Hainanese chicken rice with chilli

Chicken poached in a flavourful stock, served with rice boiled in a similar liquid: Hainanese chicken rice is one of Singapore's most iconic dishes. This comforting recipe uses a chicken maryland and lots of chilli for spice.

Credit: Lee Chan's World Food Tour

• serves

  1

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 litres water
• 7 spring onions stems
• 1 knob ginger
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 chicken frames
• 1 cup (250 ml) light soy sauce
• 1 cup (250 ml) shaoxing wine
• 1 chicken maryland, bones removed
• 1 cup rice
• 4 long red chillies
• 2 birdseye chillies
• ½ lime, juiced
• pinch of sugar
• 1 bunch coriander
• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ cup peanut oil
• cucumber slices, to serve

Instructions

1. Place 2 litres water in a large saucepan. Add 3 spring onion stems, 2 thick ginger slices and 3 garlic cloves.
2. Rub some of the salt into chicken frames, inside and out. Add to water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
3. Strain stock and divide evenly between two saucepans.
4. Add soy sauce, shaoxing wine and ¼ cup salt to one pan of stock. Stir and bring to the boil.
5. Add maryland. Simmer for 10 minutes, turn off heat off and let it cook with residual heat.
6. Meanwhile, very finely chop 1 slice of ginger and 1 garlic clove.
7. Add 1 tbsp oil to a hot wok (not too hot, or oil will burn). Add garlic and ginger. Stir.
8. Add rice to wok and stir through. Add a pinch of salt and transfer to a rice cooker. Add 1 cup chicken stock from the second pan to rice cooker. Start rice cooker.
9. Combine chillies, 4 garlic cloves, lime juice, a pinch of salt, sugar and 30 ml chicken stock in a food processor. Process until a thin consistency, then pour into side dish.
10. Cut 4 thick slices of ginger, and finely chop. Finely chop 4 spring onion stems. Finely chop coriander and mix with ginger and spring onion. Transfer to a side dish and add 1 tbsp salt
11. Heat peanut oil in a clean saucepan. Add to coriander sauce and mix through.
12. Place a little stock and chopped spring onion in a side dish for serving.
13. Remove maryland from pan. Slice and place on a plate. Add cucumber to plate. Serve chicken and sauces with rice.

 

This recipe is from Lee Chan's World Food Tour on SBS Food (Channel 33). Stream episodes via SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.