Only my wife would pick up the taco issue of Bon Appetit and pick a Hainanese chicken and rice recipe to make. We made it together which was fun. I didn’t get the chicken as crispy as I would’ve liked. The rice was spot on delicious, the whole dish really. It was a one pot meal and it was pretty straight forward and easy. The cucumber gave it a nice crunch and the cilantro added that herb punch. The peanut sauce was awesome and brought it all together.

I will never be as good at plating as Bon Appetit, but I keep trying. 😀

Ingredients

Chicken and Rice

• 4 large skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 cups high-quality basmati rice
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• Kosher salt for seasoning

Sauce and Plating

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
• 5 tsp. Sriracha
• 1 1″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp. honey
• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 1 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems

Directions

Chicken and Rice

1. Pat chicken dry and season all over with salt. Arrange, skin side down, in a cold, dry medium Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Cook, undisturbed, until skin is golden brown and crisp and easily releases from pot, 10–12 minutes. Slide thighs around to different spots (this will ensure even browning) and continue to cook until deeply browned, 3–5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let pot cool 2 minutes.
2. Set pot over medium-low heat; add shallots, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in rice and star anise and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce, ¾ tsp. salt, and 3 cups water. Nestle chicken back into rice mixture in pot, arranging skin side up. Increase heat to medium and bring liquid to a simmer. Immediately cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let chicken and rice sit 10 minutes.

Peanut Sauce

1. While the chicken and rice are cooking, make the sauce. Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, ginger, honey, and ½ cup warm water in a small bowl until smooth and pourable. If sauce looks a little thick, thin with a splash or so of water.
2. Remove lid from pot and fluff rice with a fork. Pluck out and discard star anise. Serve chicken and rice with peanut sauce, cucumber, and cilantro alongside.