The chicken rice is a very cheap & popular dish served at local food centres. It is tasty and suits most palates. Definitely a dish to recommend to visitors to Singapore or Malaysia who are not all that used to Asian cooking. The food centre version is usually portrayed to be delicious yet sinful, here we teach you how to make a healthier version at home. It is not hard to make at all!
PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 35 Min
READY IN 40-50 Min (depends on how good you are at multitasking ;))
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course
INGREDIENTS
1 small frozen or fresh chicken
Half a packet of chye sim or any other leafy vegetables, washed and cut
2 baby carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced into rings
1 cup rice
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Ginger, finely chopped OR Ginger paste, to taste
Pepper
Sea Salt
Soya sauce
Chicken stock, non-msg version (half a cube)
Sesame oil (a drizzle)
Cooking oil
Spring onions or coriander (a handful) for garnish
Cucumber (optional)
Chilli sauce (optional)
Mirin (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare and wash the chicken. Make slits across the skin and cut out as much skin as possible for a healthier meal. Use a fork to poke parts of the chicken especially the breast meat area. The holes will allow the marinate to soak through better and improves the flavour of the mea tdish. Marinate with salt and pepper. Marinate with mirin too (if desired, though not necessary).
2. Boil water in a pot. Once the water boils, you can throw the chicken into the boiling water. Mine took around 20 minutes to cook. Just test by poking through the meat with a chopstick, if it comes out clean, your chicken is cooked. Fish out of the water and set aside.
3. While the chicken is cooking, you can heat oil in a pan. In this case, I used olive oil, a healthier alternative and because there is no heavy frying involved. Stir fry the garlic followed by the ginger (or ginger paste). Put the stir fried garlic and ginger together the washed rice in the rice cooker. Break into small pieces the half cube of the chicken stock and place into the mixture. Add a little bit of water and cook rice as per the norm.
4. While you leave the chicken to cool, the soup stock made naturally can be used to make a light vegetable soup. Throw onions and carrots (which take a longer time to cook but which add a delicious sweet flavour), followed by chye sim or any other leafy vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Once the chicken cools, cut the chicken up with a knife or a big pair of scissors. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, sea salt and pepper (all to taste) and rub all over.
6. Garnish the chicken with coriander or cucumber if you have that.
7. Once your rice is ready, serve plain, garnished with spring onions, additional ginger paste or with chilli sauce. Together with the boiled but very tasty chicken and vegetable soup, it comes together as a very hearty meal indeed.
TIPS2. Boil water in a pot. Once the water boils, you can throw the chicken into the boiling water. Mine took around 20 minutes to cook. Just test by poking through the meat with a chopstick, if it comes out clean, your chicken is cooked. Fish out of the water and set aside.
3. While the chicken is cooking, you can heat oil in a pan. In this case, I used olive oil, a healthier alternative and because there is no heavy frying involved. Stir fry the garlic followed by the ginger (or ginger paste). Put the stir fried garlic and ginger together the washed rice in the rice cooker. Break into small pieces the half cube of the chicken stock and place into the mixture. Add a little bit of water and cook rice as per the norm.
4. While you leave the chicken to cool, the soup stock made naturally can be used to make a light vegetable soup. Throw onions and carrots (which take a longer time to cook but which add a delicious sweet flavour), followed by chye sim or any other leafy vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Once the chicken cools, cut the chicken up with a knife or a big pair of scissors. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, sea salt and pepper (all to taste) and rub all over.
6. Garnish the chicken with coriander or cucumber if you have that.
7. Once your rice is ready, serve plain, garnished with spring onions, additional ginger paste or with chilli sauce. Together with the boiled but very tasty chicken and vegetable soup, it comes together as a very hearty meal indeed.
Note: In cooking the rice, if it is in time, the chicken broth from boiling the chicken instead of water can be used instead for a richer chicken flavour.
More ginger paste or chopped ginger can be used if you love that gingery taste, which we do.
Be careful not to overcook your chicken, otherwise it will not be moist.
We did not use chilli sauce as it is too much trouble to make for one meal. There was no need for it either. The dish was really satiating on its own. If you are one of those who needs the chilli sauce, perhaps you can get the bottled version for your convenience. Or try making it and share with us your recipe.
Enjoy! Xox (We had the rice and the soup served separately and did not want to take pictures as we were just too famished, our apologies!)
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