Hainanese Chicken and Rice | Steam Oven Approach

The travel rebound from years of Covid restrictions was in full force in 2023. As a results, new dishes I’ve been cooking reflect the inspiration from recent expanded travels and unfamiliar cuisine I’ve discovered. One of these dishes is the Moroccan tagine which I’ve written extensively about. The technique of slow-cooking in a tagine pot has been around for centuries in Morocco. I’m glad I’ve finally caught on with it. Another one is the Hainanese chicken and rice from another part of the world.

Hainanese chicken and rice is one of the national dishes of Singapore, adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan province in southern China. You’d find the dish in most food courts and hawker centers which are considered to be the biggest attraction in Singapore, if you’re foodies like me. The first bite into the Hainanese chicken and rice was memorable. The most tender and succulent chicken meat I’ve ever had, coupled with the fragrant seasoned rice. Best of all, it’s a humble nutritious dish; prices are kept low so every Singaporean can afford it. Way to go for a national dish!

In essence, the chicken is poached in slightly seasoned and simmering water for an hour or less. The rice is flavored with chicken fat and aromatics, primarily with ginger, garlic and scallions. I watched a video on the flight to Singapore illustrating cooking a whole chicken in the poaching liquid. I followed the methodology, which is fine, but not outstanding. I’m sure that are many similar recipes out there.

After several trials in my own kitchen, the best and consistent way of cooking the chicken I’ve experimented with involved using a steam oven. If you have one of those, you’re in luck. If not, you may have to tease out and find the poaching time required to get the desirable texture of the chicken you like. Remember, this is a slow and gentle cooking technique to achieve the silkiest chicken meat.

The steam oven approach: Cook a small 3-pound chicken in a steam oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven (without opening the oven door) and let the chicken rest in the oven for another 30 minutes. The chicken is done. Without using a steam oven, don’t fret. Just follow the recipe below to poach the chicken and to make the seasoned rice. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Hainanese Chicken and Rice | The Steam Oven Approach

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
1 small whole chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds; 1.3 to 1.6kg), giblets removed
2 tablespoons (18g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for table salt, use half as much by volume or the same weight), plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons (30ml) rice wine, such as Shaoxing
2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
One 3-inch knob ginger, peeled and sliced (3 tablespoons; 40g)
3 medium scallions (2.5 ounces; 71g), trimmed and halved
2 pandan leaves, tied into knots, optional (see notes)
1 tablespoon (15ml) toasted sesame oil
For the Rice:
1 tablespoon minced garlic (20g; from 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh peeled ginger (15g; from a 1 1/2–inch piece)
2 cups long grain white rice (12 1/2 ounces; 355g), rinsed well
For the Bok Choy:
3 tablespoons (45ml) vegetable oil
2 medium shallots (2 1/4 ounces; 64g total), peeled and sliced into 1/16-inch-thick rings (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces (227g) baby bok choy (6 small heads), washed, trimmed, and halved lengthwise
For Serving:
1 small cucumber (9 ounces; 255g), sliced (2 cups)
1 bunch fresh cilantro (4 ounces; 113g), stems and leaves chopped (2 cups)
Chile garlic sauce
Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce; see notes)

Instructions

For the Chicken: Pat chicken dry and trim excess fat and skin from neck and tail areas; set fat and skin aside for rice. Sprinkle chicken with salt and vigorously rub and massage salt all over chicken to “exfoliate” skin. (Skin should look smooth and be free of any lumps, bumps, or imperfections. Take time to exfoliate it well; the better scrubbed the skin is, the better the final texture will be.) Sprinkle with white pepper.

Place chicken, breast-side up, in a large stockpot and add rice wine, soy sauce, ginger, scallions, and pandan leaves (if using). Cover chicken with water by about 1 inch, ensuring that chicken is fully submerged.

Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low to maintain a bare simmer and poach chicken until breast registers 155°F (68°C) and legs register 165°F (74°C) with an instant-read thermometer (avoiding bone), 25 to 30 minutes (the breast and leg pieces may reach their respective temperatures at different times; make sure to remove each as it is ready). Remove chicken from pot and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Soak chicken in ice bath until cool, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, gently pat dry, and rub sesame oil all over chicken. Set aside until serving.

Strain broth, discarding solids. Return broth to pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to approximately 9 cups (do not skim fat). Season to taste and let cool 15 minutes to allow fat to rise to surface.

For the Rice: In a small saucepan, cook reserved chicken fat and skin trimmings over medium heat, stirring often, until fat begins to render and surface of saucepan is coated in melted fat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in rice until coated in fat, then remove from heat. Transfer rice mixture to a rice cooker and cover with 3 cups broth (using as much fat as possible from broth). Cook rice according to manufacturer’s directions.

To Serve: Reheat remaining broth and ladle into bowls. Carve chicken off bones and slice thinly (you can leave the bone in the drumstick, if desired). Arrange chicken on a plate, spooning a small amount of broth over top. Serve with rice, bok choy, sliced cucumber, cilantro, chile sauce, and kecap manis.