Serving from my kitchen is one home-style creation - not lacking in authenticity, yet not-as-complicated. A delicious plate of chicken rice. Preparing and cooking chicken rice requires some patience, time and hard work. It's not just any chicken with rice.
In the very basics, chicken rice should come with (1) chicken-stock flavored rice; (2) quintessential moist juicy chicken cooked to perfection; and (3) spicy chili condiment that makes you go woos-ahs-hooking "what is chicken rice without the chili sauce? "
Chicken Rice
First, the rice:
Made from the same stock used to poach/cook the chicken(below), ginger and scallions were also added to the same stock while poaching the chicken. When cooking the rice with chicken stock, finely minced garlic was added as well. You will get aromatic chicken rice!
Then, comes the chicken:
I would say this is the most patience-testing part in making chicken rice. I used Chubby Hubby's chicken rice post as a guide. This method works perfect! Succulent moist juicy chicken. Basically, you should never allow the chicken to come to a boil - Bring a pot of water with ginger and scallions to boil. Then completely immerse the chicken into the pot, turn off heat immediately, cover the pot and leave to stand for about 1 hour(with an interim step at approx. the 30th minute). Since I used chicken drumsticks, I did not have the "cavity" problem as opposed to handling whole chicken. After about 30 minutes, the "water" or rather chicken stock, with the immersed chicken should be re-heated to almost boiling point, then again turn off the heat and left standing for the remaining 30 minutes of that 1 hour. My term for cooking chicken this way? - CHICKEN SPA TREATMENT!
Of course, some say the MOST AUTHENTIC Hainanese Chicken Rice has to use 文昌鸡 (Wen Chang chicken) - from Wenchang City, Hainan Island. Wenchang is the source from where most overseas Hainanese migrated. Majority of Singapore's Hainanese population has ancestral roots in Wenchang. Maybe that's what made Hainanese chicken rice such a popular and national dish in Singapore.
Not forgetting the chili sauce:
The chicken rice chilli sauce is typically concocted from fresh chilli, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sugar and salt. Sometimes, the Hainanese has grated ginger as an additional condiment as well.
To add variety, color and some refreshing vegetables for my home-style chicken rice:
Broccolini was blanched and drizzled with some oyster sauce, and not forgetting tomatoes! Though I have completely emptied everything on the plate into my stomach while I am writing this, I felt hungry again after looking at it :O
Don't you think chicken rice is not as unhealthy as it seems?
A wholesome, colorful, tasty meal of delicious aromatic chicken rice with that succulent tender chicken, just a spoonful away :)
I know most of you went for the crispy chicken wings when there was a choice between roasted vs chicken-cooked-this-way. But if it's cooked this way, would you like some?
Tuck in, and enjoy! :D
Tag: chicken rice, rice, singapore, hainanese chicken rice
I first had chicken rice in Malaysia, and it seems quite similar to this. Yours is presented beautifully, too, with such pretty garnishes.
ReplyDeleteChicken rice!!!!!!! My absolute absolute fav food!!! Yum Yum.
ReplyDeleteWish you could see a "flooding" scene on my desk :) That's already started just by reading the rice preparation!
ReplyDelete"Spa"... ha, a good one!
What a balanced dinner!
ReplyDeleteTigerfishy,
ReplyDeleteYou forgot the best part. Boiling the rice in that chicken stock.
Oh lovely! You know chicken rice is my all-time fav, too? :D
ReplyDeleteThat sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteBack in the days when I was cooking more Chinese food I made Drunken Chicken - and, you just now reminded me, I cooked that much the same way, putting boiling stock and then letting it sit for ann hour. It was so tender. Must get out 1001 Chinese Recipes cookbook!
Where is your shrimp balls? Quickly post and we can compare recipe.
ReplyDeleteWow~how long it took you from beginning till end?
ReplyDeleteI wanna eat it so bad!
when u say fresh chili sauce, is it a regular chili sauce or an asian one and if so, is it the spicy asian one?
ReplyDeleteThat is a great looking plate of food!
ReplyDeletewow..one thing is for sure..im sure they dont garnish their chicken rice with cherries and brocollini..but instead they hv some humble cucumbers haha..
ReplyDeletenicely done..althought what happened to the chicken skin???
Been wanting to try my hands on making hainanese chicken rice for a while not, just been intimidated by the tedious process involved. You make it sound so easy I just might give it a shot one day. Your pics look very yummy too :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed, one of my favourite dishes!! I used to fry the rice for a short while before cooking it in the chicken stock. But have been lazy recently - been buying them coz its so convenient and easily obtainable here in singapore!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm soooo happy that the recipe worked for you. Chicken rice is one of our favourite D-I-Y foods.
Cheers,
Aun
I tried to make the chicken rice sometime ago and it was really lovely, except it was a bit burn at the bottom of the pan (I don't have a rice cooker).
ReplyDeleteI never tried the chicken rice in Singapore. Hope I can try it one day if I go there...
Omg, that's what my grandma does too when she cooks us "pak cham kai" :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, brings back lots of memories and your plating looks really cute too!
Your chicken rice looks really healthy with the added green and colorful baby tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI love chicken rice, can eat everyday but unhealthy lah. My Hainanese father-in-law was a chicken rice seller for decades. He cooks awesome chicken rice. I have yet to achieve that stage. hehe.... My hubby didn't want to take over the business, long hours needed to be a hawker.
ReplyDeleteI love your chicken flavored rice with crispy chicken wings please!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like such an easy and simple dish to prepare.
ReplyDeleteIs margarine not used when cooking authentic chicken rice? I saw many large cans of suspicious-looking Planta margarine on the shelves of a chicken rice stall which didn't serve any bread (to go with the margarine).
This dinner sounds really good. Nice presentation.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I eat chicken rice to eat the chilli sauce! Hahaha....
ReplyDeleteOh ... the way you cook the juicy chicken? Same way as my mother once taught me!
ReplyDeleteLooks really tasty and colourful. Just perfect with sambal!.
ReplyDeleteTigerfish - I am so impressed! That looks like one healthy and delicious plate of food! What a great way to make your rice.
ReplyDeletelydia, chicken rice in Singapore and Malaysia are almost the same.
ReplyDeletefirehorse, in S'pore/Malaysia so easily available. Here....hard to get, so have to cook them myself.
gattina, the chicken is luckier than me to get spa treatment.
kelly, indeed!
wandering choppy, I did not forget. Just took the easier way out. :P
anh, yay! :D
katiez, I was quite fasciated how tender the chicken was.
RM, aiya....have not written anything about it yet leh! K k, will post asap! :P
cindy, as long as the chicken took to cook!
blondee47, for authenticity....it's best to grind everything from scratch using fresh chili.
sara, thanks!
"joe" cucumber or broccolini, they are all vegetables mah! hahhaha
The skin? It's there it's there...I hide them them...hee heee
anonymous, I was intimidated initially. But alas....greed and gluttony got the better of me that day :P
SAHM, I would never have cooked chicken rice back in S'pore coz like what you say...so easily available. I like Yet Con(the one at Purvis St) and Magaret Drive, Queensway/Commonweath
chubby hubby, it's my honor to try your recipe :D Thanks so much for sharing.
windy, yes yes...do try it if you are in S'pore one day.
the expedited writer, now I know there are tips and tricks to a good plate of chicken rice. :)
little corner, cannot just eat chicken with rice leh...feel guilty. LOL!
ECL, did you ask what's the secret? yes, I agree...it's tedious and imagine...long hours in front of steaming pots :O
east meets west, what a combination.HA!
victor, must be another one of those "secrets"....OH!
kevin, thanks!
wmw, what a way to put it....maybe I'm liddat too, just did not discover it!LOl!
wilfrid, izit izit? It's actually quite easy. Just take time.
retno, anything with sambal should be good. :P
hillary, thanks for your encouraging words.
Mmmmm - you make me remember all the times my mum used to make chicken rice when I was little! That looks beautiful! Can't wait to taste it again!
ReplyDeleteIt's the way you garnish it that makes it look so healthy. :) Not only does it look healthy, it is so inviting, who could resist your plate of chicken rice?
ReplyDeleteAnother of my family's favourite dish.
Hi Tigerfish, I use this method for my chicken rice, immerse the whole chicken into he boiling water for half an hour. Switch off the heat but continue to immerse the chicken in the hot water for another half an hour and also cover the pot. Next take the chicken out from the pot and immerse into a chill ice water bath and your chicken is ready, smooth, soft and chrispy chicken skin.
ReplyDeletewokandspoon, when , when, when are you tasting it again?
ReplyDeletedr ve thru, thanks for your compliments :) ...we eat with our eyes first, don't we?
big boys oven, almost the same, almost the same. I'm supposed to immerse in ice water too!
Beautiful! It looks like a super deluxe version of chicken rice.
ReplyDeleteming, thanks! But I always prefer an affordable super deluxe version if I were to eat out.
ReplyDeleteYummy..!! to die for..!! Imagine.. i never used to like chicken rice.. when i was in singapore..! "slap my head"
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