Classic Hainanese Chicken Rice from a Native Hainanese
#chicken#rice#sauces#sesame oil#Adam Liaw
Experience the authentic flavors of Hainanese chicken rice with this traditional recipe featuring poached chicken, fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat, and three vibrant dipping sauces.
Slice unpeeled ginger and crush it together with spring onions in a mortar to release their aromas.
Warm chicken fat extracted from the chicken tail in a pan over very low heat until the fat melts, creating chicken oil for cooking.
Rub salt all over the chicken inside and out.
Hang the chicken using poultry hooks so it can move freely during cooking, ensuring the skin doesn’t get damaged.
Submerge the chicken in hot water and gently lift it up and down several times to refresh the liquid inside the cavity, maintaining an even cooking temperature.
While the chicken cooks, prepare three dipping sauces: a spring onion and ginger sauce heated in oil with salt; a spicy chili sauce made from fresh ginger, garlic, chili, and chicken broth seasoned with sugar and salt; and a simple sauce of soy sauce, sesame oil, and chicken broth.
After cooking, quickly cool the hanging chicken by dipping it in ice-cold water, which helps firm up the skin to a gelatinous texture.
Gently rub the chicken skin with sesame oil by hand to enhance its color and prevent drying.
To prepare the rice, melt chicken oil in a saucepan and sauté chopped shallots or onions with garlic, crushing them together to infuse the oil with their fragrance.
Add chicken broth, salt, and tied pandan leaves to the rice, mix well, and cook as usual (such as in a rice cooker).