Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Hainanese Chicken Recipe We Go...

My bf and I decided to take my mom for dinner and we all decided to go to Tropika (I'll blog about that later). This is where I first encountered a dish called Hainanese Chicken, it was about $13 for the dish. When the dish was brought out it doesn't look like much, all I could remember thinking was, "That's it? boiled chicken???"

Getting over my disappointment, I gave it a go and I loved it! You know what they say, looks can be deceiving. Apparently it also comes with Hainanese Chicken Rice which is just white rice cooked in the broth the chicken was simmering in.

I loved this dish so much that I set out to learn how to make this dish. My bf laughed at me but I didn't let that bother me, I put on my apron and I was on a mission! After some trial and error and looking up many many many recipes later, I have perfected my recipe, well for me anyways. lol Hopefully you'll like it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken legs
• 1 "chunk" of peeled ginger (just cut a piece, peel it and throw it in the pot)
• 3 green onion, chopped in half
• 2 cups white rice, rinsed and drained well
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp grated ginger (for the dipping sauce)
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• Salt, to taste
• Chicken stock ( I use Knorr Homestyle stock cubes, pictured above) 
• Cucumber, few slices for garnish
• Iced water (to cool the chicken)

Method

1. Rinse chicken and drain well. Put all the chicken legs into a pot and fill the pot with water. Just enough to cover the chicken. Turn on the heat to medium and let it come to a boil. 
2. Once it starts to boil throw in the ginger piece, green onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves. Let it boil for 45 mins. To tell if the chicken is cooked, insert a fork into the thickest part of chicken leg. If clear liquid runs out, it’s cooked if not then cook it for a bit longer. 
3. Immediately transfer chicken legs into iced water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. I read on numerous sites the ice water is a way of making the skin and meat of the steamed chicken become smoother and more tender. 
4. Once you remove the chicken add the Knorr's Homestyle Chicken broth cubes (1 cube would be enough) into the pot, I find it adds more flavour. Let it come to a boil. Add salt to taste. Voilà! You got soup to go with your chicken!
5. You can use some of the broth to make your rice or you can use plain water. Up to you. You can use  a rice cooker or use a pot.
6. When the chicken legs cool down, drain well. Chop into chunks and serve with cooked rice. Garnish with cucumber slices. Pour some soup into a small bowl and your meal is finished!
7. Last but not least to make the dipping sauce. Heat up a bit oil in a pan. When the oil becomes very hot, immediately pour the oil onto minced ginger. Add salt to taste. 
8. Time to eat!

Should of used a smaller plate, looks so sparse. lol

Sorry the picture is not that great. I'll take another one when I make this dish again! ^_^

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Happy eating!

"Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography."  ~Robert Byrne