Hainanese Chicken Rice is a very popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia. In fact, Singapore has claimed this as their national dish! The chicken is served either roasted, poached, or steamed.
The flavor of the rice is out of this world! It's not just plain white rice. Normally, the uncooked rice is stir-fried in ginger and garlic, then cooked in chicken broth. Yumm, right??
For this particular recipe, I toss everything in the rice cooker and let it do its magic!
(ps - If you're looking for the Instant Pot version of this recipe, I have that linked here! I also have a Rice Cooker Claypot Chicken Rice recipe I bet you will love!)
I used to save this dish for weekends because it was a bit of work, but using a rice cooker, I can now enjoy chicken rice even on the busiest weeknights!
First, rub 2 teaspoons of sesame oil on to 6 chicken drumsticks. I like using chicken drumsticks for this, but you can use chicken breast or chicken thighs (skin on). Just make sure that the pieces are small enough so that it's cooked all the way through. Let it marinate for about 20 minutes.
After washing and draining the rice (2 cups), put the uncooked rice straight into the rice cooker
. Instead of filling the rice cooker with water, fill it with chicken stock to the "2-cup" line. It should be approximately 3 cups of chicken stock.
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Next, add 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped), and about 1 inch of ginger (thinly sliced, then cut into thin strips).
Arrange the chicken drumsticks over the rice.
Finally, add 3 pandan leaves, tied into a knot. If you're not able to find pandan leaves, feel free to leave it out. It's optional but it does add a very subtle fragrance to the dish. In the States, I was only able to find pandan leaves in the freezer section at the Asian supermarkets.
Just let the rice cooker do its thing and by the time the rice is cooked, the chicken will be perfectly cooked as well. Tender, flavorful, and juicy.
The rice, of course, extremely flavorful with the chicken stock, ginger and garlic. Garnish with chopped scallions, then serve with your favorite chili sauce on the side.
The best part about this dish is that there's hardly any cleanup since everything was cooked in the rice cooker 🙂
Rice Cooker Hainanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 6 chicken drumsticks approx 1 ½ pounds
- 1 dash ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups rice uncooked - use the measuring cup that came with your rice cooker!
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ inch of ginger cut into thin strips
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 pandan leaves tied into a knot (optional)
- scallions for garnish
- hot sauce recommended: sriracha or sambal oelek for serving
Instructions
- Rub sesame oil on chicken drumsticks. Top with a pinch of black pepper. Let marinade for about 20 minutes.
- Wash and drain rice. Put in rice cooker.
- Add chicken stock, ginger, garlic and pandan leaves (Fill chicken stock to the 2-cup line in your rice cooker).
- Arrange the chicken drumsticks over the rice.
- Turn on the rice cooker and let it cook.
- When rice cooker shuts off, remove the lid and let it sit for about 10 more minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the rice cooker.
- Fluff the rice with a fork or a pair of chopsticks.
- Serve rice with chicken and hot sauce.
- Garnish with scallions.
Nutrition
Regina says
I loved chicken rice when we where in Asia. Your idea of cooking them all together in the rice cooker is just genius!
Char says
Thanks, Regina! 😉
Life With Lorelai says
YUM’d! This looks delicious. A definite must try! Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! We’d love to have you for a visit. The Door is OPEN. http://lifewithlorelai.com/2015/06/04/home-matters-linky-party-40/ 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Char says
Thanks, Lorelai 🙂 will check it out!
Trish says
YUM! This sounds absolutely delicious! You know, I don't actually own a rice cooker. DOH! Would this work in a slow cooker? Is that the dumbest question ever? MAYBE! HA!
Char says
hahah yannow, I haven't tried making rice in a slow cooker before but I don't see why it wouldn't work! Check out this link: http://www.livestrong.com/article/458453-how-to-cook-rice-in-a-slow-cooker/
You can also cook it on a stovetop in a regular pot! Here are some great step-by-step instructions. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-rice-on-the-stove-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-44333. It's super important not to open the lid when cooking rice over the stove (the rice will turn out mushy..like porridge). Hope that helps!
Jade Xi says
This looks absolutely delicious, Char. If I used this recipe on a newer rice cooker, what would be the best way to tell if the chicken has been fully cooked? A while back I under-cooked some chicken and have been a little paranoid since. Thank you.
Char says
Hi Jade! Thanks for the comments. That is a fantastic question. It is not easy to tell just by looking at chicken meat to determine if it's fully cooked. I always let my chicken properly thaw to make sure that the inside is not frozen as this would definitely cause chicken to be undercooked. What I would recommend is to use a meat thermometer especially the first few times you make this dish (or other similar dishes) in your new rice cooker. This will give you an idea as to how your rice cooker will handle the dish. The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees F. Hope that helps!
Elisa says
Char, I was looking for this type of recipe when I found your blog. It's exactly what I was looking for, I tried it out, and finished my lunch just 10 minutes ago! It's so delicious! It's my new go-to recipe.
Char says
Hi Elisa!! Ahhhh you made my day! Thank you so much for stopping by and trying out this recipe; I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Please stay in touch! 😀
Dajuana Carson says
could this be done in a pressure cooker and all the broth cook off? thank you!
Amy @ Pressure Cook Recipes says
Hi Dajuana,
This is Amy from Pressure Cook Recipes.
It is possible to convert this recipe to pressure cooker! I recommend cooking the chicken first in the pressure cooker with the ingredients then use some of the leftover chicken stock to cook the rice at a 1:1 ratio for perfectly cooked rice.
If you would like to cook the chicken and rice at the same time, you will have to reduce the chicken stock to rice ratio to 0.9:1 or else the rice will come out too wet and mushy!
Have fun cooking 🙂
Amy
Char says
Thanks Amy!! 😀
Ging says
hi! thanks for this easy recipe! I am not a fan of drumsticks tho... can I use chicken breasts instead? thanks!
Char says
Hi Ging! Thanks for visiting the site and checking out this recipe. Chicken breast will work, but make sure that it is not too thick; or it may not cook through. Cut into smaller pieces, or butterfly it if needed. If you are okay with using chicken thighs, that would be a better option as they are more tender. Hope that helps!
Ging says
thanks a bunch!!! will try it this week!
Peggy says
How big is the rice cooker for this recipe? I wanted to try but not sure whether my rice cooker is big enough
Char says
Hi Peggy! I believe this rice cooker was 8 or 10 cups. Perhaps you can reduce the recipe serving size by half to try in your rice cooker if you think it might be too small?
Miranda says
Hi, the recipe looks soo good and easyto make, but ai just have a quick question. I was reviewing this recipe and realize that there isn’t any salt or soy sauce used in the recipe. Is that correct? Or was that accidentally left out?
Char says
Hi Miranda! 🙂 I haven't used either in this recipe as the chicken stock has already got plenty of flavor. However, you may certainly add them if that is your preference! Cheers! 🙂
Izzy says
Hi there! This recipe sounds delicious! Is it possible to make this in a sauce pan? My rice cooker is quite small and Im planning on cooking for two.
Char says
Hi Izzy, I have not tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't work! Here's a guide on how to cook rice in on a stovetop in case you need it:
https://www.wokandskillet.com/how-to-cook-rice-without-a-rice-cooker/
Keep me posted!
B says
Thanks for the great recipe! I made it with a 5 cup rice cooker, but probably had only a pound of chicken legs. It also held great in the rice cooker as I didn't get a chance to eat it until much later.
Delicious!!
Char says
Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 That is definitely one of my favorite features of the rice cooker; being able to keep it warm for hours until you're ready to eat! Cheers!
Santini says
Wow! So easy and yummy! Love to try to this one! Thanks for sharing!
Char says
Hi Santini! Thanks for your comment! I hope you give the recipe a try. Have a great day! 🙂
Eric Seah says
Hi there, a little noob in cooking, but how do you prepare your chicken stock in advance? Please pardon the "man-in-kitchen" if this is a silly question! Thanks.
Char says
Hi Eric!! haha there are no silly questions 🙂 Here is a recipe for homemade chicken stock: https://www.wokandskillet.com/basic-chinese-chicken-stock/
Alternatively, you can also use store-bought chicken stock. You'll usually find that in the canned goods section. Hope that helps! 🙂
Kit says
Hmmm, I can smell the ginger from here! Ill probably add a little more than 1/2 cup as I have been using ginger a lot lately due to its health benefits. I will make this later for dinner.
Char says
Cheers, Kit! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Miki says
Made this as a last-minute meal two nights ago - absolutely delicious! We'll definitely be putting this into regular rotation. ? Thank you for a great recipe!
Char says
Hi Miki! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this comment. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Have a great weekend!