Hainanese Chicken Rice

Chicken rice is to regular rice what a Ghiradelli hot chocolate made with cream and milk is to hot cocoa. It takes regular rice to a whole new level of deliciousness! Basically, it is rice that is lightly toasted/fried in a wok and then made with chicken broth instead of water. Why have rice, when you can have CHICKEN RICE! And furthermore, why have chicken rice, when you can have chicken rice with Hainanese chicken and ginger chili dipping sauce? I can't imagine any instance where I would ever turn down this meal. We love chicken rice so much, we took advantage of cooking this meal and made a whopping 6 cups of rice so that we would have enough to eat for dinners the rest of the week. If you steam the rice to reheat it, it tastes just like fresh.

Hainanese chicken rice is a great dish made of a few simple components: poached chicken, sliced cucumbers, ginger chili sauce and chicken rice. It's also an extremely useful dish to make, as it generates a large quantity of divine chicken stock which can be frozen and used for a multitude of other dishes later; such as: wonton noodle soup, egg drop soup, use a little when stir frying veggies, and the impromptu batch of chicken rice. Cooking the chicken and making this stock will fill your apartment with one of the best smells on earth!

I, for one, am a huge devotee of the chili ginger sauce, and have been known, on occasion, to try and scoop as much sauce as I can onto each piece of chicken, and then drain the last of the sauce dish into my rice so not a drop goes to waste. It is spicy, gingery and addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you!

We have made Hainanese chicken rice several times, and we think that this version is the best (from the Steamy Kitchen blog- http://www.steamykitchen.com/- a great site!). It is the addition of the aromatics in the rice that takes it up to the next level.

Hainanese Chicken Rice
adapted from: http://steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese-chicken-rice.html

1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs)
Salt
4 inch section of fresh ginger, in 1/4 inch slices
2 green onions, cut into 1″ sections (both the green and white parts)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

RICE
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 inch section of ginger, finely minced
6 cups uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed
6 ½ cups reserved chicken poaching broth
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt

CHILI SAUCE
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon reserved chicken poaching broth
2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (we used Lee Kum Kee brand)
4 cloves garlic
1 inch
a generous pinch of salt, to taste

1 cucumber, sliced

Directions

1. To clean the chicken, with a small handful of salt, rub the chicken all over, getting rid of any loose skin and dirt. Wash and pat very dry inside and outside. Season generously with salt inside and outside.

2. Stuff the chicken with the ginger slices and the green onion. Place the chicken in a large stockpot and fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat to low to keep a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes more (less if you’re using a smaller chicken). Check for doneness by sticking a chopstick into the flesh under the leg and see if the juices run clear or insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone. It should read 170F.

3. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Immediately transfer the chicken into a bath of ice water to cool. Don’t forget to reserve the poaching broth for your rice and your sauce. The quick cooling will stop the cooking process, keeping the meat soft and tender, and giving the skin a lovely firm texture.

4. To cook the rice: Drain the rice. In a wok or sauce pan (use a medium sauce pan if you plan on cooking the rice on the stove top), heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the ginger and the garlic and fry until your kitchen smells like heaven. Be careful not to burn the aromatics! Add in your drained rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, mix well. Pour aromatics and rice (after frying) into your rice cooker, add 6 ½ cups of your reserved poaching broth and salt.

5. While your rice is cooking, remove the chicken from the ice bath and rub the outside of the chicken with the sesame oil. Carve the chicken for serving.

6. To make the chili sauce: Mix your chili sauce ingredients in a bowl

Serve the chicken rice with chili sauce and cucumber slices. Sometimes, this dish is served with some of the chicken broth on the side as a soup.