About this Dish
Singapore's other great national dish — poached chicken on fragrant rice cooked in chicken stock and fat, with three dipping sauces: chilli, ginger and dark soy. Tian Tian at Maxwell Food Centre is considered the benchmark. Simple, perfect, endlessly satisfying.
IngredientsServes 2
🐔Whole chicken, 1.6kg (preferably free-range)
🧄Garlic, 1 whole head, halved crosswise
🫚Fresh ginger, 1 large knob (about 80g), sliced plus extra for ginger sauce
🌾Jasmine rice, 2 cups, rinsed
🧅Shallots, 4 large, sliced
🌶️Red chillies, 4 long red, for chilli sauce
🍋Limes, 2, juiced
🫙Dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp, for dipping
🥄Sesame oil, 2 tsp
🧂Salt, for rubbing and seasoning
Method
1
Rub the whole chicken all over with a generous amount of salt, including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with half the ginger slices and a few garlic cloves, then bring a large pot of water to a boil with the remaining ginger, garlic, and 1 tsp salt.2
Gently lower the chicken into the boiling water, reduce to a low simmer, and poach uncovered for 35–40 minutes until just cooked through — the juices should run clear. Remove the chicken and immediately plunge into a large bowl of iced water for 10 minutes; this stops the cooking and gives the skin its signature silky, firm texture. Reserve all the poaching stock.3
While the chicken chills, make the fragrant rice: fry sliced shallots and 3 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbsp of chicken fat (skimmed from the stock) or neutral oil over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Add the rinsed rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rice cooker or pot and cook using 2 cups of the reserved chicken stock instead of water.4
Make the chilli sauce by blending the red chillies, 3 garlic cloves, a thumb of ginger, lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt into a smooth, vibrant sauce — taste and adjust heat and seasoning to your liking. For the ginger sauce, finely grate 4 tbsp of fresh ginger, mix with 2 tbsp neutral oil, a pinch of salt, and a splash of hot chicken stock. For the dark soy dipping sauce, simply mix 3 tbsp dark soy sauce with 1 tsp sesame oil and a little stock to thin it slightly.5
Once the chicken has rested, pat it dry and brush the skin lightly with sesame oil for a beautiful sheen. Chop the chicken Chinese-style through the bone into neat pieces using a heavy cleaver, or carve Western-style if preferred.6
Serve the sliced chicken over a mound of fragrant rice, with a small bowl of warm chicken stock (seasoned with a little salt and garnished with sliced spring onion) on the side. Present all three dipping sauces alongside and let everyone dip and mix as they please — this is the soul of the dish.User Reviews
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