How to make easy Singapore rice with chicken in a rice cooker.
I have a pan chicken rice recipe here. A confession: I don’t do it often at all. Instead, I make a rice cooker version! It never occurred to me to make a recipe post because it’s incredibly easy.
What kind of rice for rice with chicken?
White jasmine rice would be best, but any rice you have will do. For the amount of broth, use it according to what your rice needs. In general, the ratio of rice to water should be 1: 2. When in doubt, simply read your packet of rice. For example, I like to use brown rice and basmati rice, both of which benefit from a ratio of 2.5 cups of broth to 1 cup of rice.
These are all long-grain rice varieties. Short-grain rice, like Japanese rice, will require less water. Japanese rice would require 1.2 cup of water for 1 cup of rice. Again, refer to your rice package for more specific instructions.
My very scientific way of cooking rice in a rice cooker is passed down from my mother. Wash and drain the rice in the rice cooker and then level the rice. Add water until it rises just above the top of the rice. Insert your index finger, and if water hits the line of the first finger joint, that’s enough water. I can bet that’s how most Asian households learn.
These days, rice cookers come with marked lines on the pots, making it even easier to measure water levels.
What kind of chicken broth
to use?
The best type would be homemade chicken broth. I always make extra chicken broth and keep it in the freezer to make chicken rice.
Traditionally, Hainan chicken rice uses boiled chicken broth to serve with the dish. In this case, a whole chicken is used. For home use, this is not always practical.
In this recipe, I used broth cubed chicken broth. I don’t even always have homemade chicken broth, but I always have chicken broth cubes. The chicken broth cubes are salted, so keep an eye out for extra salt in your rice cooker. When I use chicken broth cubes, in fact, I don’t add salt at all.
- To make chicken broth cubes, crush the cubes in hot water. Hot water will help dissolve the bin easel.
- 1 bucket of chicken broth is good for 1 liter of water.
The combination of
ginger and garlic
is essential for a good rice with chicken. It’s built into rice as well as chili sauce, so you’d always make a paste of the two for convenience.
- Simply mix equal amounts of ginger and garlic with enough water to facilitate the mixing process. This way, I can easily divide it up to use for both rice and chili sauce.
- If you don’t want to take out the blender, I understand, you can also just grate the ginger and garlic.
- Even lazier? Simply chop the ginger and crush the garlic cloves and stir these through the rice. Make sure these are larger pieces, so you can easily catch it from the rice once it’s cooked. It’s not much fun to bite into ginger slices.
Optional Ingredients: Chicken Oil
and Pandan
The key difference for this recipe versus chicken rice from a pan is that I didn’t use chicken oil and pandan leaves for this one. I just don’t add them because they’re not pantry staples. However, if I have them, you can bet I would use them in my chicken rice!
Chicken
oil
The recipe for a pan uses chicken oil, extracted from the skin and fat of the chicken. This adds an extra tasty chicken flavor to the rice. It also makes it oily… Here’s how chicken rice gets its glossy finish and why it’s extra delicious!
However, chicken oil is not a regular pantry ingredient for me. Instead, I use extra sesame oil. It also takes a while to remove oil from the skin and fat, and almost always the amount you have at once is not enough for all the rice. That’s why I don’t include it in this recipe. If you have chicken oil or would like to do this, feel free to do so!
To make chicken fat
- : In a pan, place the skin and fat of the chicken. Using very, very low heat, the flame barely flickers, allow the pieces to cook slowly. The chicken oil will be removed, and the skin and fat of the chicken will be cooked in its own oil. It will eventually become golden and crispy. Be careful not to burn the skin and fat of the chicken! If burned, the taste will also leach into the chicken oil, so it also tastes burnt.
Pandan leaves, or Screwpine leaves, add an extra lovely flavor to the rice. Without it, chicken rice would still smell great and tasty, but it just adds an extra layer of subtle fragrance.
- To use pandan leaves, take 2 to 3 stems and rinse. Knot the leaves to form a package. Add to pot.
Can I cook chicken in this too?
Absolutely! The only complaint I have is that I can’t find the marinade attached to the chicken, although it does transfer to the rice. I prefer to cook the chicken separately. By the way, baking baked chicken takes the same time as rice in the rice cooker! So, it’s an easy extra step for me.
If you want to cook the chicken with the rice cooker, I recommend using chicken meat that is not boneless. Bone-in chicken parts will take longer to cook, and may not be fully cooked when the rice has finished cooking. If you want to go a step further, cut the chicken into smaller pieces; This will ensure that it is cooked. Simply add the chicken on top of the rice.
Some rice cookers come with a steaming basket; you can cook the chicken in the steaming basket.
More recipes like this:
- Nasi Minyak | Malaysian ghee butter rice
- KFC Rice cooker fried chicken Rice Lo
- Ma Gai | Chinese-style glutinous
rice
What to serve
Chicken rice:
- Char Siu
- Singapore BBQ Chicken wings
- Roast oven Grilled Thai chicken
- Chicken sauce with rice and chili Easy sauce
- sauté vegetables
Chicken
to
