Chicken Rice

One of Singapore's national dish, every hawker centre would have a chicken rice stall, some with quite a few! Termed Hainanese chicken rice, it was created by immigrants from Hainan Island, and sort of a derivative of the Wenchang chicken rice, which uses the specific breed of Wenchang chicken, known to sleep on trees, and of course, could fly a little.

There are 2 unique feature of Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice. First, the chicken is poached, some stalls do sell roast chicken too. The other is the rice, it is first cooked in chicken oil with garlic, ginger and shallots before cooking in a chicken broth to give it the unique chicken rice fragrance.

Some people would place importance on the chilli sauce provided too, and this can be the third unique feature. Actually the fourth could be the soy sauce that would also normally be given either together with the chicken on a separate plate from the rice, or poured onto the rice if chicken is placed on it. While this soy sauce usually comes with the chicken rice, chilli is given on a small dish, usually self served, diced ginger in chicken oil would also be provided as condiments.

Delicious and fragrant, it is the ultimate comfort food and everybody would not mind it.

Chiacken Rice

May 2021

Probably really the world's best chicken rice, definitely the most famous!

Probably the most famous Hainanese Chicken Rice stall in the world, from Michelin bib gourmand to the late Anthony Bourdain’s first experience of chicken rice in Singapore to challenging Gordon Ramsey (Tian Tian won). Not that it mattered to anyone but I also rated it as the top chicken rice operator back in the days and was thrilled that Anthony Bourdain chose to taste it here, thanks to some King’s recommendation.

Tian Tian @ Maxwell

Tian Tian @ Upper Changi Road

Priced reasonably despite its stature, $5 for a chicken drumstick rice is good value. Theie rice is fragrant, you can taste the garlic and shallots in the rice and the fragrance explode inside your mouth. I’m proud to say that it reminds me a little of my mom’s (a Hainanese herself, she isn’t really the best cook but does a decent chicken rice on festive occasions) version.

The chicken is delicious, very tender and smooth (something my mom can never achieve! LOL). The light sauce that comes with the chicken is also very tasty, add this to the rice and consume with the chicken, you'll get the best chicken rice in the world.

Bourdain’s famous quote that its “chicken rice is so fragrant and delicious that it can be eaten on its own” is something I absolutely agree with. Most good chicken rice stalls in Singapore serve nice and fragrant rice, I believe Tian Tian’s is a little bit ahead of the others.

Hainanese chicken rice is ubiquitous in Singapore, to have the reputation it has amongst the many competition is not easy. I have no doubt that Tian Tian is not the most popular or favoured chicken rice stall amongst most locals. There are a few other more popular operators of various sizes in town, critics would say it is only popular amongst tourists, but I believe their reputation is sound. This has been my favourite amongst all that I’ve tried throughout Singapore.

The queue for Tian Tian is quite crazy at times but they do have a good system to serve as quickly as possible, waiting time is not really that bad. Another restaurant style outlet is located at Upper Changi Road, this should be the HQ and where the bosses operate… but there is no doubt they started here at Maxwell.

I just realised that I can almost smell its fragrance just by posting these photos, and this is ALL he photos I have of Tian Tian! I believe it was more my subconscious saying these photos would say a thousand words. I'm like Pavlov's dog, the chicken rice has been reinforced in my mind! In reality, I think I just couldn't wait to tuck in on the chicken rice when they were in front of me, so I just rushed through the motion of taking that 2 or 3 photos and rushed to gulp down.

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-10/11 Maxwell Food Centre, 9am – 7pm, Tue – Sat

12 Jalan Pari Burong, s488678, 11am – 9pm, Tue – Sun

https://www.facebook.com/Tian-Tian-Hainanese-Chicken-Rice-344208003809/

Naxiang

Roast Meat, Chicken Rice

Jun 2020

Best Char Siew + White Chicken Combo in town!

This is one of the few famous Roast meat and Chicken rice places around the Katong area since the late 60’s and 70’s. Used to be manned by the owner during lunch and the brother in the evenings, now the owner runs both sessions, passing it down to his son Jimmy.

I was drawn to this shop first by the char siew and siew yoke, and I always liked it. One day I decided to give the chicken a try and I never turned back! I went from char siew/siew yoke (“chonng forr” or angry in Cantonese) to first the trinity of char siew/siew yoke/steamed chicken to just char siew and chicken.

The duck on offer is nothing special here. The roast chicken is never my favourite but it is succulent and the skin crispy enough.

The steamed chicken, however, is quite exceptional. Juicy and tender; doused in a bit of their sauce, its texture and taste makes it one of the best chickens in town. Forget the big 4 chicken rice chains, this one is up there with them!

The roast meat or siew yoke, is crispy but the meat tends to be a little on the dry side, it is decent and when I’m greedy, I’d go for the triple. I avoid this mainly coz I don’t want to be too greedy as I age (I have a body to maintain, you know…), and it’s more economical, one got to save some money for old age, you know….

The char siew here is top bin. Tender and juicy, they get the right cut of meat, and they cut them just nice, thick enough to satisfy the clientele yet not too thick to cost his boss….. I always prefer thick cut char siews, it’s the only way to serve them! Taste wise, it is not as sweet as some other excellent char siews in town, but has a slight hint of garlic that gives it which special ommph that makes it slightly special from the others. They definitely use good part of the pig for their char siews.

Before I forget, the rice on offer here is good quality too. Fragrant and tasty, there is a bit of a raw element to it, one of those things that gets to you subtly. Reminds me slightly of mom’s chicken rice (the only thing she knows how to cook well…). I have been asked on many occasions if I wanted the chicken rice or white rice, that’s when it subconsciously hit me that I want their chicken rice; as the smell and taste of their chicken rice would float into my subconscious and I’d go for the chicken rice without much hesitation.

Char Siew orders are topped with their char siew sauce, which is sweet is nice, as a kid I used to love it. It is not as sweet as some I tried and is a good compliment sauce for the rice.

I believe Nan Xiang has the best Char Siew/Steamed chicken combo rice in town. They are good at both, can’t claim sole top for either, but this combo, I haven’t come across a better one than them.

NanXiang Chicken Rice

271 Tanjong Katong Road, s437054

Daily 8am – 2pm, 4pm - 730pm, closed every Tue

Chicken rice

Nov 2021

Run by an elderly couple in their 70s, they work bent over, toiling away, like some characters from a Steinbeck novel. The couple looked grouchy working away. I worried they might not remember my 4 orders but I got my chicken rice and aunty told me to return for the takeaways.

RongJi

I could smell the fragrance of the chicken rice as I carried it to my table. Gastric juice flowing, I tucked in to a delightful mixture of tastes and textures! The rice itself was not great, but it was doused in a good amount of dark soy sauce and sesame oil, which made it wonderful (the boss at home agreed, despite not being a chicken rice lover). It’s a taste you’d pine for hours later.

The chicken was very tender, and tastes wonderful too. Its texture silky sweet and smooth, so smooth it felt like it was slipping inside my mouth like people walking on an icy surface… it is cooked just right, the skill level to make such a nicely made chicken is Mo Salah high… the chicken here, with the rice, they work in perfect harmony, just like ebony and ivory.

I bought some of the pork porridge back, the porridge is very tasty, with the mixture of dark sauce and sesame seed, and quite a bit of youtiao (fritters dough). The YT mixes well with the pork balls, blending into the porridge to give alternate soft and meaty texture to every other mouthful.

Tried the fish porridge, which is a mixture of salmon and salmon belly, and youtiao... I’m still deciding if it is good, it is lovely but at the same time it feels weird having porridge with salmon, which has a heavy taste; the mixture of salmon meat and belly is definitely a delicious combo.

Both porridge and chicken are delightful in taste and texture, if only the couple was not so grouchy, or were they…? I tried to chat with them when I returned for my takeaways, they were both quite chatty, talking while toiling, answering without looking or annoyance. They actually start work at 1am in the morning to cook the chicken! And when I asked if it was only the 2 of them working, uncle said yes, and while passing me my takeaways, said with a smile “my cooking skills, nobody can learn…!” He was probably not entirely joking, the tender and juicy smooth chicken would really require a special skill set.

Not only not grouchy, quite humorous too. I left telling him I’d learn next week…. As I leave, I did not have the courage to turn around to see his expression when he heard that!

Rong Ji Chicken Rice ~ Porridge

271 Onan Road, Stall 13

7am – 2pm, closed on Wed.

YuanLang

Chicken Rice

Aug 2020

Run by a burly chef or Master that looks like he isn’t afraid to speak his mind, the Master is a character.

I had the fortune, or misfortune, of inciting a riot from him. Reaching for the chilli sauce which I know is quite “power” after I ordered my white chicken rice, in Cantonese, he told me not to waste the chicken with chilli sauce, sounded rude but I believe that was his direct style of speech. Clearly having immense pride in his product, he added that the chilli, when I asked what it was for, was for the noodle. Noted, Master!

(Chix rice) - Yuan Lang Chix Rice 11.jpg

It was not the first time I’ve eaten the chicken here. Previously, a kind friend had been buying it as take away for me and I grew to like this so much I yearn for it at times. As I tucked into the chicken, Master came out and asked me how it was. Brilliant, chicken fantastic indeed. Chilli also good, I added. He threw a hmph and smiled.

Slightly salty and mildly sweet, the white kampong chicken here was scrumptiously juicy and tender, the meat had a good solid bite. An order of the drumstick costs $7 which was not cheap but you get the entire chicken leg. Don’t tell Master this but the chilli sauce he provided goes very well with the chicken and rice. That is why I sometimes have craving for it. The rice was fragrant, goes well with the chicken but nothing extraordinary.

(Chix rice) - Yuan Lang Chix Rice 17.jpg

The noodles here were nice and springy, served without too much moisture which is always good, and a sign of the chef's experience; definitely went well with the chilli sauce. The soy sauce chicken is tender and juicy, also had a good bite to it.

(Chix rice) - Yuan Lang Chix Rice 14.jpg

(Chix rice) - Yuan Lang Chix Rice 18.jpg

As I left the place, I had a short chat about closing hours with him, his partner was friendlier but Master and I, we parted as brothers, him calling me xiao-di (little brother)….. *proud

(Chix rice) - Yuan Lang Chix Rice 12.jpg

(Chix rice) - Yuan Lang Chix Rice 15.jpg

Yuan Lang Soy Sauce Chicken Master

335 Smith Street, #02-041 Chinatown Complex Food Centre, s030335

830am – 6/7pm, closed on Wed

https://www.facebook.com/Yuan-Lang-Soy-Sauce-Chicken-Master%E5%85%83%E6%9C%97%E6%B2%B9%E9%B8%A1%E5%8D%9A%E5%A3%AB-102005748132562/