Hainanese chicken 海南鸡饭

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Hainanese cuisine, Malaysian cuisine and Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand. It is based on the well-known Hainanese dish called Wenchang chicken (文昌雞). So-called due to its roots in Hainan cuisine and its adoption by the Hainanese overseas Chinese population in the Nanyang area (present-day Southeast Asia), the version found in the Malaysia region combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines along with culinary preferences in the Southeast Asian region.

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In Malacca, the chicken rice is served as rice balls rather than a bowl of rice, commonly known as Chicken rice balls. Steamed rice is shaped into golf ball-sized orbs and served alongside the chopped chicken. This dish is eaten the same way as the regular version, making sure to get a portion of chicken, some rice and the soy and chili condiment into each mouthful. Older chefs argue that the rice was originally shaped into balls because it needed to be kept warm from the time it was cooked (often earlier in the day) until mealtime. The rice balls, when stored in wooden containers, apparently stayed warm for a longer time. The other theory is that the rice balls were more portable and were easier for labourers working on plantations to transport from home. Today, rice balls are appreciated more as a novelty than anything else.

The Ipoh bean sprout chicken rice (Ngah Choi Kai Fan) of Ipoh, Malaysia, is the Cantonese version with steamed chicken served with boiled bean sprouts but in white rice rather than the flavoured oil rice. This is a very popular version of the rice and many other chicken rice stall have slowly followed it by adding in bean sprouts along with the chicken. The chicken rice dish can also be further accompanied with a simple pork meatball soup. In addition to that, various hawkers also sell a variety of chicken innards - gizzard, liver, intestines - which are also equally popular for chicken rice lovers.
Chicken rice in Malaysia is available in many Chinese coffee shops or restaurants or street hawker stalls, but also chain restaurants such as The Chicken Rice Shop, KFC's Rasamas and famous Malaysia Chinatown's Nam Heong. Most chicken rice vendors in the country also offer an alternative of roasted chicken instead of the regular, steamed one. Other variations include a BBQ version or also a honey-roasted choice.

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Preparation

The chicken is prepared in traditional Hainanese methods which involve the boiling of the entire chicken in a pork and chicken bone stock, reusing the broth over and over and only topping it up with water when needed, in accordance with the Chinese preferences for creating master stocks. This stock is not used for rice preparation, which instead involves chicken stock created specifically for that purpose, producing an oily, flavourful rice sometimes known as "oily rice" with Southeast Asian pandan leaves added sometimes. Some cooks may add coconut milk to the rice, reminiscent of the Malay dish nasi lemak.

The Hainanese prefer using older, plumper birds to maximise the amount of oil extracted, thus creating a more flavourful dish. Over time, however, the dish began adopting elements of Cantonese cooking styles, such as using younger birds to produce more tender meats. In another variation, the bird is dipped in ice after cooking to produce a jelly-like skin finishing, commonly referred to as Báijī (白雞) for "white chicken", in contrast to the more traditional Lǔjī (滷雞, stock chicken) or Shāojī (燒雞, roasted chicken). In Singapore, where modernity has made the maintenance and long-term storage of master stocks unfeasible, the meat is cooked by boiling in water flavoured with garlic and ginger instead, with the resulting stock used in the preparation of the rice and also in the accompanying soup.

The dish is usually served with several dips, including chilli sauce and pounded ginger. It is common in Hainan to also offer a third sauce involving oyster sauce mixed with garlic, while dark soy sauce is more commonly served in Malaysia/Singapore. The Malaysian/Singaporean version of the chili are also much hotter, reflecting its Southeast Asian influences, and may also involve a mixture of chilli with garlic. Most dishes are served with sliced cucumber, reflecting the Chinese preference for introducing some variety for a more complete meal.

Sometimes a boneless version of chicken rice is served in Malaysia or Singapore.