Rice Cooker Chicken Rice

Dinner | Chinese

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Servings: 2

This is my go-to lazy solo dinner. It’s loosely inspired by Hainanese chicken rice but it’s nowhere near a proper one. Just rice and chicken cooked together in the rice cooker with ginger, garlic, spring onion and a hit of MSG. Around 10 minutes of work and 35 minutes set-and-forget while the cooker does the rest. A drizzle of chilli crisp and fresh spring onion adds flavour and texture. Very quick and easy recipe to make for dinner.

What is Rice Cooker Chicken?

Rice cooker chicken rice is a simplified home version of Hainanese chicken rice, one of the most widely eaten dishes across Southeast Asia. The traditional version involves poaching a whole chicken in seasoned broth and using that broth to cook the rice. This single-serve version condenses the process into one bowl: the chicken thigh sits directly on top of the jasmine rice as it absorbs the chicken bone broth, picking up all the aromatics as it cooks. The rice comes out fragrant and glossy, and the chicken is tender and well seasoned with ginger, garlic, and spring onion running through every bite.

The bone broth replaces plain water, which gives the rice a richer flavour and a slightly more unctuous texture from the collagen. It can make the rice a touch stickier than usual, which is normal. If you prefer it fluffier, reduce the broth by about a tablespoon.

Ingredient Notes

Jasmine rice: Long-grain Thai fragrant rice with a natural floral aroma that works well with the ginger and garlic in this dish. Don’t skip the rinse: washing the rice two or three times removes the excess surface starch that would otherwise make it gluey in the cooker.

Chicken thighs: Thigh meat has more fat and collagen than breast, which keeps it juicy through the full cooker cycle instead of drying out. Boneless thigh is the move, skin on or off depending on preference. I go skin on. The flavour the rendered chicken fat adds to the rice underneath is too good to skip. Avoid chicken breast for this method. It’ll be dry by the time the rice is done.

Chicken stock or broth: Homemade chicken stock or a good-quality bone broth makes a real difference here since the rice cooks in it and it’s the main flavour base. Watch the salt level if you’re using shop-bought, especially with the MSG or Yum Yum going in on top. Start light and adjust at the end.

Yum Yum seasoning: This is a product from my mate Dimsimlim, a fine powder of MSG and white pepper. If you can’t get hold of it, sub in a small pinch of MSG and a small pinch of white pepper separately. If you’d rather not use MSG at all, the dish is still good with just salt and white pepper. The umami hit just won’t be as deep.

Equipment

Rice cooker
Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Sieve (for rinsing, optional)
Rice paddle or spatula
Meat thermometer (optional)

Ingredients

1 cup (180g) jasmine rice
1 cup (250ml) chicken bone broth or chicken stock
2 chicken thigh, bone out (skin on or off, as preferred)
2 spring onions
thumb-sized piece of ginger
2 garlic cloves
pinch of salt
small pinch of Yum Yum seasoning (or MSG and white pepper mixed together)
1 tsp sesame oil
chilli crisp, to finish

Directions

Add the rice to your rice cooker bowl and rinse under cold water two or three times, draining off all the water at the end before placing the bowl into the rice cooker. A little leftover water is fine.
Peel, then finely slice the ginger and garlic. Slice the whites of the spring onion on an angle, roughly 2cm pieces. Add all the sliced vegetables into the rice cooker along with the chicken stock. Stir together with the Yum Yum seasoning and a light pinch of salt.
Rub the chicken thigh all over with sesame oil and place it on top of the rice.
Start your rice cooker and run it through one full cycle (about 35 minutes).
Once finished, open the cooker and let the rice sit for a few minutes to steam off.
While waiting, finely slice the green part of the spring onions, on an angle.
Remove the chicken, then fluff the rice using a padel, with half of the sliced spring onion greens.
Slice the chicken and place it on top of the rice.
Garnish with the remaining sliced spring onion greens and a drizzle of chilli crisp.

Recipe notes

Rice cooker settings

Use the standard white rice setting. If your cooker has a “quick” or “express” option, avoid it as slower gives better flavour and texture.

Chicken doneness

The chicken should be fully cooked at the end of the cycle, but if you're unsure, check it’s opaque all the way through and juices run clear. Pop it back in for a few more minutes if needed.

Rice texture

Bone broth adds richness but can also make the rice slightly stickier than usual, that’s normal. If you prefer fluffier rice, reduce the broth slightly (by about 1 tbsp).

Steam bok choy on top

If you want a green vegetable with this, lay a couple of heads of bok choy or other quick-steaming greens on top of the chicken once the cooker beeps it’s done. Close the lid and leave it for 3 to 4 minutes. The residual heat steams them perfectly without you needing another pan.

Make green oil / spring onion-ginger hot oil

This is a condiment made by pouring hot oil over finely chopped spring onion and ginger, which gently cooks them and creates a fragrant, punchy finishing oil. It’s a classic accompaniment to Hainanese chicken rice. You can make it at home by heating a neutral oil to smoking point and pouring it over the aromatics, or find it bottled at Asian grocery stores. Serve it over the top of your chicken and rice.

Storage

Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the chicken and rice separately in airtight containers so the rice doesn’t go soggy. Reheat the rice in the microwave with a splash of water to bring back the moisture, and warm the chicken slices through with it. I wouldn’t freeze this one. The rice texture suffers when it’s defrosted.

FAQs

Can I scale this up for more people? Yes. Scale the ingredients proportionally using ½ cup of rice and ½ cup of stock per person, and use a larger rice cooker. If the chicken pieces can’t sit in a single layer on top of the rice, cut the thighs in half so they cook evenly.

Can I use a different cut of chicken? Bone-in, skin-on thighs give the best flavour and stay juicy through the full cooker cycle. Boneless thighs work well too. Avoid breast on its own as it tends to dry out. If using bone-in pieces, check doneness before serving as they take slightly longer.

What if I don’t have a rice cooker? A heavy-based pot with a tight-fitting lid works. Same ingredients go in. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drop to the lowest heat and cover. Cook for 25 minutes without lifting the lid, then turn the heat off and rest with the lid on for another 10 minutes. Check the chicken has hit 70°C in the thickest part before slicing.