Add chicken skin and fat on a dry pan, and turn the heat to low. Let the chicken fat and skin render, until oil forms in the pan. The chicken skin should also start to cook in its own fat and crisp up. Use a low heat throughout. Once golden brown, remove the chicken skin. If there is not enough oil, add neutral oil.
- Add the washed rice and stir to coat every grain in the fragrant oil. Once there is no visible oil left in the pan, and the rice looks slightly translucent with a glistening oily layer, turn off the heat.

- Transfer the rice to a rice cooker. Wiggle in the sliced ginger, smashed garlic, and spring onion stalks evenly in the rice. Pour in the measured chicken stock. Cook according to the rice cooker’s instructions.
- When rice is cooked, remove the aromatics. Pour in sesame oil. Stir with a rice paddle to gently combine. Rice is ready to serve.
If cooking on the stovetop, bring the stock and rice to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Rice to water ratio for stovetop would be 1:1.5. For the two cups of rice here, use 3 cups of stock.
5. Prepare the Chili Sauce

- While the rice is cooking, add chopped red chilies, garlic, ginger, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and chicken stock to a blender. Blitz until smooth.
- Taste test. Adjust salt and sugar to taste.
6. Assemble and Serve
- Preparing the Chicken: Chop the chicken into serving pieces, ensuring clean cuts through the bone.
- Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, drizzling it with sesame oil.
- Serve with the fragrant chicken rice, chili sauce, and a side of soup (made from the reserved poaching stock). Garnish the soup with ground white pepper and chopped spring onions. Serve with fresh cilantro and sliced cucumbers.
How to Serve Hainanese Chicken Rice
- With Vegetables: Serve with a side of steamed bok choy for a complete meal.
- Platter Style: Arrange the chicken on a serving plate, drizzled with aromatic soy sauce, and garnish with cilantro. Serve the rice and chili sauce in individual bowls alongside.
- Family Style: Lay out the chicken, rice, chili sauce, and soup in the center of the table for everyone to help themselves.
Tips and Tricks
- Exfoliate the Chicken: Rubbing salt over the chicken skin before cooking ensures a smooth, taut finish.
- Control the Poaching Temperature: Keep the water at a gentle simmer to ensure the chicken stays tender.
- Ice Water Bath: Immediately plunging the cooked chicken into ice water helps lock in moisture and creates a silky skin texture.
- Chicken Fat for Rice: Render chicken skin for fat, adding unmatched fragrance and flavour to the rice.
- Taste as You Go: Adjust the chili sauce to suit your preferences.
- Stock Flavour: We kept the stock simple here, but you can boost its flavours by adding aromatics like white peppercorns or dried goji berries to the poaching liquid.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Storing
- Refrigerate leftover chicken, rice, and sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- Freeze chicken stock for up to 3 months.
Reheating
- Chicken: Gently reheat in a steamer to retain its moisture.
- Rice: Add a splash of chicken stock and warm in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Chili Sauce: Bring to room temperature or lightly warm if desired. Try not to reheat as it can turn bitter.
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