Easy Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice | Tested by Amy + Jacky (2023)

Make this Easy Singaporean Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice (Instant Pot Hainan Chicken; Chinese: 海南雞飯)! Classic comforting chicken and rice meal with a homey chicken soup. Dip the tender & juicy Hainanese Chicken Sauces with a spoonful of flavorful & fragrant rice. Budget meal that is sooo satisfying to eat! 😀

Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of Jacky’s favorite comfort food. Well, at least he orders it whenever it’s on the menu! hehe~

Check out Our Handpicked Instant Pot Accessories

We oncedida mini Amazing Hainanese Chicken Rice Hunt – mission to find the Best Hainanese Chicken. Thus far, this hidden dine-in-the-alley-super-busy-and-crowded restaurant in Hong Kong still sits at the throne.

Any favorites Hainan Chicken you know of? If so, please tell us!! 😀

Making authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice requires quite a bit of work and space. We normally makeHainanese Chicken bypoaching the chicken at sub-boiling temperatures until it’s perfectly cooked.

However, we wanted to develop a simplified, faster, and easier way to cook Hainan Chicken in Instant Pot (only using chicken legs), so you can easily enjoy this delicious chicken and rice! 😀

What is Hainanese Chicken?

Hainanese Chicken (aka Hainan Chicken or Chinese: 海南雞) is one of Singapore’s national dishes created by the Hainan people!

Hainan Chicken is adapted from the Hainanese dish – Wenchang Chicken (Chinese: 文昌雞), and has gained huge popularity in Southeast Asia – Malaysia (nasi ayam), Thailand (khao man kai), Vietnam (Cơm Gà Hải Nam), Hong Kong (海南雞飯)…

Hainanese Chicken Rice is a simple, frugal yet delicious poached chicken served with flavorful & aromatic “oily rice” (Chinese: 油飯), plus special homemade chili sauce, soy sauce, and ginger dipping sauces.

Best to use high quality chicken as this dish is meant for you to enjoy the delicious delicate chicken flavors dipped into the 3 sweet-savory-spicy yummy sauces, paired with a spoonful of oily rice (full of chicken essence & aroma).

Hainanese Chicken Sauces

Though the Hainanese Chicken is the star of the dish, the secret homemade dipping sauces and fragrant oily rice are the soul.

Ingredients for Yummy Hainanese Chicken Rice Sauces:

Hainanese Chicken Soy Sauce: , Shaoxing Wine, Chicken Stock, Sugar, Sesame Oil
Hainanese Chicken Ginger Sauce: Green Onions, Ginger, Peanut Oil, Salt – its strong flavors truly elevate the chicken taste with a gingery spice kick.
Hainanese Chicken Chili Sauce: Hot Sauce, Ginger, Garlic, Lime, and Chicken Stock.

We love how this complete Instant Pot Chicken Meal complements each other with well-balanced flavors. Plus, it has nearly zero waste! 😀

Time to cook Delciously Comforting Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice!

4.98 from 87 votes

Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

Author: Amy + Jacky

Make this Classic Favorite Singaporean Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice (Hainan Chicken; 海南鷄)! A budget complete chicken and rice meal with a rich chicken soup & 3 homemade dipping sauces done in an hour.

Servings 2

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Hainanese Chicken

▢ 2 - 4 whole chicken legs
▢ 3 stalks green onions , cut 2 inches long
▢ 1 shallot , roughly minced
▢ 6 cloves garlic , roughly minced
▢ 2 tablespoons ginger , sliced
▢ 1 ½ cup unsalted chicken stock or water
▢ 1 tablespoon sea salt
▢ 1 tablespoon peanut oil (can substitute with olive oil)

Rice

▢ 1 cup jasmine rice
▢ ½ cup chicken stock (from the pot of chicken legs)
▢ ½ cup water
▢ 1 tablespoon peanut oil (can substitute with olive oil)
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced

Hainanese Chicken Soup

▢ Remaining chicken stock
▢ Water
▢ Lettuce or cabbage
▢ Chopped green onions for garnish

Hainanese Chicken Soy Sauce

▢ 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
▢ ½ tablespoon chicken stock (from the pot of chicken legs)
▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
▢ 2 drops sesame oil

Hainanese Chicken Ginger Sauce

▢ 1 stalk green onions , finely chopped
▢ 1 tablespoon ginger , grated
▢ 1 ½ tablespoon peanut oil , heated
▢ Salt to taste

Hainanese Chicken Chili Sauce

▢ 2 tablespoons hot sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons ginger , grated
▢ 3 cloves garlic , minced
▢ 1 lime , juiced
▢ 1 teaspoon chicken stock (from the pot of chicken legs)

Equipment

▢
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

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Instructions

Sauté Green Onions, Shallot, Ginger, Garlic: Heat up pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté). Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until the indicator says HOT).
Pour 1 tbsp peanut oil in Instant Pot. Add in green onions, minced shallot, minced garlic, and sliced ginger, then sauté for roughly 2 minutes.
Pressure Cook Chicken Legs: Pour 1 ½ cup of unsalted chicken stock or water in Instant Pot, then deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Add in 1 tbsp sea salt, then mix well. Add all the chicken legs in Instant Pot. Close lid and Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes + Full Natural Release (roughly 10 – 15 mins).
Firm up Chicken Skins: Open the lid and carefully remove the chicken legs from the pot with a pair of kitchen tongs. Plunge the chicken legs in an ice bath or place them under running cold tap water. Then, place them on a metal cooling rack to firm up the chicken skin.
Filter Chicken Stock: Pour the chicken stock from the pot through a strainer to filter out the solid ingredients. In a measuring cup, mix ½ cup of chicken stock and ½ cup of water together.
*Pro Tip: Please ensure it is not too salty as this stock will be used to cook the chicken rice.
Pressure Cook Hainanese Chicken Rice: Heat up your clean pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté), pour in 1 tbsp peanut oil, then sauté 2 cloves of minced garlic in the pot.
Add in a cup of jasmine rice, then immediately add in the 1 cup chicken stock + water mixture (from Step 4).
Close lid and Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes + Full Natural Release (roughly 10 mins).
Make Hainanese Chicken Ginger Sauce: Place the freshly grated ginger in a small bowl. Pour in 1 ½ tbsp HOT peanut oil, 1 stalk of finely chopped green onions, then mix well. Add salt to taste (roughly ½ tsp).
Make Hainanese Chicken Soy Sauce: Mix all the listed ingredients together.
Make Hainanese Chicken Chili Sauce: Mix all the listed ingredients together.
Make Chicken Soup: Do not let the remaining chicken stock go to waste! It is both tasty and healthy.
Heat the chicken stock in a sauce pan. Dilute the chicken stock with water until it is not too salty. Bring it to a light boil and cook your favorite lettuce or cabbage in it for roughly 1 minute. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve on the side.
Enjoy this deliciously comforting Hainanese Chicken Rice Meal!~ 🙂

Notes

Step 3 - Firm Chicken Skin:Plunging the chicken in an ice bath or running it under cold water will immediately stop the cooking process and firm up the skin. This makes the texture more delicious!

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Calories: 481kcal

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Singaporean

Keyword: chicken and rice recipes, hainan chicken instant pot, hainanese chicken, hainanese chicken and rice, hainanese chicken ginger sauce, hainanese chicken recipe, hainanese chicken rice, hainanese chicken rice chilli sauce, hainanese chicken rice instant pot, hainanese chicken sauce, instant pot chicken and rice, instant pot hainanese chicken, instant pot hainanese chicken rice

Nutrition

Step-by-Step Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice Guide

Prepare Ingredients for cooking Hainanese Chicken Rice in Instant Pot:

Tools for Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken

Sauté Green Onions, Shallot, Ginger, Garlic

Heat up pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté). Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until the indicator says HOT).

Pour 1 tbsp peanut oil in Instant Pot. Add in green onions, minced shallot, minced garlic, and sliced ginger, then sauté for roughly 2 minutes.

Pressure Cook Chicken Legs

Pour 1 ½ cup of unsalted chicken stock or water in Instant Pot, then deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Add in 1 tbsp sea salt, then mix well.

Add all the chicken legs in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Close lid and Pressure Cook:

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes + Full Natural Release (roughly 10 – 15 mins).

Firm up Chicken Skins

Open the lid and carefully remove the chicken legs from the pot with a pair of kitchen tongs.

Plunge the chicken legs in an ice bath or place them under running cold tap water.

Then, place them on a metal cooling rack to firm up the chicken skin.

Filter Chicken Stock

Pour the chicken stock from the pot through a strainer to filter out the solid ingredients.

In a measuring cup, mix ½ cup of chicken stock and ½ cup of water together.

*Pro Tip: Please ensure it is not too salty as this stock will be used to cook the chicken rice.

Pressure Cook Hainanese Chicken Rice

Heat up your clean pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté), pour in 1 tbsp peanut oil, then sauté 2 cloves of minced garlic in the pot.

Add in a cup of jasmine rice, then immediately add in the 1 cup chicken stock + water mixture (from Step 4).

Close lid and Pressure Cook:

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes + Full Natural Release (roughly 10 mins).

Make Hainanese Chicken Ginger Sauce

Place the freshly grated ginger in a small bowl.

Pour in 1 ½ tbsp HOT peanut oil, 1 stalk of finely chopped green onions, then mix well.

Add salt to taste (roughly ½ tsp).

Make Hainanese Chicken Soy Sauce

Mix all the listed ingredients together.

Make Hainanese Chicken Chili Sauce

Mix all the listed ingredients together.

Make Hainanese Chicken Soup

Do not let the remaining chicken stock go to waste! It is both tasty and healthy. 🙂

Heat the chicken stock in a sauce pan. Dilute the chicken stock with water until it is not too salty.

Bring it to a light boil and cook your favorite lettuce or cabbage in it for roughly 1 minute.

Garnish with chopped green onions and serve on the side.

*Pro Tip: For optimal enjoyment of the flavors & textures, Hainanese Chicken Rice is served at room temperature.

Enjoy this deliciously comforting Singaporean Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Meal!~ 🙂

Tips for Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

In Step 3, why do we need to plunge the chicken legs in an ice bath and rest on a cooling rack?

Plunging the chicken legs in an ice bath or running it under cold water will immediately stop the cooking process and firm up the skin.

We tested the difference between 2 chicken legs with and without the cooling process. We found that the cold water made the texture more delicious. No wonder Hainanese Chicken has always been served at room temperature!

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