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Singaporean · Malaysian

Hainanese chicken rice

Non-vegetarian

Gently poached whole chicken with silky skin, served with fragrant rice cooked in the poaching broth, garlic and ginger, plus chilli-lime sauce and ginger-spring onion relish.

Hainanese chicken rice is a Singaporean rice dish, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and long-grain white rice. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A classic dish of Hainanese chicken rice served with flavorful soup and spicy sauce.
Photo: Yafie Agha / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
803

Ingredients

6 servings

For the chicken

For the rice

For the chilli sauce

For the ginger-spring onion relish

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rub the chicken all over with a little of the salt, rinse and pat dry. Stuff the cavity with the poaching ginger and knotted spring onions (opens in a new tab). Pull any fat from the cavity and keep it for the rice.

    • 8 min

    Food safety: Wash hands, boards and sink after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Bring the water and the rest of the salt to the boil in a stockpot. Lower in the chicken breast side down, return to a bare simmer, then cover, turn off the heat and leave to poach in the residual heat, bringing it back to a simmer briefly halfway.

    Food safety: The thickest part of the thigh must reach 74 °C; pink-tinged bones are normal but juices must run clear.

  3. Step 3

    Lift the chicken into a bowl of iced water for 10 minutes to tighten the skin, then drain, rub with sesame oil (opens in a new tab) and rest.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Fry the chicken fat or oil with the garlic (opens in a new tab) and grated ginger until fragrant, add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, then add 700 ml of hot broth and the salt. Cover and cook on low until tender.

    A rice cooker works well for this step.

  5. Step 5

    Blend the chillies, garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, lime juice (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt with 2 tablespoons of broth for the chilli sauce. For the relish, pour smoking-hot oil over the grated ginger, spring onion (opens in a new tab) and salt.

  6. Step 6

    Carve the chicken into pieces and serve on the rice with cucumber (opens in a new tab), a drizzle of soy, coriander, the sauces and a bowl of the hot broth.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Singapore · Commonly attributedDeveloped by Hainanese immigrants in Singapore and Malaya from the Wenchang chicken tradition of Hainan, China; Malaysia also claims the dish.Also popular in Malaysia, ThailandMore food from Singapore
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Poached, Steamed
Taste
mild, savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, garlicky
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Long-grain white rice · Fresh ginger · Spring onion · Toasted sesame oil · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering · Poaching · Steaming

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

803 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 478 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 21%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 45%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy803 kcal168 kcal
Protein41 g8.6 g
Carbohydrate67.7 g14.2 g
Net carbohydrate65.8 g13.8 g
Sugars2.4 g0.5 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.1 g
Fibre1.9 g0.4 g
Fat39.7 g8.3 g
Saturated fat9.1 g1.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol138 mg29 mg
Sodium1162 mg243 mg
Salt equivalent2.9 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
636 mg
Calcium
81 mg
Iron
5.4 mg
Magnesium
77 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
84 µg
Vitamin C
18 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
313 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Bring the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes before poaching so it cooks evenly.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the chicken rapidly makes the meat stringy and the skin split.

Serve with

  • Serve the remaining broth as a light soup with a few greens.

Food safety

  • Do not leave cooked rice at room temperature for more than 1 hour; cool quickly and refrigerate.

Storage

  • Refrigerate chicken and rice separately for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Chicken is traditionally eaten at room temperature; reheat rice until steaming hot.

Variations

  • Roast chicken rice: The same rice and sauces with soy-glazed roast chicken instead of poached.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the chicken

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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