Must-Try Hainanese Chicken Rice

My favorite food of all time! Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients. The secret is in the broth: this is the most amazing, flavorsome Chinese chicken rice dish you've ever tried. Garnish with sliced cucumber, sprigs of spring onions, and cilantro.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 32 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 12 mins
• Calories: 1047 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• water to cover
• salt to taste
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 whole chicken
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste
• 1 pinch white sugar, or to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed, or to taste
• 1 stalk spring onion (Optional)
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root (Optional)
• 1 ½ tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic oil (Optional)
• 3 cups uncooked rice, or more to taste
• 1 (1 inch) piece ginger, crushed (Optional)
• 5 red chile peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 (1/2 inch) piece ginger (Optional)
• 1 (1 inch) piece young ginger (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Trim chicken of all excess fat, reserving fat.

Step 2

Place chicken, spring onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, and one 1-inch piece ginger in a large pot. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming any scum off the surface, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 1 hour.

Step 3

Remove chicken from the pot, reserving broth. Rub chicken with salt. Chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate.

Step 4

Combine soy sauce, 3 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar, garlic oil, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Drizzle over chicken pieces.

Step 5

Melt reserved chicken fat in a large pot over medium heat. Add rice, 3 cloves minced garlic, crushed 1-inch piece ginger, and salt; cook and stir until rice is glossy and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 6

Pour enough reserved chicken broth into the pot to cover rice by half an inch. Cover; bring to a boil. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Step 7

Combine red chile peppers, juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, one 1/2-inch piece ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 pinch sugar in a blender; blend until garlic chile dip is smooth.

Step 8

Combine juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, one 1-inch piece ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender; blend until ginger dip is smooth.

Step 9

Serve garlic chile and ginger dips alongside chicken and rice.