Jun 8, 20234 min read

Chicken Rice

Updated: Jun 9, 2023

This is requested by one of my TikTok followers. To be honest, I am humbled, flattered really, to have requests from my audience. I am grateful that I am given the chance to learn and share my recipes with you fine people.

Anyway, I am not a fan of Chinese chicken rice in Singapore. There is something off with the chicken that I can't wrap my head around; the chicken is either too dry or bland. Sometimes, they even serve the chicken over some plain cooked rice and called it chicken rice. That's the truth sadly.

And I am not saying that mine is better. I know it takes decades of training to get the roasted chicken right. But somehow, I learned a shortcut to get it right every single time. All you need is some effort and patience. You can get the butcher to half the whole chicken for you or you can do it yourself. I am still learning as I am not good at butchering.

As for the rice and sauces, all you need is a good chicken stock. Try not to use store-bought ones as they are usually bland and contain loads of sodium. Make the stock from scratch with some chicken carcasses. You will be surprised by the results and you probably will not be going back to any store-bought ones again.

I know the entire process takes a lot of effort, time and patience, but trust me, you will get a satisfying plate of chicken rice. This may "wow" your family, I know I did. I hope you will give this recipe a try.

Ingredients:

(Serve 4)

Chicken:
Brine -
Cold Water, 1L
Liquid Smoke (I'm using Stubb's), 10g
Sea Salt, 50g
Whole Chicken Halved, 1 Chicken (About 900g)
Glaze -
Black Molasses, 50g
Liquid Smoke (I'm using Stubb's), 25g
Soy Sauce, 15g
Stock:
Chicken Carcasses, 3
Milk Powder, 2 TBSP
Sea Salt, Pinch
Garlic Crushed, 5 Cloves
Ginger Crushed, 2"
Scallions White Parts, A Handful
Fennel Seeds, 1 TBSP
Szechuan Peppercorns, 1 TBSP
Cinnamon Stick, 1
Star Anise, 1
Cloves, 5
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Rice:
Sesame Oil, 2 TBSP
Garlic Finely Minced, 5 Cloves
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper. Pinch
Jasmine Rice, 165g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Sauces:
Chili Sauce -
Fresh Chilies Deseeded Coarsely Chopped, 6
Ginger Coarsely Sliced, 3"
Toasted Sesame Oil, 1 TSP
Rice Vinegar, 1 TSP
Fresh Lime Juice, 1 Lime
Fresh Lime Zest, 1 Lime
Sea Salt, Pinch
Granulated Sugar, Pinch
Soy Sauce -
Water, 100g
Rock Sugar, 30g
Soy Sauce, 80g Or skip the process and use Kecap Manis Homemade
Ginger Garlic Sauce -
Ginger Coarsely Sliced, 4"
Garlic Coarsely Minced, 5 Cloves
Sesame Oil, 3 TBSP
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Scallions Green Parts Coarsely Sliced, For Garnish

Equipment:

Oven
Rice Cooker
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Meat Thermometer
Heavy Pot
Food Processor / Stick Blender
Sauce Pot

Directions:

Prepare the chicken.
In a large bowl, add water, liquid smoke and salt.
Whisk until the salt has dissolved.
Add in the chicken.
Cover and chill in the fridge for 24 hrs to 48 hrs.
In a small bowl, add molasses, liquid smoke and soy to make the glaze.
Mix until well combined.
After 24 hrs or 48 hrs, transfer the chicken onto a wired tray, skinned side up.
Brush the chicken thoroughly with the glaze.
Transfer back into the fridge and chill for 24 hrs.
After 24 hrs, preheat the oven to 90 degrees celsius or 195 fahrenheit.
Brush the chicken with the glaze.
Wack into the oven and bake for 10 mins.
Remove from oven, glaze and bake for another 10 mins.
Repeat steps 3 more times.
A total of glazing and baking 5 times.
Remove from oven and preheat the oven to roast at 200 degrees celsius or 395 fahrenheit.
Once the oven is preheated, wack the chicken into the oven and roast for 6 mins or until the internal temperature is 60 degree celsius or 140 fahrenheit.
The skin should be glossy and lightly charred.
Remove from oven and set aside to rest before slicing.
Prepare the stock.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius or 400 fahrenheit.
Transfer chicken carcasses into an oven-proof baking dish.
Sprinkle milk powder and salt over the top.
Mix to coat well.
Wack into the oven and bake for 40 to 50 mins or until the bones are dark browned, flipping half way thru'.
Deglaze with some water and transfer everything to a heavy pot.
Add in 2L of water along with the rest of the ingredients.
Mix to combine well.
Bring it up to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 mins.
Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper and mushroom powder.
Give it a final stir.
Cover and steep for 10 to 15 mins.
Drain and discard the residue.
*I like to remove any leftover flesh on the chicken bones and add them to the stock. You can consume the garlic and ginger if desired.*
Set the stock aside until ready to use.
Prepare the rice.
In a skillet over medium heat, add oil
Once the oil is heated up, add in garlic.
Saute until aromatic.
Add in rice and saute until well coated.
Transfer everything to a rice cooker.
Add the stock to about 1" above the rice.
Cook as per the rice cooker manufacturer's instructions.
While the rice is cooking, make the sauces.
Let's start off with the chili sauce.
Blitz chili, ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar and just enuff of the chicken stock to get the food processor going.
Blitz until paste forms.
Add in lime juice and zest.
Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and sugar.
Give it a final blitz.
Set it aside until ready to use.
For the soy sauce.
You can skip the steps and use kecap manis instead.
In a sauce pot over medium heat, add water and sugar.
Cook until the sugar has dissolved.
Add in soy sauce and cook until it coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and set it aside until ready to use.
As for the ginger garlic sauce.
Blitz ginger, garlic and oil in a food processor or with a stick blender until smooth.
Transfer everything to a skillet over medium heat.
Saute until aromatic.
Season with salt and pepper.
Give it another saute.
Remove from heat and set it aside until ready to use.
Assembly and plating.
The chicken should be cooled enuff to slice.
Spoon the rice onto serving plates.
Top it off with some chicken slices.
Drizzle the soy sauce over the top.
Garnish with some green scallions.
Serve it with chili sauce, ginger sauce and some of that stock.