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Justin’s Hainanese-style chicken recipe

Justin’s Hainanese-style chicken recipe

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Created by The Kitchen

Justin’s recipe is a loving nod to his childhood holidays in Hong Kong, where he first discovered the flavours and techniques that make Hainanese chicken so special. Full of traditional cooking methods, he guides Greg and Seema through all the tips and tricks for achieving perfectly poached, tender chicken, served with a variety of delicious sauces and fragrant, chicken-flavoured rice. This is the real deal, brought to life In The Kitchen. See method

  • Serves Serves 4-6
  • Takes 1 hr, plus resting
  • 765 calories / serving

Ingredients

For the chicken and poaching broth

  • 1 large knob fresh ginger, smashed
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

For the garlic oil

  • 10 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 1 bird eye chilli, finely diced
  • 5 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce

For the rice

  • 380g jasmine rice
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the spring onion and ginger sauce

  • 1 spring onion, finely minced
  • 1cm piece fresh ginger, finely minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the fragrant drizzling sauce

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil​

For the chilli sauce

  • 5-10 red chillies, roughly chopped (to taste)
  • 1-2 bird eye chillies (to taste)
  • 50g fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 tsp white sugar (to taste)
  • 2 x limes, juiced
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

To garnish

  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • small bunch of fresh coriander
White rice can always be swapped for brown (check cooking instructions for timings)

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    3185kj
    765kcal     38%

  • Fat

    45g 64%

  • Saturates

    10g 50%

  • Sugars

    7g 7%

  • Salt

    4.5g 74%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 58.7g Protein 29.8g Fibre 3.1g

Method

  1. Bring 1 litre of cold water to the boil in a large pot. Add the smashed ginger, salt and turmeric. Reduce to a gentle simmer and add the chicken. Cover and poach gently for 35-40 mins until fully cooked. Remove the thighs and immediately submerge in a bowl of ice water to tighten the skin. Reserve 100ml of the poaching liquid for the drizzling sauce, keeping the rest for the rice and chilli sauce. 
  2. For the garlic oil, divide the minced garlic in half. Rinse one half briefly in cold water and drain. Place the rinsed garlic, shallot and chilli in a small saucepan with the oil. Heat over a medium-high heat for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally, until golden. Turn off the heat, then mix in the salt, sugar and oyster sauce. Set aside. 
  3. For the rice, rinse the jasmine rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot over a medium heat, add the remaining minced garlic and fry for 1-2 mins until fragrant. Add the rice and fry for another 1-2 mins. Pour in enough reserved chicken broth until it sits 2-3cm above the rice. Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 18 mins. Turn off the heat and keep covered until serving.
  4. For the spring onion and ginger sauce, combine the spring onion and ginger in a heatproof bowl with the salt. Heat the oil in a pan until nearly smoking, then pour over the spring onion mixture. Stir and set aside. 
  5. For the fragrant drizzling sauce, mix 100ml reserved poaching liquid with the light soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. Stir and set aside. 
  6. For the chilli sauce, in a food processor or blender, blend together 5-10 red chillies, 1-2 bird eye chillies (depending on your heat tolerance), the ginger, garlic, salt, 1-2 tsp sugar, lime juice and rice vinegar. Loosen with a splash of the reserved chicken stock until it’s smooth and spoonable. Set aside. 
  7. For the garnish, shred a spring onion lengthways into very thin ribbons and submerge in ice water for 5-10 mins to naturally curl. Drain and keep cold until serving. 
  8. Arrange the cucumber slices on a serving platter. Remove the chicken thighs from the ice bath and slice each thigh across into 2cm pieces, keeping the skin intact and discarding the bones. Place the chicken over the cucumber, spoon over the fragrant drizzling sauce and add a spoonful of garlic oil on top. Serve the spring onion and ginger sauce and chilli sauce on the side, then garnish with coriander and a generous handful of spring onion curls. 
  9. Serve with the cooked rice and chilli sauce.

Tip: Seema's Hong Kong-style French toast is the perfect pud to follow Justin's chicken

See more recipes from The Kitchen

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.

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