Cooking a whole chicken is a great way to cut down on waste. It also serves as a great way to feed a family. If you’re not sure how to cook a whole chicken, then let me show you the way!
There are several ways you can cook a chicken, but the key is to add the right flavors and spices. You can do this by choosing healthy oils, herbs and vegetables to naturally add flavor to your meat. Hainan Chicken is one of the easiest ways to do so.
My Keto Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe is the perfect weeknight meal that will turn into the perfect leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It’s a great meal to cook if you are new to keto and still miss eating rice with your chicken!
What is Hainan Chicken?
Hainan Chicken is a traditional Chinese dish that originated from Hainan province in southern China. It consists of poached chicken and seasoned rice, accompanied by a dipping sauce, usually made from ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.
The chicken is known for its tender and juicy texture, while the rice is aromatic and flavorful, cooked in chicken broth with ginger and garlic. The dish is popular in various Southeast Asian countries including Singapore and has become a staple in many Chinese and Asian restaurants worldwide.
When choosing chicken for a keto chicken rice recipe, look for a free-range whole chicken that is organic and free from antibiotics. You should see the words “no antibiotics ever” on the package wrapping.
Don’t worry about finding chicken that does not have added hormones as the use of hormones was banned in poultry back in the 1950’s. In other words, all chicken is hormone-free, so don’t think you’re buying a special product if you see this marketing on the label.
Chicken is a great source of protein and micronutrients, especially minerals. It’s also low in calories to help support your weight loss goals. There are many keto chicken dishes you can make.
To season this chicken, I use sliced ginger and green onion placed inside. This provides flavor as well as vitamins A, C, and E, as well as some B vitamins and the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
Cauliflower rice is a tasty alternative to the real thing. It’s full of antioxidant compounds and fiber to help fill you up and protect against chronic diseases. It’s also much lower in calories and carbs than traditional rice!
How To Make Low Carb Hainan Chicken Rice
This dish consists of chicken and rice, so let’s do it in 2 steps.
How to Cook Poached Chicken
Clean the chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Place the onion and sliced ginger inside.
Put the chicken in a pot with water. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover the pot with a lid and cook for 35 minutes.
Take the chicken out of the pot, remove the ginger and green onion, and let it sit in ice water for 5 minutes.
When it’s cool, pat the chicken dry and coat with sesame oil.
How to Cook Seasoned Rice
I will be using riced cauliflower to make a low-carb rice alternative for keto diet. I’ve shared many riced cauliflower keto recipes before, so please check them out!
Add sesame oil to a pan and cook the ginger and garlic over medium heat for 30 seconds. Then add the chicken broth and riced cauliflower. Season with salt and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the rice becomes soft.
Make the sauce by combining the coconut aminos, ginger, chicken broth, and garlic in a bowl. Mix well.
Cut the chicken with the skin on. Arrange the cauliflower rice, sliced chicken, and dipping sauce on a plate and serve warm!
More low carb Asian chicken recipes you can try:
- Thai Chicken Stir-fry with Cashew Nuts
- General Tso’s Chicken with Cauliflower Rice
- Orange Chicken
- Sesame Chicken
Keto Hainanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients
For chicken:
- 2 ½ -3 lb whole chicken giblets removed
- 10 g fresh ginger peeled and sliced into 5 mm slices
- 4 green onions
- 4 tbsp sea salt
- 2-3 tbsp sesame oil
- 12-14 cups water
For cauliflower rice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- sea salt to taste
For dipping sauce:
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp chicken broth
- ½ tsp ginger grated
- ½ tsp garlic minced
For serving (optional)
- cucumber sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Rub the chicken with salt until thoroughly clean. Rinse well and pat dry with paper towels.
- Season chicken with salt and place sliced ginger and green onion inside.
- Transfer the chicken into a pot, pour the water in, season with salt, and bring to a boil. When the water just starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 35 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and place it in ice cold water for 5 minutes. Discard green onion and ginger.
- When the chicken is cooled completely, pat it dry with paper towels and rub with sesame oil.
- In a pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat, add ginger and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add riced cauliflower and chicken broth, season with salt, and cook until rice softens, approximately 7-8 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine coconut aminos, chicken broth, ginger and garlic. Mix well.
- Cut the chicken nicely with skin on. On a serving plate, arrange cauliflower rice, sliced chicken, and dipping sauce. Serve with cucumber slices (optional).
