Name: One-Pan Hainanese Chicken Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Uncooked Basmati Rice; 2.5 cups Chicken Stock (I used instant stock); 1 tbsp Sesame Oil; Chicken Oil (rendered from Chicken Skin); 2 Shallots; 3 cloves Garlic, pureed or grated; 1 inch Ginger, pureed or grated; Pandan Leaves or Screwpine Leaves (optional); 300 grams or 2 Chicken Thighs; Cilantro for garnishing; 10 Red Chillies; 10 Bird's Eye Chilies; 50g Ginger; 10 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Sugar; 4 tbsps or 50 ml of Lime Juice; 1 tsp Vinegar; 1 cup Chicken Stock

Today we’re making Hainanese Chicken Rice, a Singaporean hawker favourite. This is a simple version and you get everything in one-pan. Chicken rice is a classic Singaporean dish, and this is such a simple rendition that doesn’t lose all the familiar hawker flavours.

What Type of Chicken to Use?

In the recipe, I used bone-in chicken thighs. They are the smaller variety, and therefore able to cook fully and thoroughly in the pan. Always check that the chicken is cooked through before turning off the heat. Poke with a fork or skewer to ensure juices run clear at the thickest part.

If you want better, foolproof results, use boneless chicken parts. Boneless chicken breasts can work in this, but boneless chicken thighs will work even better as it will retain more juiciness and flavour.

Ginger and Garlic Paste

Ginger is an important ingredient for good chicken rice. It’s incorporated in the rice as well as the chilli sauce. What I do is I usually blend up equal amounts of ginger and garlic with a bit of water, and I can use it for both the rice and the chilli sauce. Optional, of course. You can also simply grate in the ginger and garlic. Even lazier?Just drop ginger chunks and smashed garlic cloves all over the rice. Make sure you give it larger chops, so that you can easily fish it out of the rice once it’s cooked. Not very fun to bite into ginger slices.

What Type of Rice for Chicken Rice?

Jasmine white rice would be best, but any rice you have will do. For the amount of stock, use in accordance to what your rice needs. If in doubt, just read your rice packet. Generally, it should be a 1:1 ratio. I used Basmati Rice, which required 2.5 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice.

The amount of time required to cook the rice also depends, but 15 minutes on low heat is a generally good timing. It would also thoroughly cook the chicken. You can score the chicken beforehand to make sure it’s a more even cook.

Make sure to check the chicken is cooked by poking a fork through. Juices should run clear and no blood should flow out. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken at the thickest portion should hit 74 degrees celcius or 165 degrees fahrenheit. If it is not cooked yet, just put back the lid and let it cook under low heat. Keep poking the chicken and checking.

Can I make this in a Rice Cooker?

If I want serve a different chicken with the chicken rice, such as my Char Siu Chicken, then you can just pop all the ingredients – sans the chicken – in a rice cooker, give it a good stir, and let it run!

It’s an even easier one-step process and is in fact, my go-to. I have a detailed recipe for this in my Rice Cooker Chicken Rice recipe.

Chili Sauce

The ingredients below are for a big batch of chilli sauce, about two cups. I make this chicken rice pretty often it’s so easy and yummy, so I like to have some chili sauce ready to go.

If you want a one-meal worth, then I portioned it all out for you, down below. For a one-meal worth, vinegar would be optional.

Give it a taste test after blending. You might need to add more sugar or more salt. This depends on how sour your lime is, and how salty your chicken stock is.

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, white pepper, and one teaspoon of sesame oil. Marinade for 15 minutes or so.
In a pan, add some oil, and searing the chicken fat or skin. Fry until it gets crispy, and remove from pan.
In the chicken fat-infused oil, add chopped onion, and the garlic ginger paste. Once it’s fragrant, I’m adding 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.
Add in washed, uncooked rice. Add in chicken stock.
Nestle the chicken with the rice. Optional to add pandan leaves or screwpine leaves.
Let it come to a boil, before lowering the heat to a simmer. Put a lid and let the chicken and rice cook, for about 12-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the chili sauce. Simply blend together all the ingredients.
After 15 minutes, the rice and chicken should be cooked. Serve with the chilli sauce.