Hainanese Chicken Rice with Instant Pot

Introduction

Hainanese Chicken Rice is lauded as one of Southeast Asia’s most delicious comfort foods—a minimalist yet profoundly flavorful dish. Poached chicken becomes meltingly tender, and aromatic rice, cooked in chicken broth with ginger and garlic, delivers a rich and comforting depth with every bite.

This Instant Pot version dramatically streamlines the process, offering soul-soothing results with a fraction of the effort and time, making it ideal for weeknight family dinners or impressing guests with authentic yet approachable flavors.

Why Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice is a Must-Make

The magic of this dish lies in its simplicity and the flavorful synergy between poached chicken, infused rice, and piquant sauces. Modernizing it with an Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart slashes traditional cook times and guarantees exceptionally moist chicken and perfectly separated, aromatic rice. Crowd-pleasing, deeply nourishing, and ready in under an hour, it’s an ideal fusion of tradition and convenience.

Ensuring Silky Chicken Every Time

The key to luxurious, succulent chicken is a gentle poach and rapid cooling. Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook the chicken just until it’s thoroughly cooked but still juicy. After cooking, immediately place the chicken in an ice bath—this step tightens the skin, keeping it glossy and the flesh tender.

For precision, using a ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer for Cooking guarantees you hit the sweet spot of doneness without overcooking.

Creating the Iconic Fragrant Rice

Traditional Hainanese rice is savory and aromatic, thanks to the rendered chicken fat and a medley of ginger and garlic. For an effortless prep of aromatics, quickly dice your ginger, garlic, and shallots with the Mueller Pro-Series 10-in-1, 8 Blade Vegetable Chopper. Sauté these in the Instant Pot using the “Sauté” setting before adding rinsed jasmine rice and the reserved poaching liquid. Let the flavors bloom and get absorbed, resulting in a rice dish that stands confidently on its own.

The Essential Sauces & Finishing Touches

No Hainanese Chicken Rice is complete without its trio of sauces: ginger-scallion, tangy chili, and savory soy dips. Crafting fresh, zingy ginger-scallion sauce is a breeze with help from the vegetable chopper, and blitzing chilies and garlic for chili sauce is a snap in the Ninja BL610 Professional 72 Oz Countertop Blender, Black.

For a crisp, clean platter, slice your chicken on a Bamboo Cutting Board before arranging alongside cucumber slivers and vibrant herbs.

Serving & Storage Ideas

Serve your Hainanese Chicken Rice family-style, with plenty of sauces and sliced fresh cucumbers, or pack it into a Bentgo Salad Container – 54 oz Bowl for a meal-prep friendly lunch. This dish also keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, with each component stored separately in airtight containers to retain texture and flavor.

Nutritional Information and Serving Size

This recipe yields 4 generous servings. Each plate features lean protein, modestly seasoned rice, and a medley of fresh vegetables, providing around 500–600 calories depending on serving size and how much sauce you indulge in. It’s balanced, energizing, and welcoming to a variety of dietary needs.

Hainanese Chicken Rice with Instant Pot (Recap)

Hainanese Chicken Rice, made ultra-accessible with an Instant Pot, remains a classic for a reason. Its harmony of flavor and texture, paired with weeknight-friendly speed, ensures it’s a perennial family favorite.

Instructions

1. Rub the chicken with 1 tbsp salt, scrubbing over the skin and inside the cavity, then rinse clean.
2. Stuff the chicken cavity with 3 ginger slices, 2 garlic cloves, and all green onion stalks. Place in the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart breast-side up. Add enough water to just cover the chicken (about 6–8 cups).
3. Lock the lid, set to “Pressure Cook” on High for 18–20 minutes (for a 3–4 lb bird), then allow natural release for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer chicken to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Reserve all poaching liquid.
4. For rice: Dry the Mueller Pro-Series 10-in-1, 8 Blade Vegetable Chopper diced ginger and garlic, then set Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Add oil or rendered chicken fat, then add aromatics. Sauté for 1–2 minutes, stir in rinsed rice, and cook until fragrant (1 minute). Add 2 1/4 cups of your reserved poaching liquid, stir, then pressure cook for 4 minutes. Allow a natural release for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make sauces: For ginger-scallion sauce, pour boiling hot oil over combined minced ginger and scallions, season with salt. For chili sauce, blend chilies, garlic, vinegar/lime, sugar, and salt until smooth in the Ninja BL610 Professional 72 Oz Countertop Blender, Black.
6. Remove chicken from the ice bath. Rub with sesame oil for shine, then carve into serving pieces on a Bamboo Cutting Board. Arrange on a platter with cucumber slices.
7. Serve fragrant rice alongside chicken, with sauces on the side. Enjoy!

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice brings the vibrant flavors of Asia to your table—simply, consistently, and effortlessly.