Hainanese Chicken

There are a few ways in preparing Hainanese Chicken. You can either steam the chicken or poach it. 

There are a few important points to take note in order to make good Chicken Rice (CR):

 - Selection of chicken. Please DO NOT use ayam kampong. My mum uses ayam kampong because the meat is sweet, lean and she likes to chew on the bones. Plus the meat is kinda 'dense' or muscular (or rubbery). Don't get me wrong. I like steamed ayam kampong but when it comes to CR, we need tender (not rubbery) meat with some chicken fat (Ayam kampong has less fat) to give the flavor. Also, ayam kampong's dense/muscular meat holds less moisture so the meat tends to be less juicy.

 - Try to use fresh chicken right from the market and not refrigerated/frozen ones because frozen ones tend to lose its flavor over time and not as tender.  This is also to ensure that the chicken will not be under/overcooked because it is easier to cook at the right temperature if its not frozen.

- You'll need a medium sized "choy yuin" chicken or any other type except kampong or spring chicken. If you are cooking for a small family (1 chicken), just save your time and effort by steaming it for 20-25 minutes under mediumn heat but the better way to prepare is by poaching it although the soup will not be as nice. Thus, for better chicken rice, use at least 2 medium-sized chicken or have it submerged in a prepared chicken stock.

- You'll need a pot with a big base and its height enough to submerge the chicken.

1. Clean the chicken in and out. Rub lots of coarse kitchen salt over its skin and its cavities thoroughly and wash away salt thoroughly with water. Repeat one more time. Rub with 1 1/2 tsp salt in cavities and skin. Set aside.

2. Peel young ginger (300 - 400gm), 100-200gm of shalliots, 5-6 cloves of garlic. Place all into blender and add 1 bowl of water. Blend into paste. Sieve away the first round of water from the blended mixture.

3. In a pan or wok, add in 1 tbsp of oil. Pour in the ginger mixture and add in 1 bowl of chicken stock. Add in 1/2 tsp kunyit/turmeric (I add kunyit for color and to enhance flavor of the young ginger) and 1/2 tsp of salt. Bring to boil and reduce until it turns into ginger paste (don't brown it). You may make the paste smoother by thickening it with a bit of cornstarch and finish with another tablespoon of oil. This is for the stock where you can submerge the chicken, the rice and ginger paste for condiment. 

THE CHICKEN.

4. Fill the pot (Half full or just enough to submerge chickens) with water (for more than two chicken) or homemade chicken stock (for only one chicken). Add in 2-3 tbsp of the ginger mixture(and a bit more salt). Bring water to boil. Slowly place the chickens into the the pot of water. This should bring down the temperature of the stock. Bring to boil again for 2-5 min and turn to the lowest heat (lowest possible). Close the lid and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes depending on size of chicken. After that, turn OFF the heat (lids closed) and let it submerge for a further 20 minutes or so. You may poke the thighs with a chopstick, and if ur able to poke through it ...it should be cooked. 

Take the chicken out and let it run through tap water till cooled down. (Better if iced water is used). Leave it on a rack with a plate below. From the stock, scoop out the oil into a separate bowl. and baste the chicken with the oil. This will keep the chicken moist and appealing. 

Remember, it is not wise to chop the chicken into pieces while its still warm.  When serving, always place the chopped breast meat below. Mix half bowl of the remaining stock with a bit of soy sauce,sesame oil and some Shao Xing wine.  Pour it over the chicken ONLY prior to serving.