Easy One-Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice | Marion's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 380 g (2 cups)jasmine rice
• 2spring onions, trimmed and cut in half
• 3 slicesginger, skin on
• 2 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
• 625 ml (2 1/2 cups)chicken stock
• 4chicken drumsticks
• 4small skin-on boneless chicken thigh fillets
• to servesambal oelek
• to servesliced cucumber
• 100 g (1 cup)spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp (5 ml)sea salt
• 60 ml (4 tbsp)vegetable oil
• 10 ml (2 tsp)sesame oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Load the rice cooker

   Put the rice, halved spring onions, ginger, garlic and chicken stock into the rice cooker bowl. Nestle in the chicken pieces, close the lid and select the Automatic setting, then press Start. Leave the cooker to finish its automatic cycle and cook the rice and chicken through.

2. 2

   Make the sauce

   Use a mortar and pestle to bruise the finely sliced spring onion with the salt until it forms a rough paste. Heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil in a small saucepan over high heat until a chopstick or wooden spoon placed in the oil sizzles. Carefully pour the hot oil over the paste, stir to combine and transfer the sauce to a small serving bowl.

3. 3

   Slice and serve

   Transfer the chicken to a chopping board and slice the thigh pieces. Serve with the rice, spring onion sauce, sambal oelek and cucumber.

What is Hainanese chicken rice?

Hainanese chicken rice is a much-loved dish of poached chicken served with rice cooked in fragrant chicken broth. It is associated with Hainanese cooking and became especially popular in Singapore and Malaysia.

This version simplifies the process by cooking the chicken and rice together in a rice cooker. Ginger, garlic and spring onion season the rice, while a hot-oil spring onion sauce adds a savoury finish.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 915 calories, 44g protein, 78g carbs, 43g fat.

Most of the carbohydrates come from the jasmine rice, while the chicken supplies most of the protein. The chicken skin and the vegetable and sesame oils account for much of the fat. For a more balanced plate, add extra cucumber or another vegetable alongside the chicken and rice.

Why cook it in a rice cooker?

One-pot cooking lets the rice absorb flavour from the stock and aromatics as the chicken cooks above it. Use the rice cooker's automatic setting, as specified in the recipe, and let its cycle run to completion.

Arrange the chicken pieces snugly over the rice rather than stirring them through. This helps them cook with the rice while keeping the grains undisturbed.

The key ingredients

Jasmine rice: rinse it if that is your usual rice-cooker practice, but drain it well so the stock-to-rice balance is not changed. The recipe relies on the stock to flavour the grains.

Chicken pieces: drumsticks and boneless thigh fillets bring different shapes and textures to the pot. Keeping the skin on the thighs contributes flavour as they cook.

Aromatics: ginger, garlic and spring onion perfume both the rice and chicken. The halved spring onions in the cooker are separate from the finely sliced ones used for the sauce.

Getting the spring onion sauce right

Bruise the sliced spring onions with the salt until they become a coarse paste; they do not need to be completely smooth. The salt helps draw out moisture and season the sauce.

Heat the oils until a chopstick or wooden spoon placed in them sizzles, then pour carefully over the paste. The oil is very hot, so keep your hands and face back as you pour.

How to check the chicken

The rice cooker’s completed cycle is the recipe’s cue that the rice and chicken are cooked through. If you are unsure, check the thickest part of a chicken piece with a food thermometer; it should reach 74°C.

Use a board and knife to slice the thigh fillets for serving. The drumsticks can be served whole.

Serving the rice

Spoon the rice onto plates with a mix of drumsticks and sliced thigh. Put the spring onion sauce, sambal oelek and cucumber alongside so everyone can adjust their own plate.

The cucumber brings a cool, crisp contrast to the warm rice and chicken, while sambal adds heat. Start with a little sambal and add more to taste.

Recipe notes & tips

• Measure the rice and stock carefully to keep the rice-cooker proportions consistent.
• Drain rinsed rice thoroughly before adding it to the cooker.
• Arrange the chicken evenly over the rice so the pieces cook in the same cycle.
• Use a small saucepan for the sauce so the oil is easier to pour carefully.
• Slice the thigh fillets just before serving to keep them easy to portion.

Variations

• Add chilli: serve extra sambal oelek at the table for more heat.
• Use coriander: add chopped coriander at the table for a fresh herbal note.
• Add greens: serve with steamed greens alongside the rice and chicken.
• Try a different rice: use another rice-cooker-friendly long-grain rice, following its usual cooking requirements.
• Make it more gingery: serve with extra finely sliced ginger alongside the sauce.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Changing the liquid ratio: extra stock can leave the rice too wet, so measure the stated amount.
• Stirring after loading: disturbing the rice can affect how it cooks, so nestle the chicken in without mixing.
• Crowding the cooker: the chicken needs to fit in the bowl with the rice, so use a cooker large enough for the quantities.
• Pouring oil too quickly: hot oil can splash, so pour it carefully over the spring onion paste.
• Slicing the chicken too soon: juices can run onto the board, so transfer and slice carefully just before serving.

How to store

Refrigerate leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container within 2 hours and use within 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot throughout, adding a small splash of water to the rice if it has dried out; store the sauce separately and use it within 2 days.

Frequently asked questions