Hainan Chicken Rice Recipes

Steps:

• To clean the chicken, rub all over with a handful of kosher salt, getting rid of any loose skin. Rinse the chicken well inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Remove any excess fat from the chicken and set aside for later.
• Season the chicken generously with salt. Stuff the chicken cavity with the ginger slices and scallions.
• Place the chicken in a large stock pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2 cm), and season with salt to taste.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (75°C). Remove the pot from the heat.
• Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the poaching liquid for later, and transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process and to keep the chicken skin springy. Discard the ginger and green onion.
• After it's cooled, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub all over with sesame oil. This will help prevent the chicken from drying out.
• In a large wok or skillet, heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved chopped chicken fat, the garlic, ginger, and salt, and fry until aromatic, about 10 minutes.
• Reserve ¼ of the fried garlic mixture, then add the rice to the remaining fried garlic and stir to coat. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Transfer the rice to a rice cooker and add 2 cups (480 ml) of reserved poaching broth. Steam the rice for 60 minutes, or until tender.
• While the rice is cooking, carve the chicken for serving.
• Make the chili sauce: combine the sambal, Sriracha, sugar, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and chicken broth in a small bowl and stir to incorporate.
• Make the ginger garlic sauce: in a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, salt, peanut oil, and rice vinegar, and stir to incorporate.
• Make the soy sauce: in a small bowl, combine the reserved fried garlic and ginger with the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and chicken broth, and stir to incorporate.
• Serve the sliced chicken with the rice, dipping sauces, sliced cucumbers, and fresh cilantro.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Make the Chile Sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and season with salt, to taste. Set aside
• Make the Chicken and Rice: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (enough water to immerse the chicken). Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the scallion and ginger. Add the chicken to the boiling water, breast side-down. Lower the heat to a simmer just under boiling point and cook, covered, until just cooked through, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to an ice water bath for about 5 to 6 minutes. (This is to arrest the cooking and will make the chicken skin crisp.) Drain. De-bone the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the chicken stock, and keep hot.
• Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the rice and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add enough of the hot reserved chicken soup to reach 1/2- inch above the top of the rice. Bring to the boil, add the salt, and lower the heat to low. When steam holes form in the rice, cover the wok, and steam until cooked, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot chicken stock into the chile sauce.
• Arrange the rice and poached chicken on a platter and drizzle with the chile sauce.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add chicken to pot along with smashed garlic and sliced ginger. Bird should be completely submerged, but only just. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let bird remain in water for 45 minutes to an hour, covered, or until it is cooked through.
• Remove chicken from pot, reserve stock, and let bird cool to room temperature. Put half the peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat; you may add trimmed chicken fat to this also. When oil is hot, add remaining garlic, along with shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until glossy. Add 4 cups reserved chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover; cook for about 20 minutes, until rice has absorbed all liquid. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.
• Make a dipping sauce of remaining oil, ginger, half the scallions and a large pinch of salt.
• Shred or chop chicken, discarding skin. Put rice on a large platter and mound chicken on top of it; decorate platter with cucumbers, tomatoes, remaining scallions and cilantro. Sprinkle sesame oil over all and serve with dipping sauce.

Steps:

• Remove the pads of fat from the chicken cavity and reserve. Rub the chicken inside and out with 2 tsp. salt. Loop cotton string around and under the wings and across the breast, then set aside for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, to make the chile sauce, pound the ingredients except the lime juice with a mortar and pestle to a grainy paste (not too fine). Add the lime juice, season with salt and chicken fat to taste, if using, and mix well. Set aside.
• Put the ginger, spring onions, 16 cups water and 1 tsp. salt in a large stockpot and bring to the boil. Holding the chicken by the string, lower it into the boiling stock, submerge for 60 seconds, then lift the chicken out, allowing the water to drain from the cavity. Repeat this a couple of times, bringing the stock back to the boil between each submersion. This process ensures the water circulating in the bird is hot enough for even cooking. Submerge the chicken again, bring the stock back to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
• Cover the pan with a lid, turn off the heat and leave the chicken for 40 minutes to finish cooking. Lift out the chicken, being careful not to break the skin. Let the stock drain from the cavity, then plunge the bird into a bath of ice water to stop cooking. Leave for 20 minutes, then remove, gently pat dry with paper towel and set aside. Reserve the chicken stock.
• To prepare the rice, chop the reserved chicken fat and stir in a wok over medium heat until the fat renders, then discard the solids (or heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a wok). Add the shallots and fry until golden, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the rice and fry until it begins to pop. Transfer to a saucepan (or a rice cooker). Add the pandan leaves and pour in the reserved hot stock to cover the rice by ¾ inch. Increase the heat to high, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover with a tightly fitting lid and cook until liquid is absorbed (11-12 minutes). Remove from the heat, remove lid, cover with a tea towel and leave for 5 minutes to steam dry.
• Meanwhile, to make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl. To make the soup, add the watercress to the remaining stock. Adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper.
• Cut up the chicken Chinese-style: Use a cleaver to split the bird down the middle through the breastplate and backbone, then remove the legs and halve them at the joint. Remove and halve the wings in the same manner. Halve the breasts lengthways and cut into thick slices. Arrange on a platter with the sliced cucumber.
• Pour the dressing over the chicken and garnish with cilantro sprigs, if using. Serve with separate bowls of rice and watercress broth and chile sauce on the side.