Hainanese Chicken Oat-“Rice”

Here’s our version of our favorite Hainanese Chicken Rice. We used only what’s in our pantry and replaced rice with rolled oats and eliminated the added oil.

This is a light, refreshing, and easy recipe that’s great for any meal or baon!

Ingredients

Chicken and Oats

1/4 kg chicken (You may use the breast part but for more flavor, use thigh, wings, and other bonier parts)

2 tbsp sliced ginger

3 stalks lemon grass

1/2 bulb of a large garlic (chopped)

1 medium sized onion

Oyster mushrooms (optional)

Green onions or Kinchay (garnish)

Sesame Oil

3 cups of rolled oats

5 cups of water

Sauces

Chili Sauce

3 large red chillies

5 large cloves of garlic

1 thumb of ginger

1 pinch of salt

1 tbsp sugar

Vinegar/Lemon Juice

3 tbsp chicken broth

Soy Sauce

2 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp chicken broth

1 tbsp chopped ginger

Splash of sesame oil

Procedure

Chicken & Oats

Boil chicken in 5 cups of water together with garlic, onions, lemon grass, ginger and salt and pepper. Wait for the chicken’s natural oil to come out. Tip: The unspoken rule in making a broth is to use bonier parts. If you can, make your own broth before resorting to instant ones.
Add the Oyster mushrooms and wait for it to be cooked. Note: We added the oyster mushrooms because we have a few in the fridge.
Remove chicken from the broth and put in an ice bath (enough to cover the chicken) for a few minutes to keep it moist. Rub the outer parts with Sesame Oil.
Strain out the spices but save the broth! That’s super important! The water will be reduced by half so add 1 cup of hot water to cook the oats.
Bring the broth to a boil. Add the rolled oats, and bring down the heat. Remember to keep stirring so it won’t stick to the bottom of your pot. Cook until the oats are soft. It won’t be exactly as fluffy as rice but the goal is to let the grains absorb all of the flavorful liquid.
Place the chicken on top of the oats and add your preferred garnish. A few slices of cucumber complements the dish as well.