The Hainanese chicken rice is a dish that consists of succulent poached white chicken cut into bite-size pieces and served on fragrant rice with some light soy sauce. The dish is topped with sprigs of coriander leaf and sesame oil, and accompanied by a garlic-chilli dip.
A ubiquitous sight in hawker centres across the country, it is also on the menu in many major restaurants and even hotel cafés. All offer the same dish at varying prices: bite-sized slices of chicken—or a whole chicken if you’re eating as a big group—served with fragrant rice, spicy chilli and ginger paste.
The cooking method hails back to its Hainanese roots, with a few uniquely Singaporean twists. The chicken is steeped in boiling water or blanched till it is fully cooked, before soaking it in cold water to ensure the meat remains tender. In a local twist, the chicken can also be roasted or braised in soya sauce for a different taste.
The recipe for the dish is adapted from early Chinese immigrants from Hainan Island, off the southern coast of China. Back in Hainan, locals call the dish “Wenchang chicken”. They use a particular fowl that is bony and fibrous, and serve the chicken with oily rice. A ground green chilli dip rounds off the dish.
Chicken rice is usually served with soya sauce or a specially prepared chilli sauce, cucumber slices, a bowl of soup made using the chicken stock, as well as side dishes such as braised dark soya hard-boiled eggs, beancurd, beansprouts, kailan (a leafy vegetable) or achar (pickled cucumber, carrots, and cabbage mixed with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds).
According to Mr Benjamin Boh, the most difficult part is cooking the rice. For it to cook properly, the rice needs to be between three and six months old. The rice is stirred with a big ladle while it absorbs the stock. The fire is adjusted accordingly so as not to burn or overheat the rice. A great degree of control and skill is required in this 20-minute process. The result is fragrant and tender rice; soft and chewy, yet with every grain separated and not sticky.
Mr Boh shared that cooking the chicken involves a highly disciplined process. Raw chickens, each weighing approximately 2kg, are tied with raffia string and dipped in and out of boiling chicken stock a few times to scald the skin, before being immersed in the stock again for 40 minutes. The cooked chicken is later submerged in room temperature water to allow the tendons to “relax”. It is then hung on hooks to remove excess oil, rested for 20 to 30 minutes, before being chopped and served.
Chicken rice is a ubiquitous dish found at almost all eateries in Singapore, from hawker stalls to high-end restaurants. It has been lauded as one of Singapore’s “national dishes”. Within the Chinese community in Singapore, there are both Cantonese and Hainanese versions of the chicken rice dish. Hainanese chicken rice has also been infused with Cantonese influences, such as the preparation method and the choice of chicken used for the dish. Local touches, such as the use of pandan leaves in cooking the rice, add to the rice’s fragrance. A chicken rice dish today usually consists of slices of bite-sized pieces of poached chicken served atop fragrant and flavourful rice, accompanied by a specially prepared chilli dip.
The Hainanese community is credited with introducing Hainanese chicken rice to Singapore. Immigrants from Hainan who had moved to South-east Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries brought the recipe along with them and modified it over time with local influences. Hainanese chicken rice is believed to have evolved from the wenchang chicken (文昌鸡) dish of Hainan, China.
Hainanese Chicken Rice • Tasty
FAQ
What is the description of chicken rice?
Why is chicken rice so nice?
What does Hainanese chicken rice taste like?
How many people like chicken rice?
What kind of rice should I use for chicken & rice?
Finish the creamy chicken and rice with freshly chopped Italian parsley. It adds a touch of freshness and a really nice pop of color. For the best results, I’d recommend jasmine rice or white long grain rice. I like to use jasmine because it’s fragrant and how well the grains separate when cooked, all while maintaining a tender texture.
What type of rice should I use?
The best rices to eat are whole-grain brown, red, black, or wild rice, as they are an excellent choice due to the amount of antioxidants and fiber they contain.
What to eat with chicken & rice?
This creamy chicken and rice is a classic and a hearty dish that never fails to satisfy. Our family LOVES it! It’s so tasty, tender, and perfectly creamy. Even though it’s a full meal on its own, we often serve it with simple steamed vegetables or a simple house salad.
Why is chicken rice so good?
The chicken comes out tender, and the rice is light and fluffy. And because everything cooks together in just one pan, the rice is incredibly flavorful; the juice of the chicken enhances the rice dish, making it really quite tasty. Enjoy!!!