Best Chicken Rice Recipes for you to Try at Home

Searching for a dish to enjoy at home with the family? A simple yet fragrant and juicy plate of Chicken Rice may just do the trick. Creating the perfect plate of chicken rice may not be the easiest to cook up but not impossible to try. So here are 3 different recipes on how to cook Chicken Rice that you can try.

Malaysian Style Chicken Rice

Image Credit: TallyPress

A simplified Malaysian Style Chicken Rice recipe that uses the ingredients you will have in the comfort of your home.

Ingredients

Chicken Broth

• 4 pieces of chicken thigh
• 1 tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
• 1 Chicken Cube

Rice

• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
• 2 cups of Rice, rinsed and drained
• ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

Marination Sauce

• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste

Chicken Soup

• Oil
• 1 Onion
• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Potato
• Salt to taste
• Optional, Sup Bunjut (consists of coriander, cumin, and star anise)
• Coriander leaves
• Spring Onion

Preparation

Chicken Broth

1. Knead chicken with 1 tbsp of ginger and 1 tbsp of garlic paste
2. Boil in water for 10 minutes. Make sure not to overcook the chicken
3. After 10 minutes, remove the chicken parts and keep the broth for rice and soup

Rice

1. Add butter to the rice cooker. Once fully melted, add 1 tbsp of ginger and 1 tbsp of garlic paste. Stir well
2. Add 2 cups of washed rice.
3. Add 3 and ½ cup of chicken broth you’ve prepared earlier
4. Add ¼ tsp of turmeric and salt to taste

Marination Sauce for Chicken

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marination sauce well and knead chicken with the sauce
2. Marinate for 15 - 30 minutes
3. Bake at 400F/200C for 15 - 20 minutes

Chicken Soup

1. Add oil, thin layer to cover size of the pot
2. Add sliced onion, carrots, and potatoes
3. Pour the remaining chicken broth
4. Add salt to taste
5. Optional: Add Sup Bunjut if you would like to enhance the soup taste
6. Add chopped coriander leaves and chopped spring onion

Recipe credit to The Roys.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Image Credit: Syced, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 

For a more authentic plate of chicken rice, this is how to make 6 servings of Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Ingredients

Hainanese Chicken

• 1.3kg whole chicken, giblets (liver, heart, gizzard, and neck) removed
• ¼ cup kosher salt(60 g), divided
• 4-inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
• 1 bunch of fresh scallion or spring onion (based on your preference)
• 3.7L water
• 2 tbsp sesame oil

Hainanese Rice

• ¼ cup sesame oil(60 mL)
• 2 tbsp chicken fat, chopped (Alternatively, you can use butter)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups long grain rice (400g), rinsed and drained)
• 2 cups reserved chicken poaching broth(480 mL)

Chilli Sauce

• 2 tbsp sambal
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp reserved chicken poaching broth

Ginger Garlic Sauce

• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely minced
• kosher salt, to taste
• 3 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Soy Dipping Sauce

• Reserved fried garlic and ginger
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp reserved chicken poaching broth
• 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced, for serving
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, for serving

Preparation

1. Rub the chicken all over with a handful of kosher salt, getting rid of any loose skin. Rinse the chicken well inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Remove any excess fat from the chicken and set it aside for later.
3. Season the chicken generously with salt. Stuff the chicken cavity with ginger slices and scallions.
4. Place the chicken in a large stock pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2 cm), and season with salt to taste.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (75°C). Remove the pot from the heat.
6. Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the chicken broth for later, and transfer the chicken to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process and to keep the skin springy. Discard the ginger and green onion.
7. After cooling, pat dry with paper towels and rub all over with sesame oil. This helps prevent the chicken from drying out.
8. In a large wok or skillet, heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved chopped chicken fat, the garlic, ginger, and salt, and fry until aromatic, about 10 minutes.
9. Reserve ¼ of the fried garlic mixture, then add the rice to the remaining fried garlic and stir to coat. Cook for 3 minutes.
10. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker and add 2 cups (480 ml) of reserved chicken broth—steam the rice for 60 minutes, or until tender.
11. While rice is cooking, carve chicken for serving.
12. Make the chili sauce: combine sambal, Sriracha, sugar, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and chicken broth in a small bowl and stir well.
13. Make the ginger garlic sauce: in a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, salt, peanut oil, and rice vinegar, and stir well.
14. Make the soy sauce: in a small bowl, combine the reserved fried garlic and ginger with the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and chicken broth, and stir well.
15. Serve the sliced chicken with the rice, dipping sauces, sliced cucumbers, and fresh cilantro.

Recipe credit to Tasty.

One-pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

Image Credit: Red House Spice

The one-pot method is an easier approach to cooking Hainanese Chicken Rice, which traditionally has multiple steps, as shared above. This recipe is perfect for those who are short on time.

Ingredients

• Chicken Thighs
• White rice (Jasmine or short grain works)
• Scallions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Light Soy Sauce
• Lime
• Sesame Oil
• Cucumber
• Neutral cooking oil
• Salt
• White pepper

Preparation

With a regular pot

1. Marinate chicken with salt and white pepper. Leave for 10 minutes or so.
2. Over medium heat, fry finely chopped scallions, minced garlic, and garlic in oil until fragrant. Use a spoon to transfer about ⅔ to a small bowl for sauce.
3. Add rinsed and drained rice. Stir fry for about half a minute to coat the grains evenly with oil. Pour in water and add salt. Use a spatula to scrape any rice off the bottom of the pot. If using a stovetop pot: the rice-water ratio is about 3:4. For making about 4 servings, I use 1½ cups of rice and 2 cups of water.
4. Place chicken pieces flat over rice without overlapping. Leave the pot uncovered and let the water come to a very gentle boil (small bubbles appear on the surface). Cover with a tight lid and turn the heat down to the lowest. Leave to cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for a further 10 minutes. Don’t skip this resting process as the heat inside the pot will continue to cook the rice and chicken. If using an electric burner where the temperature doesn’t go down immediately: Remove pot to avoid burning the food.

With instant pot

1. Use the “Sauté” function for step 2 & step 3. Fry the aromatics and rice in the pot. Add water of the same volume of rice which is less than what you’d need in a regular pot (e.g. use 1½ cups of water for 1½ cups of rice).
2. Use the “Pressure cook” function for step 4. After putting the chicken pieces in, cancel “Sauté” and choose high pressure (if the “Keep warm” button is on automatically, turn it off). Set the timer to 5 minutes then seal the valve.
3. When the time is up, allow the pressure to be released naturally for 10 minutes then perform a manual release before opening the lid safely.

With rice cooker

1. Use a regular pan/skillet to fry the aromatics and rice then transfer them into the rice cooker.
2. Add water following the same rice-to-water ratio you normally use when cooking rice. Place in the chicken and close the lid. Turn on the usual rice cooking program to cook.
3. When it’s done, wait for 10 minutes then uncover and serve.

Serving the dish

1. Remove the center bone of the chicken thighs then cut them into bite-sized strips.
2. Scoop out the rice and put it on individual serving plates. Place the chicken on the side, along with sliced cucumber.
3. Use the fried scallion and garlic that was set aside earlier, stir some light soy sauce, fresh lime juice, and a dash of sesame oil to form a sauce. Add finely chopped fresh chilies if you like some heat.

Recipe credit to Red House Spice.

Cover Image Credit: topntp26 on Freepik