It’s no secret that Singaporeans love Hainanese chicken rice. In fact we love it so much, we introduce it everywhere. It’s almost impossible to go to a hawker centre or a food court and not find a chicken rice stall.
The humble plate of Hainanese chicken rice has even found its way onto the menus of luxurious hotel restaurants, Singapore airlines flights and also the Singapore food sampler given to tourists during the Singapore Food Festival. It’s, like, an unofficial national dish! Ironically it still is Hainanese chicken rice, except that overtime we’ve created our own Singaporean rendition of the dish.
With its prevalence also comes the debate on where you would find the best Hainanese chicken rice in town. A personal favourite for my Mom and I is Tong Fong Fatt. Having had my fair share of chicken rice at the well-known Boon Tong Kee chain, Tian Tian, or even the $21 chicken rice at Chatterbox of Meritus Mandarin Hotel, the only one that gives me cravings is Tong Fong Fatt. How about you?
Rating:
To minimise the sinfulness of eating this oily dish, we would always ask for the skinless and less fattening breast meat. In general, the flesh from the chicken breast tends to be tougher, but the one here is very tender! What you see above is $6 worth of meat. A standard plate of chicken rice here would set you back by $2.50.
The thing we love most is the flavoursome sesame oil mixture that the chicken is drenched in. For me, this is the thing that gives the chicken its golden star. It’s a very fragrant, a little salty and a little sweet mixture. Each time I order the chicken I would simply throw all caution to the wind and indulge myself in this oily, calorific, but oh-so-yummilicious soupy mixture.
One time, the chicken rice seller who was chopping his chicken saw me scooping the sesame oil mixture onto my rice greedily. Without a word, he put down his meat cleaver, came out and topped up our plate with more of the delicious sesame oil mixture! Yummy!!
The rice itself is extremely fragrant (and oily) and even the soup is tasty too. I also love having the dark soy sauce and chilli sauce – both of these – to go with my rice.
A trademark of the stall is the row of chicken carcasses that is displayed prominently in the glass cabinet, a clear testament of a good day at business.
Loading ...For you, what’s your favourite Hainanese chicken rice stall?
– ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre #01-32
– Amoy Street Food Centre
– Maxwell Food Centre
Oct 21, 2008
1
How can you not eat the skin?!!!
It is one of the best parts. Smooth and silky especially for the white chicken. In my honest opinion, it is a delicacy in its own right! :)
Oct 21, 2008
6
I used to love the hainanese chicken rice at the old White Sands Pasir Ris’s food court! The breast meat there was really tender and the side dishes to go with the chicken rice are delicious as well! Their rice was also one of the more fragrant ones.
Well, that is until they converted the food court into a franchise of Kopitiam or something. The chicken rice stall closed and I can’t find it anywhere else! Me and my schoolmates used to have that for lunch at least twice a week…hahas
Oct 21, 2008
1
i love the chicken rice at margaret drive food centre. the stall name is sin kee @ level 2.
i fell in love with it because its tender its really value for money. it’s really a big chunks of meat cause they dun smash the chicken before chopping…
Oct 21, 2008
3472
spankalot: But spankalot, the skin is the fattiest part of the chicken! I really wanna minimise the fat intake, especially since I’m gonna be drinking all that sesame oil :)
Ah_Ying: Maybe they have moved somewhere? It would be a shame if a nice chicken rice stall closed down, when there are so many lousy ones still standing (it’s true!). Do you remember the stall name? Perhaps you can try googling for it?
uncletakumi: Sin Kee sounds similar to another Hainanese chicken rice stall that I love. The stall name is Sin Heng Kee and they also give you loads of meat compared to most places.
Oct 22, 2008
1
Lovely, lovely,lovely. I’m a fan of jasmine rice. This pilaf is one of my favourites. I’m definitely pro chicken skin too!
http://recipe-super-search.net/recipes/76525/Jasmine-Rice
Oct 24, 2008
6
Sadly none of us remembers the stall name =.=”, I think it probably moved, and my friends are still looking around for it sometimes when they go to food courts at other places. I totally agree with you about the lousy chicken rice places!!
Apparently they have Hainan Chicken Rice at around $16 in Swensens now, but I have only seen it in the orchard road branch of Swensens…
Oct 29, 2008
7
Then you should try Uncle Chicken out in West Coast. You can find the exact location at Hungrygowhere.com. The chicken was fabulous and it came withthe ginger sauce as well and the chicken was also doused with a generous dose of sauce. You’d like it. One of the best I’ve ever had.
Dec 3, 2008
2
Hi,
Wah this stall was recommended to me by one of the cleaners in the building few yrs back. I must say their chicken is really quite good, esp the sauce that comes with it. I used to Ta Pau 1/2 chicken w/o rice for dinner. :)
Alwyn
Dec 3, 2008
3472
Yep, it’s all in the oily sauce! Very sinful but totally shiok!!
Jun 11, 2010
22
Cuz of my working location, I tend to go to army market to get my dose of roasted boneless chicken rice or sin swee kee at seah st to get the white chicken rice. super shioks!! the oily sauce, the tenderness, the fragrance… :)
Jun 11, 2010
3472
Ah yes :) Sin Swee Kee is one of the “usual suspects” that are frequently mentioned when people discuss about where to find the best chicken rice in Singapore. I must check it out some time!
Jun 11, 2010
22
yep!! and you must eat it with the chicken skin… haha
Dec 5, 2011
1
Tong Fong Fatt Chicken Rice at hawker centre opp Bedok Camp. 5 Dec 2011 – workers chose to serve a caucasian woman instead of my wife and 3 other people in the queue ! What double standard. Tells you a lot on how their parents brought them up. We are not living in the 1960s !
No chance of any misunderstanding as there was clearly a queue in front of the stall. The workers should know who to serve next.
If you can put up with such attitude, go eat there ! Not me. I don’t stand for that.
Apr 13, 2012
1
Chicken Rice is so~great! very very delicious! and i also found a stall overthere is selling bubble tea. The boss lady is Taiwanes, the drink is yummy too! even better than KOI, but cheaper!