Favorite Chicken Rice Recipe

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

I know, I know ~ who makes it at home since it's available within 100 meters at a variety of outlets right outside your door. My daughter has requested Hainanese Chicken Rice as her last home-cooked meal before leaving for college and since we are not in Singapore we must get creative. There are recipes on line of course, but I wanted some practical advice from the experts. Any advice appreciated!

MHB

[earthfriendly]

http://steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese ... -rice.html

I googled and found the above link whereby she mentioned the type of chicken i.e. kampong to yield best result. The closest you can get in US is probably organic chicken. I tried to make it once. The flavor was authentic but the meat was tough like jerky and was later told that it is important to get the right kind of chicken.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

http://steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese ... -rice.html

I googled and found the above link whereby she mentioned the type of chicken i.e. kampong to yield best result. The closest you can get in US is probably organic chicken. I tried to make it once. The flavor was authentic but the meat was tough like jerky and was later told that it is important to get the right kind of chicken.

Thanks EF! I found the same link. We have plenty of free-range, organic chicken farms around, I'll make sure I get one.

[JR8]

I make a thin (1/4 strength) chicken broth, have that on very low simmer (just a bubble now and again), poach skinless chicken breasts in that until done (say 8-10 minutes).

Take out chicken and let it rest.

Rinse off rice in water, then cook using your poaching stock. You can have some extra stock handy at the side to douse the rice with as you eat.

Take chicken breast, and cut across the grain in thin slices. I'm not a huge fan of chicken breast (I'm a thigh man ), but this does come out moist.

Much of it comes down to the chili on the side. The lord be willing you have an Asian grocer nearby. We use Yeo's 'Singapore Chili Sauce - for Hainanese chicken rice'.

Slice or two of artistically carved cucumber (I'd sprinkle some chopped spring onions/scallions over instead) and you should be done.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

No ginger, no garlic?

[bigcalin]

Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe
Serves 4

For the chicken

1 whole chicken
1 small thumb of ginger, cleaned and bruised (bashed)
5-6 stalks of scallion, washed
10 bowls chicken stock, adjust accordingly (I use swanson)
4 blades of pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
1 stick of lemongrass bruised (optional)
2 + 1 tsp of salt
10 bowls of cold water

For the rice

3 cups uncooked washed rice
3 tbsp (optional, otherwise your rice will not be glossy/I use mild olive oil for "healthier" version)
1 tbsp sesame oil (good quality asian brand)
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
4 finely chopped shallots
2 + 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp chicken broth
4-6 blades of pandan leave (screwpine leaves)
1 small thumb of ginger, cleaned and bruised
70g chicken fats, chopped(the secret ingredient in any good chicken rice)
1+ 1/2 tsp salt & pepper (to taste)


1 cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced diagonally

Sauce to pour over cooked chicken

2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp chicken broth
3 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp garlic and shallot oil

For chicken rice chilli sauce

90g red chilies (you may add in some bird’s eye chili)
15g garlic
50g ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
50ml chicken broth
60ml lime juice, to taste

To garnish

few sprigs of cilantro

For the chicken

1. Wash chicken, drain well, stuff ginger and scallion into the chicken’s cavity. Using 2 tsp of salt as scrub, rub the salt all over the chicken for smooth looking skin.
2. In a not too large stockpot which fits the chicken perfectly, boil the chicken stock (enough to cover the whole chicken) together with pandan leaves and salt.
3. Submerge the whole chicken, breast side down in the boiling water for 35-45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. Lower the heat to gentle simmer immediately.
4. When chicken is cooked, remove chicken and plunge it into ice cold water at once for 10 minutes. Keep the chicken broth** for later use.
5. Drain the chicken, discard ginger and scallion from the cavity and set it aside to cool before chopping it neatly into desired serving size.

For the rice

1. Heat oil in wok, fry chopped shallots and garlic till fragrant and golden in colour (low to medium fire, garlic burns easily). Add rice and stir well for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the rice mixture to rice cooker.
2. Once transferred, add chicken broth, pandan leaves, ginger, chicken fats, salt and pepper into rice mixture. Cook according to rice cooker’s manual instruction.

To prepare chicken rice

1. Line a serving plate with cucumber slices.
2. Arrange chicken pieces on top, pour in the prepared sauce before garnishing with cilantro.
3. Serve with chicken rice, side soup and chicken rice chili sauce.

**USE left over chicken broth as side soup, garnish with cilantro & chopped scallions. Good luck!

[JR8]

No ginger, no garlic?

Not separately no. Not for us. That's all in the side-dish of chili/garlic. I think that is one thing I don't really like in a standard chicken-rice, it is so very heavy and fatty (why I ate Japanese so often)

Have a look at this 'Prima product'. http://www.primataste.com.sg/store-deta ... 3&CatID=17
We have cooked that before (a few of their recipes). There is a paste to cook the rice with, but to me it is mostly fat rather than flavour.

How Prima guide you through the recipe does give you insight into how to DIY it.

I'm all for really going right back to basics, with hours of manual labour sitting on the kitchen floor pounding herbs, or forming puff pastry for the first time during a NYC 90degs summer day to get the 'authentic result', but this is one recipe where doing it out of a jar and/or packet will probably turn out better.

The purist smiles in the face of the realist hehehe...

I haven't looked at any published recipes for 'HCR' (:)) but will do so now, with added interest ...

p.s. Did I show you my pix of the home made Jewish Chicken Soup? lol

[JR8]

Maybe the reason Ayam Brand don't have a recipe/spice pack for classic chicken rice, is because in fact it is such a basic dish and there is little to sell.

http://www.ayambrand.com.sg/easy-range.html

p.s. Compare that to something like beef rendang.
Do you want to stand by a pot stirring for 3hrs [been there!], and then wait a day for the flavours to mature - versus - do you want a pretty decent imitation in 1/2hr?

I'm really starting to understand why some UK chefs advocate 'cheats'. I.e. using pre-prep products as partial short-cuts.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

Thanks everyone, especially bigcalin for such a detailed recipe. I'll fake my way through Ketjap Manis, found a few good recipes on line.

[JR8]

I have been roundly corrected by my wife!

The way I mentioned is how I cook HCR. When she cooks it she cooks the rice using something called Kee's Hainanese Chicken Rice Mix, from a jar. Though uses only a small amount. I had a look at the ingredients and see all the herbs that bigcalin mentions, plus lemongrass.

I'm truly shocked, as I do not ever recall tasting herbs in the rice itself the many times I have had HCR around SG. Only fat and chicken stock.

Learn something new every day!

p.s. Agreed that a good sesame oil is a must (100% sesame if you can, beware that a lot of 'sesame oils' are blended).

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

Great success! Whipped up some most excellent Hainanese Chicken Rice for her last official home cooked meal. Tomorrow we pack up the car and bundle her off to University so from here on in, she's visiting when she comes 'home'...


Thanks again everyone, she was delighted and ate every bit (and some of her sister's). Tomorrow, a mighty adventure begins.

[eyah]

Congrats Mary, I also love to cook Chicken rice because it is easy to prepare, and I love to add more chili powder on eat.

[Barten]

It must be very delicious!


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[sundaymorningstaple]

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[vixxx]

I'm new to the forums or I'd private message to ask this since the thread is related to other things, but I'd love some information on where the free-range chicken farms are.

I'm new to Singapore and struggling to find free range chicken and eggs. I found another relating to kampong chickens but it seemed debateable if they were all definitely free range.

I've found barn-raised as best so far, but I'd love some help finding real free range!