Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

A plate of hainan chicken with rice, garnished with shallot and sauce.

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainan chicken is a simple yet flavorful Southeast Asian dish. Made with an Instant Pot and with simpler ingredients, you can make this recipe in a fraction of the time

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Diet: Low Calorie

Servings:

Calories: 443kcal

Author: Clara

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

Poaching Broth

1-2 cloves Garlic (Minced)
½ Shallot (Minced)
1-2 tablespoon Fresh Ginger
1 cup Chicken stock
Cooking spray
Salt (To taste)
Scallions
1 Pandan Leaf (Optional)

Chicken and Rice

1 Chicken Quarter (Bone in, skin on)
½ cup Jasmine RIce
1 tablespoon Sea Salt
Cilantro, slices of cucumber (For garnish)
1 teaspoon Turmeric

Instructions

Prepare the chicken – Start by gathering the ingredients. Lay out the chicken thigh and rub salt on the skin liberally. This is essential for seasoning the chicken.
Prepare the aromatics – Mince the garlic, ginger, and onion finely. You can also use a food processor to make a fine paste. Press sauté mode, spray the inner pot with cooking spray, and sauté the garlic and onion until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
Prepare the instant pot – Add the chicken stock and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Turn off sauté mode. Add in the chicken pieces with the skin facing upwards. Add in the turmeric if using.
Pressure Cook Chicken – Close lid of the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for about 20 minutes, then let it get to natural release for 5 minutes.
Cool the chicken – Remove chicken pieces and dunk them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. This will make sure the chicken doesn’t get overcooked.
Cook the rice – Drain the stock to remove the solid ingredients and add in ½ cup of chicken stock and ½ cup water. Add in ½ cup of jasmine rice and cook for 10 minutes and natural release for 5 minutes.
Serve the Chicken Rice – Plate the rice and chicken, and add fried shallots to the top of the rice if desired. Garnish with fresh cilantro, slices of cucumber, and serve with your sauce of choice and enjoy!

Notes

Substitutions and Variations

Chicken options to use – While I’m usually all about boneless skinless chicken thighs, using bone-in skin-on chicken is essential for the flavor of the dish. You can also use boneless chicken thighs or breast, or bone-in chicken thigh or breast.

Sauce Options – Typically, Hainan chicken rice is served with 3 types of sauces. You can either use a sweet chili sauce, ginger scallion sauce, or sweet soy sauce.

Expert Tips

Use Ice Bath – After the chicken is done cooking, dunk the chicken into an ice bath to stop the cooking process, then try. This helps prevent overcooking the chicken.

Exfoliate the chicken skin – This will make the chicken skin smooth.

Nutrition