Fail-Proof Homemade Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe 海南雞飯 (低溫慢煮) is a crowd favorite Hawker's dish that is tender, juicy and mildly laborious to make! Compared to the traditional method (poaching method), the sous vide method is the easiest method to nail that succulent meat every time! Work this tender juicy chicken rice into your family meal prep ideas for the week. Your whole family will love this delicious Hainan chicken rice with fragrant rice served with green onion ginger sauce and spicy chilli sauce. Follow our tips for the best sous vide temperature for chicken at home!
> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Hainanese Chicken Rice
By far, the sous vide cooking method is the easiest method to make Authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice! This crowd-favorite Singaporeans Hawker's recipe is deliciously juicy and bursts with pure chicken flavor!
Tell me, is the star of this tender chicken rice recipe the chicken or the rice? The rice is always the main event, in my humble opinion!
Check out this quick story summary of our recipe!
Jump to:
- > In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Hainanese Chicken Rice
- What is Sous Vide?
- What is Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice?
- Ingredients and Substitutes
- Hainanese Chicken Rice Sauces
- Instructions - How To Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken
- Oily Chicken Rice
- What To Serve With
- FAQ
- > Recipe Card
- Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice 海南雞飯 (低溫慢煮)
What is Sous Vide?
So what is Sous Vide anyway? This fancy French term you've heard mentioned on competition cooking shows by professional chefs refers to a low-temperature cooking method.
Sous vide devices are also called immersion circulators. These popular kitchen tools allow the everyday home cook to precisely cook various meals in a temperature-controlled water bath at a specific temperature.
We like using the Anova Sous Vide machine paired with this Rubbermaid sous vide container!
Do You Need A Vacuum Sealer For Sous Vide?
The basic Sous Vide cooking principle is cooking food in vacuum sealed bags or airtight container. Although we automatically link plastic with the term "sous vide," you can sous vide without plastic!
The goal is to maintain a consistent temperature that does not fluctuate. We are looking for a vehicle to let the food bathe without touching or mixing with the water.
There are a few ways to minimize plastic use during the sous vide cooking process:
- Use Mason Jars or canning glass jars
- Use Silicone Bags
- Freeze and Sous Vide in the same bag
- Sous Vide food that does not require bags ex. eggs.
- Recycle
Sous Vide vs Slow Cooker and Sous Vide vs Instant Pot
These are three different cooking methods we love to debate.
- sous vide vs slow cooker - sous vide cooks food precisely at a temperature you set without overcooking. The slow cooker usually has a couple of preset temperatures.
- sous vide vs instant pot - the Instant Pot pressure cooker is great when you want to reduce the cooking time. Sous vide cooking is slow and takes more cooking time.
- slow cooker vs instant pot - Slow cookers cook food at lower temperatures for extended periods and are typically great for stewing, braising or chilis. The Instant Pot has multiple cooking functions using shorter cooking times.
What is Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice?
Hainanese chicken rice is Singapore's unofficial national dish. It's poached chicken served with rice cooked in chicken broth and fat, accompanied by three dipping sauces and clear soup. Simple on paper, devastatingly good when done right.
The dish traces back to Wenchang chicken from Hainan province in Southern China. Hainanese immigrants brought it to Singapore and Malaysia in the early 1900s, adapting it for local tastes. What started as a humble hawker stall specialty became one of CNN's "World's 50 Best Foods."
Sous vide changes everything about making this at home. Traditional poaching requires years of practice to nail the timing. Too long and the breast dries out. Too short and the thighs stay raw. The window between perfect and ruined is about 5 minutes.
With sous vide, you set the water bath to 160°F and walk away. The chicken reaches that temperature and stays there for 3 to 5 hours without overcooking. You get hawker-quality results on your first try. No stress, no guesswork, no ruined expensive chicken.
After eating rich, oily chicken rice, cleanse your palate with Hawthorn Goji Berry Digestion Tea which aids digestion and balances the meal's richness according to TCM principles.
The 5 Parts That Make Easy Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe Complete
Hainanese chicken rice isn't just chicken and rice. It's a carefully balanced system where each component matters.
The chicken must be silky and tender with springy, jellylike skin. In Singapore hawker stalls, they cook it just to the point of doneness, often showing slight pink near the bones. That's what you want.
The rice gets toasted in rendered chicken fat with garlic, ginger, and shallots before cooking in chicken broth. This creates fragrant, slightly oily grains that glisten and taste incredible on their own. Hawker regulars judge the rice first, chicken second.
The ginger-scallion sauce is non-negotiable. Finely minced fresh ginger and scallions get doused with hot oil to release aromatic compounds. Some versions add sand ginger powder for extra depth. This sauce transforms plain chicken into something extraordinary.
The chili sauce brings heat and tang. Bird's eye chilies, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and chicken broth get blended into a spicy, bright condiment. Every hawker stall guards their recipe jealously.
The chicken broth isn't an afterthought. This clear, savory soup made from the poaching liquid gets served alongside everything. It cleanses your palate between bites and adds another layer of chicken flavor.
Miss one component and the dish feels incomplete. Get all five right and you'll understand why Singaporeans get into heated debates about which hawker stall is best.
Why Sous Vide Beats Traditional Poaching
Traditional Hainanese cooks spent decades mastering the exact moment to pull chicken from simmering water. The technique requires constant attention and perfect instinct. Most home cooks give up after one rubbery disaster. If you prefer traditional steaming methods for chicken, try my Chinese Steamed Chicken With Shiitake Mushroom which uses similar gentle cooking principles.
Sous vide removes human error from the equation. Set it to 160°F, seal your chicken with aromatics and broth, submerge it, and set a timer. Three hours later you have perfectly cooked chicken. The water never gets hotter than 160°F, so the chicken physically cannot overcook.
The concentrated chicken broth you get from the sealed bag is liquid gold. No dilution from excess water. Every drop of flavour and fat stays locked in that bag, ready to cook your rice.
You also get flexibility traditional poaching can't match. Dinner delayed an hour? No problem. The chicken holds at perfect temperature. Start it before work, come home to restaurant-quality results. That's the magic of sous vide for this specific dish.
What Makes It Singapore's National Treasure
Anthony Bourdain called it "one of the best things you'll ever eat." Gordon Ramsay declared it "absolutely delicious" after visiting Maxwell Food Centre. CNN listed it among the world's greatest foods. What's the fuss about?
Deceptive simplicity. The dish looks basic but achieving perfection requires mastering timing, temperature, and technique. When done right, each component shines while complementing the others. You taste pure chicken essence, not heavy spices or sauces masking everything.
That texture. The springy, bouncy chicken skin achieved through the ice bath technique is unlike anything else in Asian cuisine. Combined with tender meat and separate rice grains, every bite offers textural satisfaction. It's why people fly 15 hours just to eat this at a hawker stall.
Customizable experience. Want it spicy? Load up on chili sauce. Prefer mild? Stick with ginger-scallion oil. You compose each perfect bite using the sauces, creating your ideal flavor balance. No two people eat it exactly the same way.
For Singaporeans and Malaysians, this dish goes beyond food. It's childhood memories, family celebrations, late-night hawker centre outings. It's cultural identity on a plate. Now you can recreate that at home, thanks to sous vide technology making an ancient technique foolproof.
What's the difference between Cantonese and Hainanese chicken?
Although considered one of the national Hawker dishes of Singapore, Hainanese Chicken Rice originates from Southern China in Hainan province. The chicken rice uses Wenchang chicken 文昌雞. The Wenchang chicken is poached to preserve its tenderness, known as the 白切 "white cutting method."
Cantonese white cut chicken (白切雞) focuses solely on the poached chicken served with ginger-scallion oil, often eaten hot. Hainanese chicken rice is a complete meal system in which the rice, cooked in chicken broth and fat, is equally important as the chicken, served with three sauces and soup. Think of Cantonese as the elegant predecessor and Hainanese as the hawker-adapted complete meal.
Hainanese chicken rice is a gloriously juicy dish of poached whole chicken with white jasmine rice cooked with leftover chicken soup. The meal is served with dipping sauces (ginger, scallion oil, and chilli sauce), cucumber slices and Chinese cabbage.
The trickiest part of cooking Hainanese Chicken is cooking the chicken just right. Even a few minutes of overcooking on the stovetop will result in leathery tough meat and the whole thing ruined! Cooking in the sous vide water bath prevents the chicken from overcooking, and the broth dries out!
Sous vide cooking is the easiest way to cook this family recipe. You will nail these tasty recipes even if it is your first time! It is even easier to make than Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice!
Ingredients and Substitutes
Hainanese Chicken
Whole Chicken - choose a high quality chicken. I prefer to use fresh chicken over frozen chicken whenever possible. Other chicken cuts, such as dark meat (chicken thighs), chicken legs (drumsticks), are also delicious for making Hainan Chicken. For a healthier option, you can use skinless chicken breast. However, there will be less rendered chicken fat from the chicken skin, and the meat will less juicy and tender.
Unsalted Chicken Stock - Instead of relying on slow poaching the chicken to make chicken soup, we jump-start this recipe by using chicken stock. This a great way to capture the chicken taste without being diluted.
Pandan Leaves - are typically found in the frozen aisles since we do not typically have imported fresh pandan leaves here in Vancouver. These tropical leaves are a naturally sweet taste with a soft aroma of grassy, rose and almond flavours.
Fresh Ginger - Ginger is used throughout this recipe to poach the Hainanese chicken, cook the rice, and make the dipping sauces.
Fresh Green Onions - Green scallions are used throughout this recipe to poach the Hainanese chicken, cook the rice, make the dipping sauces, and garnish.
Turmeric Powder - Turmeric powder adds a lovely golden hue to the chicken skin and cooked rice.
Cold Water - Used cold drinking water to dissolve turmeric powder.
Kaffir Lime Leaves - optional. This aromatic Asian leaf adds a citrusy spiced flavour. It is zestier than bay leaves.
Oily Chicken Rice
Jasmine White Rice - Long grain white rice is used to cook Hainan chicken rice.
Shallot - Wet aromatic to open the wok and make the oils fragrant.
Fresh Ginger - Ginger is used throughout this recipe to poach the Hainanese chicken, cook the rice, and make the dipping sauces.
Fresh Garlic - finely dice to add depth to the rice.
Pandan Leaves - Use to flavour the rice with a naturally sweet taste with a soft aroma of grassy, rose and almond flavours.
Green Onions Stalks - Used to build depth of flavours for the rice.
Leftover Chicken Broth - Chicken soup from cooked Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken replaces water used to cook the rice. Cook rice becomes extra flavourful and seasoned with chicken oil and juices.
Vegetable Oil - Used to heat up and simmer wet aromatics.
Hainanese Chicken Rice Sauces
Ginger Scallion Sauce
Fresh Ginger - The ginger is the star of this dipping sauce. Whenever possible, finely dice the ginger by hand. The taste is irreplaceable. However, if you are making a big batch or short on time, a food processor is an excellent idea!
Alternatively, if you do not want to hand chop all the simple ingredients, you can also use a good-quality food processor. Here are my picks for the Best Food Processors!
Kosher Salt - To taste
Green Onions - finely chopped green onions are the perfect companion in this Ginger Scallion Sauce.
Sometimes, I will make one batch of ginger dipping sauce with green onions and one batch of pure finely diced ginger oil sauce.
Cooked Vegetable Oil - Heat the vegetable oil before adding it to the ginger scallion sauce mixture.
Galangal Powder - Chinese Sand Ginger Powder 沙姜粉, optional but adds a zesty and bright flavour profile.
Red Chili Sauce
Bird's Eye Chili - depending on your heat tolerance, add or subtract the number of red chillies used. Deseed if necessary.
Fresh Ginger - Instead of dicing, we prefer the ginger finely chopped, minced or grated for the spicy dipping sauce.
Fresh Garlic Cloves - Finely diced
Fresh Lime - Use the juice one whole lime. Depending on how juicy your limes are or how tangy you like your chili dipping sauce, you may reduce to half a lime juiced.
Sugar - to balance the savoury and sour flavours.
Salt - to taste.
Leftover Chicken Broth - add a spoonful of this flavorful stock to enhance the dipping sauce flavour.
Sweet Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
Leftover Chicken Broth from cooked Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken
Fried Garlic Chips
Fresh Ginger
Garnish
Fresh Cucumbers - Sliced cucumbers to be used with the rice dish.
Finely Chopped Green Onions - Garnish on top of rice.
Fresh Cilantro - Garnish on top of rice.
Most dry goods ingredients, tools and supplies can be purchased at your local Asian grocery stores or online at my Amazon Store. I have linked the products for your convenience!
Instructions - How To Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken
Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken
Wash, trim and dry the whole chicken and ensure the inners, especially the lung, is removed. Otherwise, the chicken will remain bloody and uncooked.
Dredge the chicken in boiling water, filling the cavity with water. You may need to bring it in and out of the water several times. Then take the whole chicken out and put it into a large bowl of ice water for an ice bath to tighten the skin. The ice bath tightens and gives the chicken skin a springy-fresh texture.
This step is optional if you plan to sous vide chicken.
Generously salt the chicken both on the inside and outside of the cavity.
Stuff green onions, pandan leaves, kaffir leaves, and ginger into the chicken cavity.
Dissolve turmeric with cold drinking water in a small bowl. Mix well. Turmeric powder dissolves better in cold water without clumping together than in hot water.
Add dissolved turmeric water and broth into the sous vide bag or ziplock bag.
Depending on the size of the chicken, ensure enough liquid to fill the cavity of the chicken.
Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the sous vide bag with a vacuum sealer machine.
Set the sous vide device to 160F (71C) for 3 hours. I love my bluetooth capable Anova Sous Vide that connects to my mobile phone!
Remove the vacuum-sealed chicken pack from the Sous Vide after 3 hours.
Remove the chicken from the bag. Discard aromatics. Let rest.
Strain Hainanese Chicken Broth through a sieve and reserve the delicious chicken broth! Do not discard. This flavorful soup is where all the chicken essence is! It is liquid gold!
Oily Chicken Rice
When you order Hainan Chicken for takeout at a restaurant or food court, they refer to this chicken rice as "oily rice," because the rice is cooked with chicken oil.
Wash and drain the jasmine rice. Set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan or wok at medium high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add garlic, ginger and shallots to the non-stick pan. Stir fry until fragrant. Ensure it does not burn.
Add rice to the wok and stir fry. Ensure the oil evenly coats the rice.
Remove the rice from the heat and add it to the rice cooker.
Next, add in the leftover Hainanese chicken broth, pandan leaves, green onions, and ginger.
Set to white rice mode and cook the Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Ginger Scallion Sauce
I love fresh ginger in this raw ginger green onion oil. This classic Cantonese dipping sauce is the epitome of natural flavours in Chinese cooking. This minced ginger sauce is so addictive. It goes perfectly with poached chicken. But I love to add this to everything!
The ginger is the star of this dipping sauce. Whenever possible, finely dice the ginger by hand. The taste is irreplaceable. However, if you are making a big batch or short on time, a food processor is an excellent idea!
Alternatively, if you do not want to hand chop all the simple ingredients, you can also use a good-quality food processor. Here are my picks for the Best Food Processors!
Add minced ginger, scallions and salt to a small sauce bowl.
Heat oil over low-medium heat.
Pour cooked oil on top of the mixture. Mix well. Set aside.
Red Chili Sauce
This refreshing Red Chili Sauce is spicy, tangy and slightly sweet. Add all the ingredients (minced Bird's Eye Chili, diced garlic cloves, grated ginger, fresh lime juice, sugar, salt and a spoonful of the flavorful stock) in a small sauce bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Sweet Soy Sauce
Sometimes served on the side is easy to make.
To make fried garlic chips, shallow fry diced garlic in vegetable oil over low-medium heat in a non-stick pan. Simmer until golden brown and remove from heat.
Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, leftover chicken broth, fried garlic chips and slices of ginger into a small bowl. Mix well to incorporate.
Assembly
De-bone and section the sous vide gently poached chicken. Brush the chicken with a dash of sesame oil if desired. Add a dash of salt and plate.
Serve with chicken-broth-cooked rice with cucumbers and garnish with fresh cilantro and finely chopped green onions. Serve with dipping sauces on the side.
What To Serve With
Complete your Asian feast by adding Air Fryer BBQ Pork Char Siu as a second protein option, just like you'd find at a hawker centre mixed plate.
Balance the rich, oily rice with quick-fried Garlic Bok Choy or Air Fryer Broccoli. The slight bitterness and crisp texture cut through the chicken fat beautifully, just like you'd find at hawker centres serving mixed vegetable plates.
For a lighter soup option than fish maw, try Homemade Dumplings or Vegan Chinese Egg Drop Soup. Both take 20 minutes and provide a comforting, mild broth that won't compete with the chicken rice's delicate flavors.
How To Meal Prep
Hainanese Chicken Rice can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
You can work Hainan Chicken efficiently into your family meal prep ideas for the week. Simply double batch this recipe with the chicken, aromatics and broth and portion it into vacuum sealed bags. Once the sous vide bags are vacuum sealed, place them into the freezer.
Just reheat it directly in the Rubbermaid sous vide container and set the sous vide machine to the right temperature whenever you need a quick Hainanese Chicken Rice fix. Chicken rice at home is so easy you do not even need to rely on an Asian meal prep delivery service for takeout!
This great recipe is delicious umami-rich comfort food in Chinese cooking. It is perfect as a make-ahead-of-time meal prep dish. Enjoy this flavourful chicken rice alone, as a one-pot meal, as lunch meal prep for the week, or as sous vide shredded chicken to complete the meal with the following delicious dishes.
- Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts and Chives 爆炒豆芽菜韭菜
- Fish Maw Crab Meat Soup 蟹肉魚肚羹 (鱼膘羹)
- Instant Pot Braised Chinese Mushrooms 髮菜炆冬菇食譜
- Microwave Soy Sauce Chicken Wings 豉油雞翅微波爐
- Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-fry 番茄炒蛋
FAQ
Got questions? You're not alone. Here are the 12 most common things people ask me about making sous vide Hainanese chicken rice at home, answered fast.
Yes. Set your sous vide to 145°F and cook chicken breasts for 1.5 to 2 hours. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons extra chicken fat or butter when frying your rice since breasts render less fat than a whole bird.
160°F for 3 to 4 hours for whole chicken ensures dark meat hits 165°F while breast stays moist at 155 to 160°F. For bone-in chicken thighs, use 158°F for 2.5 to 3 hours. Boneless breasts need 145°F for 1.5 to 2 hours.
You can safely leave chicken in the water bath for 3 to 5 hours at 160°F without quality loss. The chicken reaches equilibrium and holds at that temperature, giving you flexible meal timing. Don't go beyond 6 hours or texture becomes slightly softer than ideal.
Yes. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer at 165 to 175°F, add chicken with aromatics, and cook 45 to 60 minutes until breast reaches 155 to 160°F internally. The challenge is constant temperature monitoring since the margin for error is razor-thin.
Your chicken broth isn't seasoned enough. After cooking chicken, taste the poaching liquid and it should taste like strong, intensely savoury soup. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, or half a teaspoon of chicken bouillon until it tastes almost too salty on its own.
Absolutely, this is a great freezer friendly chicken rice recipe! Freeze uncooked chicken with aromatics in vacuum bags for up to 3 months, then cook from frozen at 160°F for 4 hours. Cooked chicken, rice, and all three sauces freeze perfectly for 3 to 6 months. Need a quick vegetable dish? My Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-fry takes 10 minutes and provides a sweet-savory contrast to the rich chicken rice.
If you are wondering how to make oily rice, Jasmine rice is the only choice for making a restaurant-quality Chinese chicken rice recipe. Long grains stay separate when cooked, natural fragrance complements chicken without overpowering, and firm texture holds up to the oily cooking method. Use rice that's been in your pantry 3 to 6 months since slightly aged jasmine rice is less sticky than fresh.
The ice bath is non-negotiable. Plunge 160°F chicken into ice water for exactly 10 minutes and the temperature shock causes collagen to contract, creating that signature springy, jellylike texture. Skip this and your skin will be soft, not bouncy.
Yes, completely safe. The pink color is myoglobin, a protein, not blood, and at 160°F for 3 hours your chicken is fully pasteurized. This pink actually indicates perfect doneness, just like you'd see at authentic Singapore hawker stalls.
Hainanese chicken is never roasted or fried, just gently poached and served at room temperature with springy skin texture. The rice cooked in chicken broth and fat is co-equal with, or even more important than, the chicken itself. You compose each bite using three dipping sauces instead of eating pre-seasoned chicken. For a luxurious soup to serve alongside, try my Fish Maw Crab Meat Soup which pairs beautifully with the chicken rice.
You can, but pressure cooking at 250°F is way hotter than the 160°F sweet spot and won't give you that silky, springy texture. Use the "slow cook" function on low for 3 to 4 hours instead, which mimics traditional poaching better. Honest take: stovetop poaching gives better results than an Instant Pot for this dish.
Undercooked means slimy texture, pink or red juices, and translucent meat near bones. With sous vide at 160°F, you literally cannot overcook since the chicken reaches that temperature and stays there for 3 to 5 hours. The only way to mess up is setting your temperature too high, above 170°F.
Yes, absolutely safe. Sous vide chicken cooked at 160°F for 3 hours is fully pasteurized and kills all harmful bacteria through time and temperature. The USDA approves this method since holding meat at lower temperatures for longer periods achieves the same safety as instant-kill temps like 165°F.
Singapore-style features tender poached chicken served at room temperature with three sauces, while Malaysian chicken rice often uses fattier chickens and serves the rice extra oily with richer flavour. Both are delicious, but this sous vide recipe follows the Singapore hawker-style that's most internationally recognized. The core techniques are similar, just regional preferences on fat content and serving temperature.
Other Sous Vide Dishes We Love
- Sous Vide Whole Fish
- Sous Vide Korean Beef Chuck Roast
After eating lots of heavy and rich, and deep-fried foods, a great way to reduce heat is with a bowl of this liver-detoxing Chinese Sweet Mung Bean Soup 綠豆沙 or Hawthorn Goji Berry Tea Digestion Tea 山楂杞子茶 that aids digestion.
Make this One Pot Chicken Rice with Chinese Mushrooms and Sausages 臘腸冬菇滑雞煲仔飯 if you love this foolproof Hainanese chicken recipe!
I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.
> Recipe Card
PrintSous Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice 海南雞飯 (低溫慢煮)
Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice 海南雞飯 (低溫慢煮) is a crowd favourite Hawker's dish that is tender, juicy and mildly laborious to make! Compared to the traditional method (poaching method), the sous vide method is the easiest method to nail that succulent meat every time! Work this tender chicken into your family meal prep ideas for the week. Your whole family will love this delicious Hainan chicken rice with fragrant rice served with green onion ginger sauce and spicy chilli sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 persons 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Sous Vide
- Cuisine: Chinese, Singapore
Ingredients
Hainan Chicken
- 1 Whole Chicken, trimmed, cleaned and pat dry
- 3 Pandan Leaves
- 2 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger, sliced
- 2C Unsalted Chicken Broth
- 4 Stalks of Fresh Green Onions, sectioned
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½C Drinking water to dissolve turmeric powder
- 3 Kaffir Lime Leaves, optional
The Chicken Rice
- 280g Jasmine White Rice
- 1 Shallot, finely diced
- 2 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger, sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
- 2 Pandan Leaves
- 2 Stalks of Fresh Green Onions
- 250ml Leftover Chicken Broth from cooked Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Ginger Scallion Sauce
- 4 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger, finely chopped/minced
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 4 Stalks of Fresh Green Onions, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp of Cooked Vegetable Oil
- ½ tsp Galangal Powder, optional
Red Chili Sauce
- 2 Bird's Eye Chili, diced, seeds removed if necessary.
- 1 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger, finely chopped/minced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
- 1 Fresh Lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
Sweet Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil used to make garlic chips
- 3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Leftover Chicken Broth from cooked Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken
- 1 tsp Fried Garlic Chips
- 1 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger, finely chopped
Garnish
- Fresh Cucumbers
- Finely Chopped Green Onions
- Fresh Cilantro
- ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Hainanese Chicken
- Wash, trim and dry the whole chicken and ensure the inners, especially the lung, is removed. Otherwise, the chicken will remain bloody and uncooked.
- Dredge the chicken in boiling water, filling the cavity with water. You may need to bring it in and out of the water several times. Then take the whole chicken out and put it into a large bowl of ice water for an ice bath to tighten the skin. The ice bath tightens and gives the chicken skin a springy-fresh texture. This step is optional if you plan to sous vide chicken.
- Generously salt the chicken both on the inside and outside of the cavity.
- Stuff green onions, pandan leaves, kaffir leaves, and ginger into the chicken cavity.
- Dissolve turmeric with cold drinking water in a small bowl. Mix well. Turmeric powder dissolves better in cold water without clumping together than in hot water.
- Add dissolved turmeric water and broth into the sous vide bag or ziplock bag.
- Depending on the size of the chicken, ensure enough liquid to fill the cavity of the chicken.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the sous vide bag with a vacuum sealer machine.
- Set the sous vide device to 160F (71C) for 3 hours. I love my bluetooth capable Anova Sous Vide!
- Remove the vacuum-sealed chicken pack from the Sous Vide after 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the bag. Discard aromatics. Let rest.
- Strain Hainanese Chicken Broth through a sieve and reserve the delicious chicken broth! Do not discard. This flavorful soup is where all the chicken essence is! It is liquid gold!
Hainenese Chicken Rice
- Wash and drain the jasmine rice. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan or wok at medium high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add garlic, ginger and shallots to the non-stick pan. Stir fry until fragrant. Ensure it does not burn.
- Add rice to the wok and stir fry. Ensure the oil evenly coats the rice.
- Remove the rice from the heat and add it to the rice cooker.
- Next, add in the leftover Hainanese chicken broth, pandan leaves, green onions, and ginger.
- Set to white rice mode and cook the Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Ginger Scallion Sauce
- Add minced ginger, scallions and salt to a small sauce bowl.
- Heat oil over low-medium heat.
- Pour cooked oil on top of the mixture. Mix well. Set aside.
Red Chili Sauce
- Add all the ingredients (minced Bird's Eye Chili, diced garlic cloves, grated ginger, fresh lime juice, sugar, salt and a spoonful of the flavorful stock) in a small sauce bowl.
- Mix well and set aside.
Garlic Chips
To make fried garlic chips, shallow fry diced garlic in vegetable oil over low-medium heat in a non-stick pan. Simmer until golden brown and remove from heat.
Sweet Soy Sauce
- Add vegetable oil from garlic chips to a small sauce bowl.
- Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, leftover chicken broth, fried garlic chips and slices of ginger into a small bowl. Mix well to incorporate.
- Set aside.
Assembly
- De-bone if desired and section the sous vide gently poached chicken.
- Brush the chicken with a dash of sesame oil if desired.
- Add a dash of salt and plate.
- Serve with chicken-broth-cooked rice with cucumbers and garnish with fresh cilantro and finely chopped green onions.
- Serve with dipping sauces on the side.
Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
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rubbermaid sous vide container
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KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor
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Buy Now → Notes
If you do not want to hand chop all the simple ingredients, you can also use a good-quality food processor. Here are my picks for the Best Food Processors!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 452
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 1048.6 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.3 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 8.8 g
- Cholesterol: 3.4 mg
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Mimi says
Super excited to try this! Two questions:
1. Step #6 under Hainanese Chicken says to add the "leftover broth" to the bag, but at this point there's no "leftover" broth because the instructions haven't required any broth previously. Does this actually just mean to add the 2 c of broth shown in the ingredients section?
2. The sweet soy sauce instructions say to heat oil, but the ingredients do not show oil in that section. How much oil should I use in that sauce?
Nancy says
Hello Mimi - thanks for stopping by. Let me clarify for you.
1. Step #6 - Yes because we are using the Sous Vide method, you can just use 2C broth and add directly into the bag with the chicken, etc.
2 Sweet Soy Sauce - the oil comes from the garlic chips (I had this in the main blog body but now added to the recipe card too). Sorry if it was confusing but hope this helps now! I would use about 1 tbsp
Enjoy!
Kevin a says
I used boneless skinless breasts and probably will try lower temp next time (147?) because a little dry but taste was great. I had Taiwanese leeks instead of green onions. I finished the rice in instant pot, fried up garlic/ginger/scallion and a little sesame oil that I blended together first. Added finely chopped onion, leaks and broth (1 cup broth to 1cup broth).
Nancy says
chicken breasts tends to be a little on the dry side. How did a lower temperature go? I bet the smell in your kitchen was delicious!
Tisha says
This looks so good! Can't wait to make it
Nancy says
I can't wait to see how it comes out Tisha!
Shelby says
This may take a little bit more time to make but the ginger scallion sauce is so delicious it's totally worth it!
Nancy says
Hi Shelby! i agree - this recipe with ALL the fixings is a little labourous but it CAN be meal prepped ahead of time and spaced out so it doesn't become a huge ordeal! and I totally agree that that ginger scallion sauce is WORTH the hassle!
Andréa Janssen says
Looks like a delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Nancy says
Enjoy Andrea!
Amy Liu Dong says
I have never thought that this is so easy to prepare. My kids love it so much!
Nancy says
We love how flavourful it comes together and how moist and tender the meat is! So much nutritious in this dish!
Bernice says
So tasty! We loved this dish in Singapore and I can't wait to make it at home with my sous vide!
Nancy says
It's so funny it's become such a national staple dish in Singapore but it really is a Chinese Hainan dish.
Liz says
So delicious and packed full of flavor! Had this for a family dinner last weekend and we all loved it!
Nancy says
Hooray for a new crowd favourite!
Sue says
I love how tender this chicken turned out! Sous vide for the win!
Nancy says
Yup! Sous Vide is awesome at never overcooking the meat!
Audrey says
Everyone loved this!
Nancy says
That's what I love to hear Audrey!
Ramona says
This rice was incredibly aromatic, I will be making it again. I served it with chicken too and my family really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Nancy says
Thanks Romana - the rice is the star I'd say! It just soaks up all the flavours and nutrients!
Jacque Hooper says
Adding this to my dinner line up for the week! Love trying new recipe and this is no exception; looks too good to pass up, indeed!
Nancy says
Thanks Jacque! I'm so happy to hear that it's in the queue! Enjoy this flavourful meal!
Tara says
Oh yum, a favorite!! I love how you made this using the sous vide method. The flavors sound absolutely incredible.
Nancy says
Thanks Tara - stove top poaching is just too laborious and too easy to overcook the meat.
Rhonda says
Fabulous dish. So simple yet so delicious.
Nancy says
Thanks Rhonda! Happy to share this easy method!
Traci says
Wow! Love how authentic and beautiful this is! You really are an expert at this and I appreciate the tips and tricks. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy says
Thanks Traci - Just learning from all my mistakes and sharing an easier way to make this traditional dish that normally takes FOREVER!
Anjali says
I've never used the sous vide method for cooking before because I've always been too intimidated, but your recipe looks so delicious that you've inspired me to give it a try! 🙂
Nancy says
Sous vide is one of the easier cooking methods to use. It's pretty fail safe! I'm so glad you are giving this recipe a try Anjali!
Amy says
Never thought to sous vide the chicken! What a great idea. Definitely trying this recipe!
Nancy says
I love how the sous vide preserves all the chicken essence! not one drop is wasted!
Amy Liu Dong says
This dish looks so easy and delicious!
I am going to make this for tonight's dinner!
Nancy says
Enjoy dinner Amy! I will be wonderful!
Dee says
This dish looks so good! You can't go wrong with a good chicken and rice. Saving for later.
Nancy says
This chicken dinner is going to wow everyone!
Kristen says
This was a little bit of a labour of love for me but definitely worth every minute. It is incredibly flavourful, even the kids enjoyed it.
Nancy says
I agree Kristen. pick a day when you aren't rushed or prep the sauces ahead of time. I'd like the pop the chicken in the night before and wake up to it gentle poached the next day!
Elizabeth says
Really love that you add so much flavor to your recipes! Also appreciate that this is an easy alternative.
Nancy says
Thanks Elizabeth for your support. I'm so happy that I can help lessen the load with my method!
Giangi Townsend says
I love cooking sous vide and this recipe is amazing.
Thank you
Nancy says
I love the sous vide and not having to watch the fire!
Andréa Janssen says
This looks like a delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing it!
Nancy says
Thanks Andrea - you are the best!
The Sudden Cook says
Wow! First time I've come across chicken rice using this method. Thanks for sharing:)
Nancy says
I'm so glad you found it helpful!
Kara says
This was absolutely delicious and I will definitely be making it again! The whole family loved it.
Nancy says
I'm so happy you are a fan Kara!
Audrey says
I love sous vide!! Awesome recipe
Nancy says
Thanks Audrey! wasn't it super easy?
Marie B says
This sounds like lovely aromatic rice! I'm not sure I can find all the ingredients but I'll try my best! Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Nancy says
HI Marie! I'm sure you will be able to find the ingredients at TnT or Superstore or your local Asian market!
Vanessa says
My boys love chicken so I'm always on the look out for new ways to prepare it. This was a fun new way and so delicious too.
Nancy says
I can't wait to hear what your boys have to say about them!
Tyanne says
Loved that all the steps are explained in great detail!
Nancy says
Thanks Tyanne! I'm glad that the instructions were easy to follow! I'm sure you aced the recipe!
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a hit all around the table! Turned out perfectly tender and flavorful; easily, a new favorite dish!
Nancy says
Awesome! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Especially a juicy and moist succulent one!
Traci says
I love how much you know about this style of cooking. It really removes the intimidation for me and makes the process so much smoother. Thanks for sharing another gem!
Nancy says
Thanks so much Traci !! I'm so glad that this sous vide Hainanese Chicken rice recipe was really easy to follow!
Jeff says
I had this when I was in Singapore, and it is delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I'll give it a go.
Nancy says
Can't wait to hear how it went! I'm sure you'll be able to nail this juicy chicken meal!
Cara says
The flavors and textures in this dish were unreal. The chicken was perfect (love sous vide cooking!). We had it with the red chili sauce, and it took the whole thing to a new level. Obsessed.
Nancy says
Thanks Cara! I'm so happy to hear that you are a fan!
Carrie Robinson says
This looks & sounds absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try this recipe soon. 🙂
Nancy says
Thanks Carrie - can't wait to hear how it went!
Sharon Chen says
Great recipe, will definitely try this out! I love cooking up and experimenting with my sous vide machine so this is next on my list!
Nancy says
Can't wait to hear what you think Sharon!
Ieva says
My sous vide arrives tomorrow! So excited!!! This recipe goes straight to my list of things to cook. I love your clear instructions and those sauces sound right up my street!
Nancy says
Awesome! Welcome to the Sous Vide Train! It will be wonderful Ieva!
Ned says
Can wait to try this recipe! I've bookmarked it to make it this weekend. Thank you so much!!
Nancy says
Thanks Ned!
Andrea says
Love how simple this rice dish is to whip up! So tasty!
Nancy says
thanks Andrea! Glad you loved the flavourful chicken rice!
Debra says
Wow....such a delicious flavor explosion! So tasty and really worth the effort!
Nancy says
I totally agree with you Debra! If you meal prep it right, it will be easy as pie!
Whitney says
The sauces alone in this recipe are so flavorful! I am obsessed with red chili sauce and will keep this as a staple in my home! Thank you for sharing!
Nancy says
Wasn't the red chili sauce so addicting? Thanks Whitney for your comment!
Tyanne says
Loved this! Chili flavor is the best.
Nancy says
Yes we agree Tyanne!
Dana says
Finally got to use my sous vide I got for Christmas three years ago! This was a fantastic recipe. Thank you!
Nancy says
Awesome Dana! Have you been using your sous vide machine much?
Tina says
My whole family loved this chicken rice. I love how easy it was to prepare!
Nancy says
Thanks Tina! I'm so happy that this Hainan Chicken Rice dish was a hit at home!
Bernice says
We had this dish at a Hawker's market in Singapore and I've been thinking about it ever since. I know it's relatively difficult to get right...but I bet that sous vide method is perfect way to do it. I'm going to try with your recipe!
Nancy says
Thanks Bernice - did it come close to how it tasted on your vacation? I hope it brings back memories