One-pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

Note: This blog post has been revised with an improved recipe, more cooking tips and additional instant pot and rice cooker methods.

I really love one-pot meals! Not only are they time-saving, but also the flavour of each ingredient combines very well when cooked together (Think Chicken Chow Mein, Pork Fried Rice, etc.). Today’s recipe, One-Pot Chicken Rice, has a firm place on the rotating dinner menu in our Red House.

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Tender pieces of chicken accompanied by fragrant rice and a refreshing scallion ginger sauce, they’re all cooked in a single pot. The flavour combination is so irresistible!

Inspired by Hainanese chicken rice

My recipe is inspired by Hainanese chicken rice (海南鸡饭), a classic dish named after Hainan, the southernmost province of China, but popular in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

Believed to be invented by Chinese immigrants, this humble-looking yet scrumptious dish consists of four components: A poached whole chicken sliced into pieces, rice fried in chicken fat then steamed in chicken stock, scallion, ginger or chilli based sauces and a vegetable garnishing.

The easy one-pot approach

It’s time-consuming and laborious to make Hainanese chicken rice following the traditional multi-step process (the taste is impeccable though). So when I’m craving it but short on time, I use the one-pot method instead. It’s much simpler to make and the result is just as satisfying.

Here are the changes I make to save time and effort:

• Use skin-on chicken thigh pieces instead of a whole chicken.
• Cook the chicken on top of the rice in the same pot. Its fat and flavourful juice will fall onto the rice during cooking.

I’ve tested this method in three different cooking vessels: a regular stovetop pot, an instant pot and a rice cooker. They all produce great results, with the instant pot being the most efficient and hassle-free.

Ingredients

Here is what you need to cook this one-pot chicken rice:

• Chicken thighs. I prefer skin-on pieces for their richer flavour. Skinless pieces are fine too.
• White rice. I usually use jasmine rice. Short grain white rice works too.
• Scallions, ginger and garlic. The classic aromatic trio is used to flavour both the rice and the sauce.
• Light soy sauce, lime and sesame oil. They’re used to enhance the taste of the sauce. Add some chopped fresh chilli if you like a little kick of heat.
• Cucumber. You may also serve other vegetables on the side, e.g. blanched Bok Choy, Gai Lan, etc.
• Neutral cooking oil
• Salt and whiter pepper

Cooking procedure

Firstly, I’m going to explain how to cook this dish step-by-step in a regular pot. In later sections, I’ll give tips on how to adapt the procedure when using an instant pot or rice cooker.

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

Coat the chicken thighs with salt and white pepper. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes or so.

Step 2: Fry the aromatics

Over medium heat, fry finely chopped scallions, minced ginger and garlic in oil until fragrant.

Use a spoon to transfer about ⅔ of the fried aromatics to a small bowl to be used as the sauce.

Step 3: Fry the rice

Add rinsed and drained rice. Stir fry for about half a minute to coat the grains evenly with the oil.

Pour in water and add a little salt. Use a spatula to scrape off any rice stuck to the bottom of the pot.

🛎 NOTE: When using a stovetop pot, the rice water ratio in VOLUME is about 3:4. For making about 4 servings, I use 1½ cups of rice and 2 cups of water.

Step 4: Cook the chicken with the rice

Place the chicken pieces flat over the rice without overlapping. Leave the pot uncovered and let the water come to a very gentle boil (small bubbles appear on the surface).

Then cover with a tight lid and turn the heat down to the lowest. Leave to cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.

When the time is up, turn off the heat and let it sit for a further 10 minutes. Don’t skip this resting process as the heat inside the pot will continue to cook the rice and chicken.

🛎 TIP: If using an electric burner of which the temperature doesn’t go down immediately, remember to remove the pot from it to avoid burning the food.

The Instant Pot method

If you have an instant pot, this is a perfect dish to cook in it. Here is how you adapt the above procedure:

• Use the “Sauté” function for steps 2 and 3: Fry the aromatics and rice in the inner pot, then add an equal volume of water to the rice (e.g., use 1½ cups of water for 1½ cups of rice), which is less than what you would use in a regular pot. Stir well, scraping off any aromatics stuck to the bottom.
• Temporarily turn off the Instant Pot and remove the inner pot. Let the appliance cool for about 5 minutes before placing the inner pot back inside. This step helps prevent possible burning, so do not skip it.
• Lay the chicken pieces over the rice. Secure the lid and ensure the valve is sealed. Press the “Pressure Cook” button and select high pressure. (If the ‘Keep Warm’ function turns on automatically, turn it off.) Set the timer for 5 minutes.
• When the time is up, allow the pressure to be released naturally for 10 minutes then perform a manual release before opening the lid safely. 

The rice cooker method

It’s easy to make this dish in a rice cooker too. Here are the steps:

• Use a regular pan/skillet to fry the aromatics and rice then transfer 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. Turn on the usual rice cooking program to cook.
• When it’s done, wait for 10 minutes then uncover and serve.

Serve with sauces and veggies

Now, let’s serve the dish the Hainanese chicken rice way!

• Remove the centre bone of the chicken thighs then cut them into bite-sized strips.
• Scoop out the rice and put it on individual serving plates. Place the chicken on the side, along with sliced cucumber.

• Remember the fried aromatics you saved earlier? Stir in some light soy sauce, fresh lime juice and a dash of sesame oil to form a sauce. Add finely chopped fresh chillies, or Chiu Chow Chili oil if you like some heat.

Other all-in-one meals

Looking for ideas to cook one-pan/one-pot meals? Check out these popular recipes:

Singapore Mei Fun (Singapore Rice Noodles, 星洲米粉)

Chinese Sticky Rice (Lo Mai Fan/糯米饭)

Yunnan Rice Noodle Soup

Chicken Fried Rice (鸡肉炒饭)

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4.98 from 176 votes

One-pot Hainanese chicken rice

By Wei Guo

An easy version of the classic Hainanese chicken rice, this one-pot recipe is very simple to make. You can cook it in a regular pot, an instant pot or a rice cooker.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 22 minutes mins

Total: 47 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Before You Start

Apart from making this dish in a regular pot, you may also use an instant pot or a rice cooker (Instructions are in the recipe notes at the end).

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Ingredients 

For the chicken

• ▢ 4 pieces chicken thighs, skin on, about 180g/6.3oz each (see note 1)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 pinch ground white pepper

For the rice

• ▢ 1 ½ cup jasmine rice, or short grain white rice, about 310g
• ▢ 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
• ▢ 4 stalk scallions, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

For the sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ fresh chilli, finely chopped, optional

You also need

• ▢ cucumber, sliced, or blanched green vegetables, such as Bok Choy, spinach, etc.

Instructions 

Marinate the chicken

• Put the chicken thighs into a bowl then sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Rub to evenly distribute. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes or so.

Cook the rice and chicken

• Rinse the rice with cold water then drain well. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pot over medium heat on a stove (see note 2 & 3 if using an Instant Pot or a ice cooker). Add chopped scallions, minced ginger and minced garlic. Fry until fragrant (do not burn). Scoop out about ⅔ of the aromatic to a small bowl for later use.
• Put in the drained rice and fry for 30 seconds or so. Add 2 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon of salt (see note 4). Use a spatula to scrape the bottom to loosen any grains stuck to the pot. Place the marinated chicken pieces on top of the rice without overlapping.
• Leave to cook uncovered until the water starts boiling very gently. Put on a tight lid and turn the heat to the lowest. Leave to cook for 20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat when the time is up. Let it sit for another 10 minutes (see note 1). Remember not to open the lid during the cooking and resting process.

Serve the dish

• Take out the chicken thighs. Remove the centre bones. Then slice them into bite-sized strips.
• Put the rice onto individual serving plates. Place the chicken on the side, along with cucumber slices.
• Add light soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and fresh chilli (optional) to the fried aromatics you saved earlier. Serve it as a dipping sauce or pour it over the chicken.

Notes

1. The chicken thighs I use for this recipe measure around 180g/6.3oz for each piece. If your ones are bigger, or if you wish to cook more than 4 pieces at a time, you’d need to add another 2 tablespoons of water and extend the cooking time to 23 minutes (remain the same resting time).

2. Cook in an Instant Pot:

• Marinate the chicken as usual. Use the “Sauté” function to fry scallions, ginger, garlic and rice following the same instructions explained above.
• Add 1½ cup of water (the same volume of the rice). Stir and scrap off any bits stuck to the bottom before.
• Temporarily turn off the Instant Pot and remove the inner pot. Let the appliance cool for about 5 minutes before putting the inner pot back inside. 
• Lay the chicken over the rice. 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.

3. Cook in a rice cooker: 

• 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.

4. 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.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 642kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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