Chicken Rice With Shallot Sauce

Chicken Rice With Shallot Sauce
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Mariana Velasquez.
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(50)
Notes
Read community notes

This rendition of chicken rice, where the chicken is delicately poached with aromatics then served at room temperature, is common throughout Southeast Asia and parts of China, but every family is likely to have a slightly different technique. This recipe is from 93-year-old Nancy Fam of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who used to offer a whole poached chicken, with its head and feet still attached, as part of an elaborate altar ritual for deceased family members. After the spirits had been satiated, she’d carve up the chicken and serve it to the living, paired with a dipping sauce made with shallots, lime and ground bean sauce (a fermented soybean paste), a recipe she inherited from her late mother. A celebration of family both present and past, the chicken is served at room temperature, but eaten with a piping hot serving of jasmine rice. —Clarissa Wei

Featured in: Where Feeding the Dead Is a Fading Tradition

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced
  • 3scallions, tied into a knot
  • 3small shallots, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1fresh red jalapeño, sliced
  • tablespoons ground bean sauce
  • 1tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2limes
  • 1tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1teaspoon sesame oil
  • Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

778 calories; 47 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 60 grams protein; 347 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large lidded pot, combine the chicken, ginger, scallions and enough water to cover the chicken by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, about 25 minutes. Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and let the chicken sit, undisturbed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers at least 165 degrees, about 40 minutes. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the chicken broth and set aside. (Save the remaining chicken broth for another use.)

  2. Step 2

    Prepare a large ice bath. Remove the chicken from the pot and immediately transfer to the ice bath to cool completely, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside for later.

  3. Step 3

    Make the shallot sauce: In a bowl, combine the shallots, jalapeño, ground bean sauce, sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Cut the limes in half and squeeze their juice into the shallot mixture; stir to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Carve the chicken, leaving the skin on: Remove the legs and then separate the drumstick and thighs. Cut the breastbone in half and remove the breasts from the carcass; slice crosswise into nice clean slabs. Remove the wings and pull off any remaining meat from the bones. Arrange the meat on a platter. In a small bowl, combine the light soy sauce, sesame oil and the reserved chicken broth; drizzle over the chicken.

  5. Step 5

    Enjoy the chicken over rice; serve with the shallot sauce on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
50 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

What is ground bean sauce and where do I find it or how do I make it?

I use the broth to cook the rice, (in my rice cooker) which makes it extra luxurious with very little extra work :)

You bring the water to a boil (which takes about 25 minutes). Turn off the heat. Then let it rest in the water for 40 mins.

Yes. You can poach boned chicken meat in this way, but must vary the time considerably. Example; boneless breasts- bring to small boil, turn off and let steep in covered pot 20 minutes. I've never poached whole bone-in chicken parts, but presumably you can in the same way, time adjusted. Use the thermometer to know when safely cooked. The important aspect of this poaching method is treating things gently, and allowing to steep.

Well, I brought the full chicken to a rolling boil as instructed, removed from heat, tight fitting lid, and 40 minutes later the chicken is only at 145ish. I would wait longer, but the water is only at 165. So, gonna do low heat on the bottom and pour some boiling water in the top I guess…

This note is about the sauce. I thought it would be similar to the thai “khao man kai” sauce because of the fermented soybean sauce. It was nothing like that but my whole family loved it… even more than the usual. Will definitely make this sauce again. We just did our usual (simplified) process for the rice and poached chicken.

can you substitute miso for ground bean sauce?

Do yourselves a favor and look up the original Millionaire Chicken recipe in The Pleasures of Chinese Cooking by Grace Zia Chu. So much more tasty and attractive than this pile of naked chicken.

THANK YOU! I've been making this recipe for about 30 years, courtesy of my 90 yr +Japanese neighbor (who got the recipe from another Japanese friend who was a teacher at the nursery school my children went to over 20 years ago). It is WONDERFUL, and I have given out the recipe too many times over the years to count. Lacking mayonnaise, it is the perfect summer dish for any gathering. The only change that I've made is to use bone in chicken breasts, since that is what we prefer. PERFECTION!

What is ground bean sauce and where do I find it or how do I make it?

Amazon

So you boil the chicken for 25 minutes, and then let it rest in the water for 40 more?

You bring the water to a boil (which takes about 25 minutes). Turn off the heat. Then let it rest in the water for 40 mins.

I dont have a pot big enough to handle a whole chicken intact. Do you think this could still work with a whole chicken cut up?

Yes. You can poach boned chicken meat in this way, but must vary the time considerably. Example; boneless breasts- bring to small boil, turn off and let steep in covered pot 20 minutes. I've never poached whole bone-in chicken parts, but presumably you can in the same way, time adjusted. Use the thermometer to know when safely cooked. The important aspect of this poaching method is treating things gently, and allowing to steep.

Jasmine's method of cooking the rice in the chicken broth is also is my memory of chicken rice enjoyed at casual restaurants run by Chinese immigrants in northeast Thailand. The rice was slightly oily in a pleasant way and flecked with bits of green onion.

I use the broth to cook the rice, (in my rice cooker) which makes it extra luxurious with very little extra work :)

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Credits

Adapted from Nancy Fam

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