One-Pot Hainan Chicken Rice
Hainan Chicken Rice is the ultimate comfort food, ready in under an hour! Featuring melt-in-your-mouth chicken, fragrant jasmine rice, and a trio of zesty aromatics, this dish strikes the perfect balance of savory, nourishing, and satisfying.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 683kcal
Ingredients
Chicken Rice
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided or more to taste
- 4 chicken thighs skin-on and bone in (trim the fat and some skin for rendering)
- 1 inch ginger peeled and minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 green onions finely diced
- 2 green onions trim ends and keep whole
- 1 ½ cups jasmine rice or use basmati
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
Green Onion Oil
- ½ cup green onions finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or use avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
To Serve
- 2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced and divided
- 1 tablespoon chili onion crunch or more to taste divided
Instructions
Make the chicken and rice
- Remove the bone from the chicken. Trim off the excess skin and any fat. Lay the chicken on a plate and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt on all sides, rub it all over and let sit while you prep the rest.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan to medium heat. Add the chicken skin and fat trimmings in the pot. Render the fat and skin for about 5 minutes. Discard the crispy skin.
- Rinse the rice with cold water then drain well, repeat until water runs clear. Set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Add chopped scallions, minced ginger and minced garlic. Fry until fragrant.
- Put in the drained rice and fry for 1 minute, mixing well to coat the rice. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom to loosen any grains stuck to the pot. Place the salted chicken pieces on top of the rice without overlapping, making sure to submerge some of the chicken in the rice, add the 2 green onions tucked into the rice as well.
- Bring uncovered pan to a boil. Put on a tight lid and turn the heat to the low. Cook for 17 minutes, turn off the heat, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Do not open the lid during the cooking and resting process.
Make green onion oil and serve
- While the rice is cooking, make the green onion oil. Place the finely chopped green onions, minced ginger, garlic in a heat proof bowl and set aside.
- In a small pot, heat ¼ cup oil over medium heat until it reaches 275°F. Remove the pot from the stove and very carefully pour over the green onions – they will sizzle and bubble up. Add the sesame oil and salt, adjust seasoning to taste.
- When the 10 minute rest is up, remove and discard the green onions. Remove the chicken and slice. Fluff up the rice and serve with thinly sliced cucumbers, green onion oil and chili onion crunch if using. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
Instant Pot Instructions
Marinate the chicken as usual. Use the “Sauté” function to fry scallions, ginger, garlic and rice following the same instructions explained above. Turn off the “Sauté” button. Add 1½ cup of water (the same volume of the rice). Scrap off any rice stuck to the bottom before laying the chicken over. Put the lid on and turn the valve to “Seal”. Choose to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes (turn off the “keep warm” button if it’s on automatically). After the cooking is done, allow 10 minutes for the natural release of the pressure. Then, manually let off the remaining pressure.
Rice Cooker Instructions
Follow the same instructions above to marinate the chicken and fry the aromatics and rice in a regular pan/skillet. Then transfer everything into the rice cooker. Add water following the same rice-to-water ratio you normally use when cooking rice. Place in the chicken and close the lid. Use the usual rice cooking program to cook. When it’s done, wait for 10 minutes then uncover and serve. Please be aware that the water needed for the regular pot method may vary slightly depending on the heat power and the quality of the pot. Adjust if necessary.
Nutrition
Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 1679mg | Potassium: 564mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg