Chicken Rice from Supermarket Rotisserie Chicken.
Chicken rice is a Hainanese recipe in which tender poached chicken is served over rice cooked in a rich chicken and ginger stock. It’s supreme comfort food that has spawned a number of fast takeout places in the Bay Area (and probably elsewhere) such as the Rooster and Rice chain. And you can make a very flavorful approximation using the juices that accumulate in the bottom of the container of supermarket rotisserie chicken. This recipe was developed from the always-reliable Woks of Life. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
One supermarket rotisserie chicken, regular flavor
2 stalks green onion
Fresh ginger, peeled, total about 1/3 cup
8 or more cloves garlic, peeled
1 c jasmine rice
Kosher salt to taste, if needed (the chicken stock may be salty enough)
Neutral oil to sauté
Method: debone the chicken, taking care to lift the breast meat from the breast bone so you leave the breast meat and skin intact. Reserve the breast meat and save the rest of the chicken for another use. (Of course, you could also serve the thighs, wings and drumsticks and collect the bones afterward.) Transfer the bones and the backbone section (don’t bother to try and debone this part) and all the juices and gelatinous consommé from the bottom of the chicken container to a saucepan.
Make the stock: simmer the chicken bones and juices with 4 cross section slices of peeled ginger and two whole green onions (cut off the roots and cut the rest into 3 or 4 pieces to fit your pot) over very low heat for 2 hours until rich and flavorful. Remove bones and spices and strain; chill the strained stock until fat solidifies on top.
Prep the chicken: skim off the fat from the strained stock and transfer to a saucepan. Return the chicken stock to heat and add the reserved chicken breast. Simmer 30 minutes so it can absorb the flavor of the stock. Lift it out of the stock and transfer to a bowl full of ice water. Chill 10 minutes, then remove from the ice water bath, carefully pat dry, and wrap tight in plastic wrap. (The purpose of this process is to preserve the firm flesh and tight skin on the chicken breast. You won’t have the pale delicate skin of a poached Hainanese chicken but the texture and flavor will be similar.)
Make the rice: heat the reserved chicken fat in the saucepan until any residual water is cooked out and it stops sputtering. Add a little neutral oil if needed to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic and the rice and sauté a couple of minutes over low heat. Add 2 cups of reserved stock (if you have less than 2 cups, add water to make up the difference), taste and add salt if needed. Simmer, covered, over very low heat for 10 minutes, taking care not to allow the stock to boil over, then turn off heat and let it rest 30 minutes while you assemble the rest of the dish.
Make the dipping sauce: process ¼ c peeled ginger and 6 cloves garlic in a mini-chop until it forms a paste. Sauté in 3 T neutral oil for just a couple of minutes to take the edge off the raw taste. Transfer to 4 serving-size ramekins.
Assemble the dish: carefully remove plastic wrap from chicken breast and cut crosswise into chopstick-friendly slices about ¾ inch thick. Plate the rice, assemble the chicken pieces on top and serve with the dipping sauce on the side.
