{"id":29358,"date":"2025-06-15T08:45:40","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T15:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=29358"},"modified":"2025-06-21T13:15:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T20:15:29","slug":"hainanese-chicken-rice-best-easy-one-pot-chicken-rice-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/hainanese-chicken-rice-best-easy-one-pot-chicken-rice-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy One Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re looking for your next hands-off, delicious one pot dinner, this is it: Hainanese chicken rice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever had Hainanese chicken rice before? Are you as obsessed with it as I am? I\u2019m guessing the answer is no because I have a lifelong, deep obsession with chicken rice.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s my ultimate comfort food, my all-time-favorite go to meal, my version of Anton Ego\u2019s mom\u2019s ratatouille. You know, the scene in in the Pixar movie where Anton is taken back to his mom\u2019s kitchen and she serves him ratatouille and all is right with the world. That’s Hainanese chicken rice for me.<\/p>\n

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What is Hainanese chicken rice?<\/h2>\n

Hainanese chicken is deceptively simple but somehow complex. It originated in Hainan in Southern China, but its spiritual home is Singapore, where you\u2019ll find renditions of the ever popular dish everywhere, from hawker stands to high end hotels.<\/p>\n

I would fight to the death to say that Hainanese chicken rice is the best rendition of chicken and rice out there. It\u2019s so humble, so flavorful, and so pure. At its heart, Hainanese chicken rice is just that: chicken and rice.<\/p>\n

The chicken is poached in a simple yet flavorful broth scented with ginger, garlic, and scallions and is silky, firm, and tastes like the most perfect chicken you\u2019ll ever have. The rice that comes with it should stand on its own: full of chicken flavor, slicked with fat, savory, and fragrant.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s so special about the rice?<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve got to taste it to believe it, but I think the secret to why Hainanese chicken rice is so good is the rice. And the secret to the rice is chicken fat. Any good cook knows that when you cook rice in broth, the broth infuses the inside of the grain, giving it extra flavor. A lot of cultures do this, like how Mexican rice is cooked in tomatoes and onions.<\/a> Chicken rice goes one step further by frying uncooked rice in chicken fat with garlic, shallots, and ginger before cooking in chicken broth, giving the rice another layer of toasty, aromatic deliciousness. The rice should be glossy, luscious and full of flavor.<\/p>\n

The best chicken rice is the one you like making<\/h2>\n

There are a lot of Hainanese chicken rice recipes that call for 24 hour (or more) cures and other very complicated steps. It doesn’t need to be this way, especially if you just want good chicken rice and you’re not competing with a dozen other chicken rice hawkers at a market. It’s the rice that you need to pay careful attention to, and that’s an easy thing that doesn’t take much extra time.<\/p>\n

Personally, I love making chicken rice, I find it therapeutic somehow. But sometimes I just want to eat chicken and rice without cooking a whole chicken. This easy recipe is for those times: skin-on boneless chicken thighs and rice are cooked in one pot for ease and fewer dishes to wash.<\/strong> Win-win!<\/p>\n

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The secret to great Hainanese chicken rice<\/h2>\n

This is a basic one pot Hainanese chicken rice with all the flavor and none of the fuss. The recipe starts with chicken fat. If you\u2019re like me and love chicken rice and make it on the regular, you\u2019ll want to keep a jar of rendered chicken fat in the fridge. Even if you\u2019re not like me and don\u2019t want to make chicken rice every day of the week, you\u2019ll want to keep a jar of chicken fat in the fridge. Chicken fat is PURE FLAVOR.<\/p>\n

Chicken fat is what makes the rice part of chicken rice taste so good. But, if you don\u2019t have any chicken fat, don\u2019t worry, toasting your rice in any fat is going to give it a glossy, delicious flavor coat. The key is cooking the ginger, garlic, and shallots in fat so that the aromatics release their deliciousness into the rice.<\/p>\n

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How to render chicken fat<\/h2>\n

Chicken fat is the key to a good Hainanese chicken rice. The chicken fat adds so much flavor to the rice, you won\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n

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  1. Collect.<\/strong> Trim excess skin off the chicken thighs. Every time you have a recipe that calls for boneless skinless chicken thighs, just buy skin-on, bone-in chicken. Debone and save the bones for stock and save the skin for rendering. I like to freeze a sizable amount then make a big batch of chicken fat and crispy chicken skin.<\/li>\n
  2. Chop.<\/strong> Use a sharp knife and chop the chicken skin into small 1\/2 inch pieces. You can use a pair of scissors for this too.<\/li>\n
  3. Slowly render.<\/strong> Put all of the chicken skins in a non-stick (or cast iron) skillet, pot, or pan. I like using a pot to keep everything from splattering but it\u2019ll be faster in a pan or skillet. Cover and cook on medium low for 15 minutes. The fat will start to render out and collect.<\/li>\n
  4. Crisp.<\/strong> After you have a pretty pool of glistening fat, uncover the skillet and turn the heat up to medium. Let the skin and fat cook, stirring and breaking up occasionally, until the chicken skins start to crisp and brown.<\/li>\n
  5. Strain.<\/strong> After all the skins are brown, remove the pan from the heat and use a fine mesh strainer over a heat proof liquid measuring cup to strain out the crispy skin. The rendered chicken fat is pure flavor. If desired, return the skin to the pan and crisp up further. The crispy chicken skins are the BEST. They\u2019ll continue to crisp up as they cool, so don\u2019t cook them too long. Store the strained fat in a jar in the fridge for several weeks and use to make chicken rice!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Chicken thigh vs chicken breast<\/h2>\n

    But what about the chicken? Do you need a whole chicken? Should you use dark meat or light if you’re just going with individual pieces? Again, this is personal preference, but I think the whole chicken isn’t necessary. The only question is, do you go with thigh or breast?<\/p>\n

    When you\u2019re in Singapore, you have to pay extra for dark meat (thighs and drumsticks) because the meat is silkier and more tender. I definitely prefer thighs to chicken breasts when making chicken rice but sometimes I like the texture of breasts too.<\/p>\n

    What kind of chicken for chicken rice?<\/h2>\n

    Chicken thighs are clearly superior but they don\u2019t tend to sell skin-on boneless chicken thighs. What I do is buy bone in skin on thighs and trim the bones out myself.<\/p>\n

    How to debone chicken thighs<\/h2>\n

    There\u2019s only one bone to remove from a chicken thigh, making it super simple.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Place<\/strong> the chicken thigh, skin side down on a cutting board.<\/li>\n
    2. Find<\/strong> the bone that runs along the length of the thigh. Use a sharp boning knife or paring knife along the side of the bone to reveal it.<\/li>\n
    3. Use<\/strong> the knife to scrape along both sides of the bone, being careful not to cut all the way through.<\/li>\n
    4. Angle<\/strong> the tip of knife underneath the bone and run the knife alongside the bone to cut the end of the thigh away. Repeat on the other side.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      You can use the bones to make a simple chicken stock that will add EVEN more flavor to your Hainanese chicken rice. See below for the recipe.<\/p>\n

      Chicken and Rice<\/h2>\n

      All cultures have some sort of chicken and rice. The Japanese have oyakodon, Latin Americans have arroz con pollo, and Southeast Asians (and Hainanese people) have Hainanese chicken rice. Like most chicken and rice dishes, it\u2019s simple at heart: poached chicken and seasoned rice served with a variety of sauces.<\/p>\n

      Like lots of immigrant adapted foods, there are actually a bunch of different types of Hainanese chicken rices: Singaporean, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Thai. Growing up, it was a staple in our house. Chicken rice is the food that can bring me back to my childhood and transport me to some of my favorite memories as an adult. I\u2019m not embarrassed to say that chicken rice is my everything.<\/p>\n

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      How do you eat Hainanese chicken rice?<\/h2>\n

      Everyone eats it differently! Some people like to pour all three sauces on top and mix it all up, some people only use certain sauces, really, it\u2019s up to you. Authentically, like with curry rice, it\u2019s usually served on a plate with a spoon and fork \u2013 NOT a bowl and chopsticks \u2013 to scoop everything up.<\/p>\n

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      What to serve with Hainanese chicken rice<\/h2>\n

      Traditionally it\u2019s served with the poaching broth the chicken was cooked in, as well as chili sauce, scallion-ginger sauce (I kept it simple here with a scallion only sauce), and dark soy sauce. If you\u2019re in Singapore, they\u2019ll probably give you a couple pieces of cucumber, and a sprig of cilantro on top.<\/p>\n

      Homemade Hainanese scallion oil<\/h2>\n

      Sometimes I keep it simple with a pure scallion oil, but if you have the time to chop up some more aromatics, a ginger garlic scallion oil is an unforgettable umami bomb you\u2019ll want to put on EVERYTHING.<\/p>\n

      Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n