I saw Rachel Loaf make Hainanese Chicken Rice with a rotisserie chicken and my life has not been the same since. Traditionally, you’d poach a whole chicken and use the broth to make the rice… but let’s be real—that’s a weekend energy meal. Enter: Costco rotisserie chicken. Half the time, zero stress, and no need to worry about accidentally over-poaching a bird.
Now here’s the genius move—don’t toss those wings, skin, or random chicken bits. Throw ’em in with your rice while it cooks. That shmaltzy, chicken-y goodness infuses the rice and gives you that signature flavor quintessential to Hainanese Chicken without all the labor. Lazy? No. Efficient? Absolutely.
Then there’s the ginger scallion sauce. I like to sprinkle in a little chicken bouillon and sesame seeds instead of just plain salt because it really rounds out the sauce. This whole recipe is like five ingredients, and it somehow tastes like you spent hours cooking. It’s weeknight magic, and I’m never going back.
Traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice vs. My Weeknight Shortcut
Hainanese Chicken Rice is a beloved dish that traces its roots to Hainan, a small province in China. There, chicken was traditionally boiled with ginger and scallions, creating a simple yet deeply comforting meal (Wengchang chicken rice). When Chinese immigrants brought this dish to Southeast Asia, it began to evolve—most notably in Singapore and Malaysia—into the iconic version so many people know and love today.
Traditionally, a whole chicken is gently poached until tender, then plunged into ice water to create that signature silky skin. The poaching broth is transformed into a fragrant stock, which is then used to cook the jasmine rice, infusing it with that chicken flavor. The final plate is served with a trio of sauces—garlicky chili, ginger-scallion oil, and dark soy—alongside cucumber slices and often a light soup on the side.
Shortcut Version: The Rotisserie Remix or should I say RotisseREMIX
To make this weeknight-friendly, and because poaching a whole chicken can be tricky to get the timing right, I swap out the whole poached chicken for a store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s a shortcut that saves time but still brings a lot of flavor to the table—especially using the skin and bones to make the rice. The rice is still infused with aromatics like ginger and garlic, and I stick with the classic ginger scallion sauce and cool cucumber slices for a meal reminiscent of the Hainanese experience. It’s not 100% traditional, but it’s a cozy, flavor-packed take on a classic that works beautifully when time is tight.
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Hainanese Rotisserie Chicken Rice
- Total Time: 35
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A non traditional adaptaption of Hainanese Chicken Rice, cutting down on time and effort for an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
For the Rotisserie Hainan Chicken Rice:
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 3 tsps chicken bouillon, divided
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (for sauce)
- 1 scallion, cut in half (for rice)
- 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced (for sauce)
- 1-inch piece of ginger, sliced (for rice)
- 2 tsps sesame seeds, optional (or sub for a splash of sesame oil)
- ⅓ cup neutral oil (like avocado or vegetable oil)
- Sliced cucumbers for serving, if desired
Instructions
For the Rotisserie Hainan Chicken Rice:
- Remove the skin off the rotisserie chicken as well as the chicken wings.
- Rinse white rice under water until water runs clear. Add to a pot with chicken wings, chicken skin, and some of the chicken fat from the bottom of the bag. Add 2 tsps chicken bouillon, halved scallion, ginger slices, and water.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat but let sit for 10 minutes without removing the lid to continue cooking.
- While the rice is cooking, carve the chicken breasts off the rotisserie chicken and reheat in a steamer basket. Reserve the chicken thighs for another meal.
- Now make the ginger scallion sauce. Add minced ginger and scallions to a heatproof bowl. Heat oil until shimmering then carefully pour the hot oil over the ginger and scallions. Stir in the sesame seeds and 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder and set aside.
- Serve rice with steamed chicken breasts topped with the ginger scallion sauce with sliced cucumbers served on the side. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Quick & Easy
- Cuisine: Asian