Hainanese chicken is one of the best inventions of humanity. And It was a pretty exotic dish for me. butabsolutely sensational when I tried it for the first time. I had never seen anything like this in Korea. It looks very simple, but the flavour exists in every single part of the dish.
I love how the chicken is chewy but still soft at the same time. It is just beautiful to have a spoonful of buttery rice full of umami. And when you slurp the chicken broth at the end, you honestly feel like you do not need anything else in your life but Hainanese chicken.
This is not the most calorie-friendly version of Hainanese chicken. But the fact that you can still track the meal makes it much easier to stick to your diet.
Macro friendly Hainanese chicken
Difficulty: Easy8
servings30
minutes50
minutes521
kcal45
g32
g23
gIngredients
Chicken and broth
• 2 kg chicken thigh cutlets (with bone)
• spring onion
• 1 whole onion
• A few pieces of ginger
• Salt 5 gChicken rice
•Chicken skin 150 g
•Minced garlic 40 g
•Minced ginger 15 g
•Raw Rice 300 g
•Chicken stock 15 g (1 cubes)
•Chicken broth from boiling the chickenGarnish
•Cucumber
•Chopped spring onion
Directions
- Preparation
- Prepare the fish
Line an oven tray with baking paper. Season the barramundi generously with salt on both sides and leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes. - Cooking
- 1. Prepare the chicken
Trim the chicken skin and fat from the chicken thigh cutlets and set them aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt, then add spring onion, onion, and ginger.
Once the water is boiling, add the chicken thigh cutlets and boil for 20 minutes.
While boiling, remove the scum thoroughly. This is important because we will use the broth later, and removing the scum will give the rice a cleaner and better taste.
When the vegetables become soft, remove and discard them. - Cool and prepare the chicken
Remove the chicken from the pot and place it in ice water for 5 minutes.
Debone the chicken, slice it, and set it aside.
Do not throw away the broth. - Prepare the chicken oil base
Finely chop the chicken skin.
(I like to cut it into small pieces using scissors.)
Heat a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped chicken skin, minced garlic, minced ginger, and chicken stock cubes. Stir well.
Cook until the chicken skin turns golden brown and releases oil. - Cook the rice
Wash the rice and add it to the pot. Stir to coat the rice evenly with the chicken oil.
✔️Normal pot method
Add chicken broth until it is about 1 cm above the rice.
Cover with a lid, leaving a small gap so steam can escape. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
When the broth reduces and the rice looks about halfway cooked, lower the heat to the lowest setting, close the lid completely, and cook for another 15minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
✔️Rice cooker method
Transfer everything to a rice cooker, add the appropriate amount of chicken broth, and cook for about 30 minutes. - Divided into 8 serving, garnish with cucumber and chopped spring onions.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- I separated 150 g of chicken skin from 2kg of chicken thigh cutlet!
- Make sure to use the right amount of chicken broth when cooking the rice. If you are not confident, I recommend using a rice cooker.