Hainanese Chicken Rice with Chilli & Ginger Sauces

Ingredients

For 4 portions

• 🍗 1,500g chicken (raw, whole bird)
• 🪴 70g ginger
• 🧄 10 cloves garlic
• 🧅 5 medium spring onions
• 🧂 3 Tsp salt
• 🥤 3,000ml tap water
• 🍚 400g white rice (dry)
• 🏺 4 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 🏺 2 Tsp sesame oil
• 🌶️ 60g red chilli peppers
• 🍋 30ml fresh lime juice
• 🍚 1 Tsp sugar
• 🥣 3 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 🥣 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 🥒 200g cucumber
• 🌿 10g fresh coriander

Method

1. Poach the chicken: rub the chicken all over with 1 tsp of the salt to clean and season the skin, then rinse. Stuff the cavity with 30 g sliced ginger, 3 smashed garlic cloves and 2 spring onions.
2. Bring the water to the boil in a pot that just fits the chicken with 1 tsp salt. Lower the chicken in breast-side down, return to a bare simmer, then turn the heat to its lowest and poach, covered, for 40–45 minutes without boiling, until the juices run clear at the thigh (75 °C inside).
3. Lift the chicken straight into a big bowl of iced water for 10 minutes – this makes the skin silky and firm. Drain, rub with 1 tsp of the sesame oil and set aside. Keep the poaching stock simmering.
4. Rice: rinse the rice until the water runs clear and drain well. Heat 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a pan, fry 5 finely chopped garlic cloves and 20 g finely chopped ginger for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the rice for 2 minutes. Add 600 ml of the hot poaching stock and ½ tsp salt, boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
5. Chilli sauce: blend the red chillies, 2 garlic cloves, 10 g ginger, the lime juice, sugar, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of hot stock until smooth.
6. Ginger-scallion oil: finely chop the remaining 10 g ginger and 3 spring onions, put in a heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt, and pour over the remaining 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, heated until shimmering.
7. Soup: season the remaining stock with the soy sauce and a pinch of salt and keep hot.
8. Carve the chicken into pieces and drizzle with the remaining sesame oil and a little stock. Serve with mounds of rice, sliced cucumber, coriander, small bowls of soup, and the chilli sauce, ginger-scallion oil and sweet soy for dipping.