Hainan Chicken with Rice 海南雞飯

Hainan chicken is my family's favorite dish. To make this chicken, I have tried using the soaking method, in which the chicken is dipped in a hot, herb-infused brine to cook, and this steaming recipe. Both methods give me a moist chicken but I found steaming is easier to do and less wasteful, as the brine in the soaking method is merely disposed of after cooking the chicken.

Do you like the chicken more than the rice? Or the ginger and scallion infused oil? I think they are like legs of a table. Each one is indispensable from the other, and essential to the dish as a whole.

Chicken in a Pot with Garlic and Preserved Lemon 惹味雞煲

There are a few things in making this dish that I have never done before. First, this is my first time baking a chicken using a Dutch oven (cast iron pot). It was far easier than I anticipated it to be. After browning the chicken and slightly sautéing the vegetables, just put every thing in the pot and stick it in the oven. Then you will have a room filled with a delicious aroma in about an hour and dinner is ready.

Secondly, I never used this much garlic in a dish: 4 heads (about 30-35 cloves). The cloves are separated with the skin still attached. Perhaps it is what makes it so tasty without an overwhelming garlic flavor. 

Last but not least is preserved lemon. I made preserved kumquats for a remedy for sore throat but never preserved lemon. But to my surprise, it adds a distinct flavor to the chicken. I was also surprised as to how much more delicious and flavorful the leftovers are the day after. Maybe next time I should resist the temptation to eat it right away!

Steamed Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaf 荷葉蒸雞飯

This is a dish that is relatively easy to cook, even though it sounds complex. The lotus leaf I use is dried and is available at Chinese grocery stores. It's a pity there aren't any fresh lotus leaves around to buy; it will greatly enhance the flavor and aroma of the rice. If you can get any fresh lotus leaf, by all means use it.

This is one of those dishes where you don't really have to go by a "recipe" because it can't really go wrong if you don't exactly follow the steps. Let your creativity and sense of taste be your guide. You can substitute chicken with any meat. Marinate it the way you want (usually with salt, sugar, cornstarch and oil). Instead of using water to cook the rice, you can use chicken broth for more flavor.

Baked Chicken in Salt 鹽焗雞

Don't be misled by the name of this dish. This is not a salty chicken. The coarse salt used in this dish is used to provide flavor but not to add the amount of salt to marinate the chicken. Only 1 teaspoon of salt is used for the marinate. The rest of the salt is put in between the parchment paper and the aluminum foil.