Hainanese Chicken Rice
Makes 8 servings
CHICKEN 2 chickens (about 3 pounds) 2 tablespoons peeled and
crushed ginger 5 garlic cloves, peeled 2 leek stalks, washed and
cut in half Salt, as needed
RICE 5 shallots, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced ¼ cup fat from chicken broth 1 quart long-grain rice 1½ quarts chicken broth from
simmering chicken Salt, as needed ¼ cup
coarsely chopped cilantro Soy Dipping Sauce, for
serving Chili Dipping Sauce, for
serving
SOY DIPPING SAUCE 1½ cups light soy sauce, not
low-sodium ½ ounce finely minced ginger 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 tablespoon dark rice vinegar 1 teaspoon sesame oil
CHILI DIPPING SAUCE 2-3 fresh Fresno or similar
chiles 1 tablespoon shallots 1 tablespoon garlic 1 tablespoon ginger 1½ quarts chicken stock 1 cup lime juice 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt
For chicken: Place the chickens, ginger, garlic and leeks in a stockpot and add enough well-salted boiling water to submerge the chicken by 1 inch. Return the water to a boil, turn the heat down and cook the chicken at a temperature not exceeding 185 degrees. About 15 minutes into the cooking, turn the chickens. Skim the fat off the broth and retain it for cooking the rice. Once the chicken is done (about another 20-30 minutes), remove it, drain liquid from the body cavity and place in cold water to cool down. Retain the broth for cooking the rice. Once cooled, bone the chicken and carve it into bite-size pieces.
For rice: For the rice, sweat the shallots and garlic in the chicken fat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and sweat for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and season with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently, and lower to a gentle simmer. Stop stirring, cover tightly and continue cooking over very low heat or in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes.
For Soy Dipping Sauce: Combine the soy sauce, ginger, green onions, vinegar and sesame oil, and adjust seasoning as needed. For Chili Dipping Sauce: Purée the chiles, shallots, garlic, ginger, stock, lime juice, vinegar, sugar and salt together in a blender until they form a smooth sauce.
Assembly: Serve the bite-size pieces of chicken at room temperature (see Chef’s note for important food-safety information) on the cooked rice with the cilantro, accompanied by the Soy Dipping Sauce and Chile Dipping Sauce.
Chef’s note: Never hold chicken for more than 4 hours at room temperature. Ideally, chickens will be prepared continuously throughout the day to ensure freshness.