Singapore-Style Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

Step 1

Wash the rice and soak for 20 mins, then drain dry for another 20 mins and set aside. Peel the garlic and ginger. Grate the ginger and chop the garlic, then set aside.

Step 2

Clean the chicken and cut off the fats. (see tips)

Step 3

Wash the 2 bundles of spring onions. Cut off the white sections and set aside. Cut the green sections into small pieces and place in a large bowl, and refrigerate.

Step 4

With the aromatics, wash the pandan leaves and fold it up into 2 bundles. Peel and cut 6 slices of ginger. then set aside.

Step 5

Insert the 6 slices of ginger, the white section of the spring onion and 1 bundle of pandan leaves into the cavity of the chicken. Use a few tooth picks to seal up the cavity to prevent the stuffing from falling out during cooking.

Step 6

Wash and remove the stalks from the big chilli and chilli padi. Then peel the ginger and the garlic. Cut the lime and squeeze the juice.

Step 7

Add the big chilli, chilli padi, ginger and garlic to a blender and blend finely.

Step 8

Transfer the blended spices to a small bowl, then add in the lime juice and the rest of the Chilli Sauce Ingredients in group (c).

Step 9

Add all the Dipping Sauce Ingredients in (e) and mix well.

Step 10

Wash the parsley and cucumber. Next slice the cucumber thinly. Refrigerate both until later use.

Step 11

Add 3 litres of water to the tall pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, hold the chicken by the neck and dunk the whole chicken in and out of the boiling water 3 times. On the final dunk, finally immerse the whole chicken into the water and cover the pot. (see tips to know why)

Step 12

Once the water is boiling (about 5 mins), turn the heat to low. Let the chicken simmer for another 10 mins, then turn off the heat but do NOT open the cover. Let the chicken continue to stew in the hot water for another 35 mins.

Step 13

Meanwhile, prepare a large basin of ice water. Once the chicken is cooked, use a pair of chopsticks to lift it out of the pot from under the wings, then  plunge it into the ice water for about 20 mins.

Step 14

Remove the chicken and transfer onto a plate. Rub the whole chicken with 2 TBsp sesame oil. Measure out 3 cups of the chicken stock for cooking the rice, then freeze up the rest for another day.

Step 15

While the chicken is cooking, add 3 tbsp of oil to a wok and fry the chicken fats to extract the chicken oil. Remove and discard the crispy chicken fats once they turns golden brown.

Step 16

Add in the grated ginger and chopped garlic prepared earlier and fry till aromatic. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Once aromatic, immediately add in the washed and drained rice and the 1 1/2 tsp of salt, then mix well.

Step 17

Transfer the rice mixture into the rice cooker. Pour in the 3 cups of chicken stock. Place the second bundle of pandan on top of the rice and cook for extra fragrance.

Step 18

One the rice is cooked, remove the pandan leaves and loosen the rice with a pair of chopstick.

Step 19

In  a sauce pan, heat up 10 TBsp of oil over high heat. Once it starts to smoke, pour it over all the spring onion evenly and you will hear a sizzling sound. That's when the aromatic smell emerges from the spring onion.

Step 20

By now, the chicken should be done. Remove the stuffing from the chicken, chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate. Pour the dipping sauce over the chicken (optional). Garnish with parsley and cucumber and serve with the chicken rice, dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and spring onion oil

Step 21

Remove the skin of the carrot and slice it thinly.

Step 22

Take 5 cabbage leaves, wash  and cut into chunks.

Step 23

Bring to a boil the remaining of the chicken stock over high heat. Add in the cabbage, carrot  and chicken feet and continue to boil for about 10 mins over medium heat until the cabbage is soft.  Add salt to taste. Serve the soup together with the chicken rice.