The Easiest Hainanese Chicken Rice At Home?

After my trip to Singapore, I think I’ve learnt what it takes to make a great Hainanese chicken rice at home. So in this episode, I’m going to take you through the steps to master this iconic dish. Get ready for juicy chicken, epic rice and some iconic sauces.
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Director, Chef and Host: Andy
Videographer, Editor: Mitch Henderson
Production Manager: Dazz Braeckmans
Editor: Caleb Dawkins
Ingredients for Chicken:
- 1 large whole chicken (about 1.7 kg)
- 5cm fresh unpeeled ginger, crushed
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 bunch spring onion greens
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 chicken carcass or 4 chicken wings
- Extra chicken fat to render (you'll need around 1/2 a cup of rendered fat in total)
- 1 tsp salt
Method:
1. To begin, prepare the chicken by trimming off any extra fat, reserving it for the rice. Rub the chicken in salt and leave it at room temperature whilst the poaching pot heats up.
2. Place all the chicken fat in a pot with some added peanut oil if needed, and render on low heat for 20 mins. Retain this as it will be used for both the green sauce and rice.
3. In a large pot, bring water to a light simmer and add the ginger, garlic, spring onion greens, salt, and MSG.
4. Add the chicken to the pot. Dunk the chicken 3 times to replace the water in the cavity so it heats evenly. Ensure it's fully submerged in the broth. Let it simmer for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure the water is simmering, not boiling.
5. Once cooked, have a large bowl of ice-cold water ready. Dunk the cooked chicken into it to halt the cooking and develop the gelatinous layer under the skin. Leave for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken from the cold water and hang it to dry.
7. Gently brush the skin with sesame oil to prevent it from drying out.
8. Retain the broth for the rice and sauces.
9. Carve the chicken and serve with the sauces and rice.
Ingredients for Chilli Sauce:
- thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 6 bird's eye chillies, sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- juice of a lime
- 100ml chicken broth from the pot (adjust quantity to desired consistency)
Method:
1. Combine garlic, ginger, chilli, salt, and sugar in a mortar and pestle, grinding until smooth.
2. Add the lime juice followed by the chicken stock, stirring continuously. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Ingredients for Spring Onion Sauce:
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 4 spring onions (white end only), finely diced
- 2 tbsp chicken fat
Method:
1. Add the grated ginger, spring onions, salt, and sugar into a mortar and pestle. Pound until it reaches a smooth consistency, then drizzle with the hot chicken fat.
Ingredients for Rice:
- 600g jasmine rice
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 6 tbsp chicken fat
- optional: 2 pandan leaves (add if available)
Method:
1. Pour chicken fat into a pot over medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Rinse the rice multiple times.
3. Once the onions and garlic are prepared, combine with the washed rice in the pot, stirring well. Transfer the mixture to a rice cooker.
4. Top up with chicken broth so that it's about 1 knuckle deep above the rice level. If using pandan leaves, introduce them now.
5. Cook as per the rice cooker's instructions.
6. Serve the rice alongside the carved chicken and sauces. Enjoy!

[@houchi69]

Andy is a true chef and true foodie. Too many KZbin cooks just do half-ass or uninspired knock-offs, or worse: Westernized version. Andy actually went to the origin country of the dishes and learn how to make them. Thank you for appreciating and respect all cultures, Andy!

[@GreasyMcNasty]

You put my exact thoughts into words. 100% . Andy is so legit and the best part is he actually post his recipes in each short he does! NOBODY ELSE DOES THAT.

[@houchi69]

@@GreasyMcNasty Ikr?!!!

[@andy_cooks]

Thank you, it takes a bit to make these videos but I think it's worth it to get the local knowledge. glad you enjoyed it!

[@houchi69]

@@andy_cooks I love the fact that you spent the time, money and effort to learn from the cultures. Too many chefs and cooks claimed certain region specialty was their favorite, yet they have never eaten the actual dish in the region.

[@frasermackenzie7275]

​@@andy_cookswould be cool if maybe someday you, Chef Matty Matheson and Chef "Master" Rang did something together. That would be good content 😂😂

[@MeleeClaw]

Before you comment "bland" or "no seasoning" etc. Please try the dish before you say anything, Hainanese chicken rice is one of the most flavorful dishes and is one of my favorite dishes of all time. Boiled chicken may look gross but when you have it with the flavored rice and condiments its fucking delicious.

[@simtubx]

agree!

[@ApeOnABike]

I tried it a couple of times when I was in Singapore and was really underwhelmed by how bland and lacking texture it was. Maybe it is just one of those dishes that when done well is amazing but is more commonly done badly. Any tips for finding good Chicken Rice in Singapore?

[@s3uoq]

It's definitely a very humble looking dish that when done well is packed with the best flavours ever. One of my top favorites 😍

[@andy_cooks]

absolutely legend!

[@TheBlueSuitGUY69]

​@@ApeOnABikeSeeking Hainanese Chicken rice in Singapore is where you made the first wrong move. The best are deep within Malaysia, Penang has the best food ever! Kuala Lumpur has the best Hainanese chicken rice. Don't ever go to restaurant, in city the food they made are just pure disappointment. Go hawker centers or food courts.

[@vaibhavmalu5869]

Prepared this last night and was an absolute banger. Girlfriend and her mum couldn’t stop eating. Although as a beginner and limited equipments it did take me 2-3 hours to fully prepare. Thank you Andy for this amazing recipe!

[@talliechua2488]

I'm Singaporean and this video made me drool. One of the best parts of the video was the plate used for the serving the chicken! Thoroughly authentic!! 🤣

[@ErdingerLi]

Yea man my Singaporean brother!! That's our Chicken Rice plate hahahaha

[@wolfman011000]

The missus use to work at an asian resturant and she says at her place they would add Honor chicken powder to the broth rather than add salt and msg powder seperately as it contains salt, msg but also chicken fat and dehydrated chicken etc to boost flavour. It was also common to add large garlic granules as well as fresh garlic to dishes to add that different multi layered garlic flavour. Thanks for the video the missus now wants to make some for us. Take care, God bless one and all.

[@stockingsstuffer6302]

Hey man, tell your lady thanks for the garlic tip. I've tried it out more than a few times past few days, had to come back to track down this comment. Fantastic tip

[@ThursdayDog]

I am of Hainanese descent, and you did a great job! Should have added the pandan leaves to the rice! Nevertheless, it looks So good and mouth watering. When we were young, how my Hainanese grandmother made her chicken rice was that after the rice has been cooked, she made it into a rice ball. Apparently some parts of Hainan, that is how they eat Chicken rice.

[@kennethwu115]

In Malaysia there are rice balls version. Esp Malacca.

[@MMM-hn2ul]

he probably cant find any pandan leaves over at his country. pandan leaves are more commonly found at south east asia

[@lala.rostam]

​@@kennethwu115that one is the bestttt ❤

[@simplyme3306]

That's how my hainanese grandma did with her rice as well hahaha

[@simplyme3306]

but I find them too mushy@@kennethwu115

[@bergerman487]

Congrats Andy! Now you're officially an Uncle!

[@jayleyy]

You can tell how much effort Andy and his team has poured into this dish. Its really a beloved and wonderful cuisine. Just by looking at it, no shortcut like what Lincoln said, the chicken was so succulent and tender just by looking at it and how easily he cut it. The important part of chicken rice is really done right in this entire video!❤

[@AppleMacGeek]

The ginger scallion sauce comes from the Hong Kong version of poached chicken. It got added to the Hainan Chicken Rice only relatively recently. There is a pure ginger sauce that was used as an alternative to the ginger scallion sauce in more traditional versions of Hainanese Chicken Rice. FYI. And the Chili Garlic sauce is unique to the Hainanese Chicken Rice dish.

[@simplyme3306]

Yes, scallion dipping sauce is a cantonese condiment. Not hainanese.

[@periperichooks]

100% - one of my fav things is the pure ginger sauce that we eat with chicken rice in Singapore. In Sydney, they always serve with the Cantonese ginger scallion sauce and they don't have any black sauce

[@sklow84]

I don't think so, my grandma was from Hainan and she said it was traditional condiment of the Hainanese. It is very rare to find this sauce nowadays in Malaysia except for Hainanese households.

[@L3xCin]

As a Singaporean, I've never actually come across chicken rice that had the ginger scallion sauce, its always the pure ginger stuff, its so freaking gooooood

[@simplyme3306]

if your family is cantonese you may have tried it at home :D That's where I come to taste it first.@@L3xCin

[@kennethwu115]

A very delicious dish. A version of this won Masterchef the Professionals in the UK a few years ago. Great recipe Chef.

[@andy_cooks]

Thanks legend

[@Pieter7]

Fuiyoh...Congratulation Uncle Andy.

[@ChefDavidSazz]

We chefs devote our time and basically our lives to our job and the food we make only to end up under-appreciated and some even under paid haha. The efforts you put into your videos are second to none, definitely worth my time . Nice to see cooking can be educative and informative this was so wholesome to watch

[@nilabakery]

I appreciate how you've included tips and tricks throughout the recipe. It shows that you've put a lot of thought into making it accessible for everyone. 👌👌🤩

[@TurfMode]

Cant wait to make this dish! Been waiting all week for this recipe and enjoying the cook book as well! Its great Andy and team! Legend.

[@MrTjandra]

Thank you so much Andy! Your channel is the best and your work is greatly appreciated! Much love!

[@cpmc5400]

Looks great! The reason the mortar and pestle is better than a blender for chilli/other aromatics is because of how it breaks down the cells. It crushes them, rather than splitting them, so it releases more of the oils! As Kenji taught with pesto, if I recall correctly

[@-MarkWinston-]

You can blend them with the oil you are going to use to make a paste. Thats even better.

[@GTSE2005]

Congrats, you've (deservedly) earned the Uncle title 👑

[@alexandrastevens8892]

It's so good to know when you cook these dishes you have taken the time to really checkout the origins. I cook this dish often and we always enjoy it. We make the rice to go with other dishes as well. Thank you for your time and effort 😊😊

[@ongbh9381]

Congratulation for getting uncle title from uncle roger! 🥳🥳🥳

[@mayakorinalee]

You're officially Uncle Andy now.

[@jwolim1569]

We cook this at least once a month and Andy's method is bang on. This chef just understands the science of food. Loads of respect and thanks for sharing.

[@elfintan6540]

Loveeee watching you cook!!! Can cook anything and everything!!

[@konglee4468]

I absolutely love your videos! They are on point recipes and very straight forward! I appreciate you so much. Thank you chef!!

[@NomenNescio99]

I'm used to eating the dish in Thailand, it's called "Khao man gai" in Thai. One of the best meals I ever had was this dish, bought from a old lady on the side of the street for breakfast an early and beautiful morning in Buriram, it was just so delicious. Chicken feet makes the stock even better, sold for next to nothing in the Asian groceries store.

[@-MarkWinston-]

Khao man gai is served with a tao jiaw sauce which is not prefered in malaysia and singapore, and thai chicken rice does not really focus on the juiciness of the meat and the texture of the skin. Most thais cant accept chicken that are still reddish around the bone, which is a criterion for juicy chicken, so they will always overcook it to prevent this from happening, resulting in dryness.

[@NomenNescio99]

@@-MarkWinston- I have not had the pleasure of eating this dish in neither Malaysia or Singapore so I really can't make the comparison. As a foodie Singapore is high up the list of countries to visit just for the food, I have heard lot of great stuff aboutthe food in Singapore.

[@isaacfung622]

I like both😋

[@thastayapongsak4422]

@@-MarkWinston- The place I eat at the chicken is pretty juicy though, and it's a university canteen. I also avoid dry chicken rice at all cost.

[@-MarkWinston-]

@@thastayapongsak4422 I have eaten a lot of chicken rice in thailand and 99% of them are dry. The other 1% is moist, but the texture of the meat and skin along with the intensity of the chicken flavour are not prioritized. I have to admit it though, the soup in thailand tastes more flavourful to me, maybe because I like wintermelon and because of the msg and the knorr chicken powder they use.

[@robertweber8936]

My malaysian wife approves. Well done Ando!

[@andy_cooks]

Tell her thank you!

[@georgemullens]

So much respect for the amount of time and effort that goes into researching this and delivering an authentic version, not some Westernised imitation. Cheers Andy!

[@sirhenk5910]

At 7:00 if you're curious why a mortar and pestle adds flavour, its because crushing releases more flavour than cutting/blending. This is also why you 'bruise' things like lemon grass

[@gopuprakash160]

it is indeed one of the most delicious chicken dishes out there! I discovered this dish only about 5-6 years ago. I am from South India and we're not typically aware to it. A random youtube video made me. Ever since then, I had been longing to try it. Tried to make it at home once, it was good, but could have ben better. But I got lucky when I got a chance to try it in Sydney once and it was simply delicious. Ever since then, I have been a fan. Its still not easily available in Bangalore, where I live now. But fortunately, there's a nice little pan asian restaurant quite near to where I live which serves this and I have it every now and then. I am indeed very lucky!

[@Onlybadtakes2589]

Thank you for such a detailed breakdown

[@Aggarnar]

the reason the mortar gives better flavor is because it extracts the flavor better from the ingredients from the crushing force forcing the juice or oil out of what you mortar where if you blend you dont extract as much juice because cutting just get juice out from where you are cutting.

[@seowster]

Well done Andy. Great Job and thanks for making this easy to follow video of the iconic dish.

[@hyejipark3258]

Just made this dish and I can not stop eating it. I might finish the whole chicken myself!!

[@grossbildstein]

Tried it today. Great!!! thank you

[@Theophilus388]

I'm salivating. One of my most fave dishes and I'm going to try Andy's recipe this week. Wish me luck!😜😋

[@NickyKnickerson]

Andy and The Squad are coming to the US! Hopefully we do you proud. Have been loving the series and these recipes. My family has a love affair with Chinese food that started way back in the late 80s when we lived in Wichita, KS. We were blessed to have an absolutely incredible Cantonese place there that was owned and operated by a lovely couple, Tom and Cathay Chang. We spent every birthday, graduation and a lot of holidays there for nearly twenty years until Mr. and Mrs. Chang retired and closed shop. A sad day to be sure, but their retirement was well earned. They gave us tons of good memories and even more good food. Every time we went there Mr. Chang would come talk to us to catch up and share a beer, it was like eating at your friend's place. After it was gone we could never really find another place that satisfied in the same way, so I slowly started learning to make the things we loved. Eventually I moved to Chicago where I fell in love with food from other Asian countries. I started learning how to make some of the things I discovered there like Peking duck, Dim Sum, Chili Crab, Laab, Pho, Ramen and, particularly, Sichuan food. Oh, I love that spice. A few years back I moved home (now in central Arkansas, miles from any good Asian food) to help my aging folks, and now that the family is back together, I've been introducing my parents to all the wonderful dishes I've learned along the way. Hainanese chicken rice is on my To Eat list and you've done so much of the heavy lifting for me here. Thanks for being a part of my cooking journey and a midwestern family's obsession with Eastern food. And a big thank you for putting in the work to maintain authenticity and honoring the cultures that gave us these wonderful dishes, that's a big deal to me when I cook and one of the reasons I love what you're doing on this channel is it's a big deal to you too. Respect. Much love to you all from the heartland of America.

[@ritawiegand5333]

What a good story. Thank you for sharing it. How nice to read and imagine your journey in parts of USA of experiencing eating to cooking Chinese food!

[@ritawiegand5333]

What a good story. Thank you for sharing it. How nice to read and imagine your journey in parts of USA of experiencing eating to cooking Chinese food!

[@ritawiegand5333]

What a good story! Real thanks for sharing. It is so nice to read and imagine you experiencing in several parts of USA on the eating to cooking Chinese food!

[@axtran]

Absolutely love your style, Chef! Will be buying the book to support you!

[@VirginiaBronson]

That looks divine, chef! Thank you ❤

[@nikman2]

“Oh no I lost me handle “ Andy is the most authentic chef on KZbin ❤❤

[@delacroix3]

Lovely. Thanks Andy- you seem gentle and kind. I’ll give it a go

[@sr20spida]

Fuiyoh!! Congrats Uncle Andy! So big honour!

[@anchoimaimai]

10:58 usually add a little turmeric powder to the oil to give a little yellow color to the skin. Makes it look more appetizing

[@joketawa6209]

Youre one of my fave chef out there...youre making dishes that have the flavours of many countries...which makes us crave for more...🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@danielliaw6860]

you need some saw tooth / Mexican coriander in the green sauce , advice from a Hainanese great grandmother

[@martinhowe1422]

You really are an ace geezer - been watching you for a few months and the best compliment I can pay is it would be cool to cook with you for a group of best mates. Keep up the good work mate, a real joy to watch your output.

[@faridah_zaidi]

Wow Andy,you do justice to this chicken rice recipe. Authentic and true to its origin. Unlike other cooks,you emulate closely to the ingredients and methods. Well done mate.👍

[@vincentchin2864]

Awesome job, Andy! It's e exactly how we do it at home! The chicken, the ginger sauce, the chilli sauce and the rice --Spot On!!!

[@andyhoo5358]

Oh my, this looks absolutely delicious!

[@renofumi28]

"Knock knock, I'm bringing your uncle title 👑"

[@2t0y]

I love what Andy does.

[@padders1068]

Andy, Chef, Legend! Looks awesome, thanks for sharing! Peace to you and all of the team ❤

[@andy_cooks]

Thank you!

[@rabbivj]

Nicely done Uncle Andy!

[@aliciadarcy2001]

I’m gonna make this immediately. Thank you Andy!

[@prit04]

I like the long form of your cooking much better than the shorts. Wonder why KZbin doesn’t bump your longer format as much as it does the shorts. And thank you so much for this I’ve been missing chicken rice from my life since I moved out from singapore 8 years ago.

[@MrHaukz]

Love your videos and this Hainanese chicken looks very very good, i have to try this.

[@MrLoichin]

i love andy. my type of chef. Good on you and all the best to your USA trip

[@waynelau3256]

Thank you for respecting the culture! Was quite sad when I watched an instagram reel full of haters saying chicken rice is bland and tasteless

[@ErdingerLi]

It looks perfect!

[@DualWieldFTW]

Wonderfully done mate. Beautiful.

[@abbythejack-herfamilyandth4104]

Great recipe Andy! Looks awesome! Happy you included the green sauce xxx Karina and Andrew

[@andy_cooks]

Thank you. I needed to have that green sauce again, it was so good!

[@svnzrthrn4920]

You make it look simple. Great recipe.

[@MrAdorabao]

excellent CHEF!!!!

[@lorrainedash3045]

Delicious! I made the cheats Marion’s Kitchen version last night and cooked it in my rice cooker, it was still delicious. Can’t wait to try this version too.

[@s3uoq]

Great job Andy. Very authentic looking method like I do and each time you cook it, you'll make miner adjustments until it's exactly how you want. As mentioned already Pandan leaves in with the rice too when cooking. Chicken rice is definitely all about the rice, the chicken is just a bonus by-product 😋 Couple of little tips I do is keep chicken skin from other cooks to use for the chicken fat oil and you get delicious crispy skin left over to eat as a snack 😂 Second one is I reduce the stock to strengthen its flavour alot before using for rice cooking and soup. You also then end up with a master stock from whats left that you can freeze and use on the next cook as part of your poaching water 😉

[@debbiereilly900]

Thank you for sharing chef Andy my favorite food is chicken and rice soooooo good I'm going to try and make this recipe. It looks amazing. 😋😋😋

[@galeramos15]

Been craving for this for months and I can’t find a decent place here in LA that gives that authentic flavor. Tried this recipe today and it was AMAZING even on a first attempt. Thank you so much for sharing. Finally satisfied that craving.

[@Lil00zi]

Andy thank you for this

[@lwt02]

You nailed it Andy!

[@faithcooks42]

I'm a chef & love your videos! They have inspired quite a few dinners at my home. I love when you grab your cookbook "Oh, look!" LOL

[@kevngu7256]

I can’t wait to try this!!

[@hongchitpongsay7095]

Thank you Andy

[@texas70.32]

Please keep these vids coming!

[@missdaniiP]

Followed it to a tee, Chef! Delicious!

[@shukorhadi8215]

Well done!! A Singaporean approves! 👏 👏

[@lorenzogabrielaquino4806]

That looks really good Andy. You are right about how how some people can't get over the paleness of the dish. I never thought Hainanese chicken rice would be that good until I had some myself. 😅

[@te6233]

Legit! Thanks Andy!

[@dwjr5129]

I know the crew had mouths watering! Looks amazing!

[@BreonNagy]

Love this series

[@andy_cooks]

Thanks mate

[@hanhw0rld]

I love you and babes Andy!!!! You’re the man. Love coming all the way from California.

[@0610lactic]

Can’t wait to try making them ❤

[@supianzainuddin1482]

Thank you for the recipe. I am about to cook chicken rice and this is a perfect recipe.

[@richarddamico9894]

My favorite dish!

[@kristellebatchelor7888]

This looks SO GOOD and so authentic. I love how Andi is championing Asian dishes and actually doing them justice 🎉

[@pdjhh]

The reason pastes taste better from the pestle and mortar is because you are pounding and grinding to squeeze out the juices whereas the blender just chops it all up finely.

[@johnchua5153]

Some flavor compounds are heat sensitive and the friction from the blades can mute them. Using a mortar and pestle, like you said will maximize oil extraction by crushing the cell walls within the aromatics.

[@kingbball66]

Looks amazing

[@siawchinwee4120]

Andy never fails the Asian people food! He never mess it up by adding whatever he thing it should be. I can confidently said he did it correctly and didnt miss out any steps!

[@jheaespares2981]

looks delicious

[@carlostaopua9111]

This looks so yummy

[@alex-cg6hq]

Andy is just the best man, best food tube!

[@jonnyjonjonjrshabadoo6565]

What a dish. My wife cooks a Vietnamese version of this that I never tire of. It’s the rice that gets me.

[@user-ig3xm7qg4y]

Followed your recipe to a tee, Andy! Used Calamansi extract that I had for the Chilli sauce. My family loved it.

[@kenlee8176]

Looks good hope I can replicate this at home.

[@damonmhtan9490]

Well done 👍 brilliant... New ingredients to try out

[@fishballrox]

For the ginger sauce, stores usually don’t do it as it’s quite time consuming so they just have the chilis. For my household we usually add in some green chilli for that fragrant in the chilli sauce. Also nice video, very simple and easy to follow 👍👍👍

[@ysungw3257]

Well done chef! Looks delicious!

[@andy_cooks]

Thank you!

[@TheOonamac]

Great video. I love all versions of chicken rice ❤

[@evelynsiguiente8720]

so delicious, I can't wait to cook it for our family💗 Congratulations Andy for cooking rice like an Asian!

[@lsc2568]

I am currently in Hainan watching your video. Thank you very much for your recipe summary👍

[@lanonas2000]

My favorite Hainanese Chicken Rice! Thanks for the recipe!

[@Mooshie1979]

You can just add thin chicken breast to 3 cups of water for a solo person’s meal & it works just as good. Same ingredients but 8mins to poach 😊

[@ahtyuen]

Good stuff Andy!!

[@jonathanduplantis1403]

Love your style of cooking and also your method of teaching