Hawker Classics
Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe (Hawker Style)
Experience the national dish of Singapore with succulent, ginger-poached chicken and jasmine rice sautéed in aromatic chicken fat. This recipe delivers the classic combination of silky skin and fragrant rice, complete with the three essential side sauces used in Singaporean homes.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 680 kcal
Method
Rub the chicken skin thoroughly with coarse salt to exfoliate and ensure a smooth texture, then rinse. Stuff the cavity with half the ginger and spring onions.
Submerge the chicken in a large pot of boiling water. Bring back to a boil, then immediately turn the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes until just cooked through.
Prepare an ice bath. Once the chicken is done, plunge it into the cold water for 10 minutes to stop the cooking and create the characteristic 'jelly' skin.
Reserve the poaching liquid (chicken stock). In a wok, heat chicken fat or oil and sauté minced garlic, shallots, and the remaining ginger until fragrant (the rice rempah). Add the washed rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Transfer rice to a cooker, add the reserved chicken stock (use the standard water-to-rice ratio) and pandan leaves. Cook until fluffy.
Prepare the chilli sambal by blending red chillies, garlic, ginger, sugar, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the hot chicken stock.
Slice the chicken at room temperature. Serve with the fragrant rice, chilli sambal, ginger sauce, and a bowl of the hot poaching liquid as a side soup.
Notes
Always use an ice bath for the chicken; it is the secret to the silky, firm skin found at hawker stalls.
Don't skip sautéing the raw rice in fat before boiling; it ensures each grain is separate and aromatic.
Use the fat trimmed from the chicken tail to render your own oil for the most authentic flavor.
Rub sesame oil over the chicken skin after the ice bath to keep it moist and shiny.
