Monday, May 14, 2007

Roasted Chicken Rice



H. have not been a fan of hainanese chicken rice, so I decided to make a roasted chicken version of this popular food court fare instead. Bought an organic whole chicken fryer and marinaded it overnight with soy sauce, oyster sauce, lots of garlic and seasonings. And thank god for the meat thermometer these days as it takes the guess work out of the roasting and bbq-ing. Simply sick the thermometer into the thickest part of the the thigh (without touching the bone), set the temperature to 180F and it peeps when the internal temperature of the meat is up to the preset temperature. I baked it at 400 in a convection oven for about 55 mins. Fortunately for H who is very wary of salmonella, this chicken does not have the 'barely done' redness as the ones sold in Singapore/Malaysia. Nothing against anyone who likes their chicken medium to just-cooked, but I tend to stay on the 'safe' side for poultry, even with organic chickens. That been said, I do miss those convenient take-outs from food stalls serving my favorite Chicken Rice at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in the Maxwell Food Court. Or dining at Chatterbox in the Mandarin Hotel on Orchard Road. Or the one at blk 37 called Goldenhill something (can't remember the name). The rich chicken broth flavored rice at these stalls were fantastic. (sigh...)

This is traditionally served with cucumbers. However I only didn't make it to the grocery store, so it was served with broccoli instead.

For the chicken flavored rice, here's the recipe from my old notes:
Chicken Rice Ingredients
24 oz long grain rice
10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
11 shallots or onions, peeled and chopped finely
6 Tbs vegetable oil
7 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth
1 tsp salt

Heat non-stick pot in medium fire/heat. Add vegetable oil. Sautee shallots till fragrant. Add garlic and do the same. Careful not to burn these. Add rinsed and drained long grain rice and stir till well mixed for 5 mins. Add organic low-sodium broth and salt. Heat till boiling. Turn down heat and simmer for 30-40 mins. until rice is cooked.

This dish is orginally served with a chili sauce and a ginger sauce. But of course I opted for the off-the-shelve Vietnamese Sriracha Hot chili sauce instead. For those who need to be authentic, here's the chili sauce recipe that I found:
3 oz fresh red chilli peppers, most seeds discarded (I used bird's eye chili)
2 oz garlic, peeled
2 oz fresh young ginger, peeled
2 oz shallots, peeled
3/4 cup hot boiling low-sodium organic chicken broth
5 tsp lime juice
3 tsp sugar
One tsp salt

Grind the 4 ingredients in a food processor. Add the rest of ingredients. Mix well. Chill overnight and serve at room temperature. Can be stored in fridge for about 1 week.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like Tian Tian too. Usually get take-away, and microwave at home so that chicken is more cooked.