Nasi Ayam Hainan
Silky poached chicken, rice cooked in the chicken's own fat and stock until fragrant, and a trio of sauces — ginger-scallion, chili, dark soy. Restrained, precise, and one of Southeast Asia's most beloved one-bird meals.
Gently poach a whole chicken in aromatic stock until just cooked, then plunge in ice water for silky skin. Cook rice in chicken fat, garlic, and ginger, then in the poaching stock. Serve sliced chicken over the fragrant rice with ginger-scallion oil, chili sauce, dark soy, and a bowl of the poaching broth.
- Poach gently — never boil — and ice-bath the chicken for that signature silky, gelatinous skin.
- The rice is the soul: toast it in rendered chicken fat with garlic and ginger, then cook it in the poaching stock, not water.
- The sauces are non-negotiable. Ginger-scallion oil especially — it makes the plate.
Equipment
- Large pot (to fit the whole chicken)
- Rice cooker or heavy pot
- Blender or mortar (for chili sauce)
- Large bowl of ice water
Bahan
Chicken & poaching stock
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.6 kg)
- 5 g salt, to rub the chicken
- 1 thumb ginger, sliced
- 4 spring onions
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- Water to cover (about 3 L)
Rice
- 30 g rendered chicken fat or oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 thumb ginger, minced
- 400 g jasmine rice, washed and drained
- 600 ml reserved poaching stock
- 3 g salt
- 1 pandan leaf, knotted (optional)
Ginger-scallion oil
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 thumb ginger, finely grated
- 60 ml neutral oil, heated until smoking
- 3 g salt
To serve
- Chili-garlic-lime sauce
- Dark sweet soy sauce (kecap manis or thick soy)
- Sliced cucumber
- A bowl of the hot poaching broth with scallion
Cara membuat
- LANGKAH01
Rub the whole chicken inside and out with salt and rinse. Stuff the cavity with the ginger, spring onions, and smashed garlic.
- LANGKAH02
Lower the chicken into a pot, breast-down, and cover with water. Bring to a bare simmer — never a rolling boil — and poach 30–35 minutes for a 1.6 kg bird, until the juices run clear at the thigh. Skim the surface.
- LANGKAH03
Lift the chicken out and plunge it into a large bowl of ice water for 5–10 minutes. This stops the cooking and firms the skin into the signature silky, gelatinous texture. Reserve the poaching stock. Rub the chicken with a little sesame oil and rest.
- LANGKAH04
In a pot, heat the chicken fat and fry the minced garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the washed rice and toast 2 minutes. Transfer to a rice cooker (or keep in the pot), add 600 ml hot poaching stock, salt, and the pandan leaf, and cook until fluffy.
- LANGKAH05
Put the sliced spring onion, grated ginger, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil until smoking and pour it over — it will sizzle and bloom. Stir.
- LANGKAH06
Chop or slice the chicken. Serve over the fragrant rice with cucumber, the ginger-scallion oil, chili sauce, and dark soy on the side, plus a bowl of the hot broth with a scatter of scallion.
Make ahead
Poach the chicken and make the stock and ginger-scallion oil a few hours ahead. Cook the rice fresh. The chilled chicken slices cleanly and is traditionally served at room temperature.
Storage
Chicken and rice keep 2 days refrigerated, separately. The chicken is best at room temperature the day it's poached. Reheat rice with a splash of stock; eat the chicken cool or gently warmed.
Variations
Roasted version
Use roast chicken instead of poached for a Cantonese-style 'siu' chicken rice — different texture, same rice and sauces.
Singaporean style
Serve with a thicker, brighter chili sauce heavy on garlic and lime, and a side of the dark soy that Singapore hawkers favor.
Quick weeknight
Poach just bone-in chicken thighs (20 minutes) instead of a whole bird; use the thigh stock for the rice.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Pertanyaan umum
Why poach instead of roast?
Gentle poaching gives the chicken its signature silky, tender flesh and gelatinous skin — the hallmark of Hainanese chicken rice. The poaching liquid then becomes the stock that flavors the rice and the soup, so nothing is wasted.
Why cook the rice in chicken fat and stock?
That's the entire point of the dish — the rice should taste as good as the chicken. Toasting it in rendered chicken fat with garlic and ginger, then cooking it in the poaching stock (never plain water), makes it deeply savory and fragrant.
Is it Malaysian, Singaporean, or Chinese?
All three claim it, and all are right. It was brought by Hainanese immigrants from southern China and evolved in Malaysia and Singapore into the dish known today. It's a national favorite across the region.
How do I get the silky skin?
Poach gently (never boil, which tightens and tears the skin) and shock the cooked chicken in ice water immediately. The rapid cooling sets the skin and the thin layer of gelatin beneath it into that prized silky texture.
Can I use chicken pieces?
Yes — bone-in thighs or a combination of thighs and breast work well and cook faster (about 20 minutes). A whole bird is traditional and gives the richest stock, but pieces are a fine weeknight shortcut.
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