How To Make Hainanese Chicken Rice | Sorted Food 

I remember a time in Junior School when Ben Shaved his head, then glued the shavings together to present in 'Show and Tell' as his pet Guinea Pig. Oh the memories we share

Back in the 90s, I work at the Subway where Ben goes to all the time, all he ever does is order a sandwich with nothing on it but pickles, olives and honey sriracha sauce and always wants it burnt to a crisp. Then he sits at the table nearest the door and dips the sandwich in some olive oil he brings with him exactly four times before every bite.

I remember being in yodeling class with ben. He absolutely loved to yodel, but he was terrible at it. Cheers Ben

I remember a time when Ben was living down the road from me. He was a rather quiet child thought it was understandable since he was only 8 and so sheltered. One day his mother dropped him off at my house, asking my mother to watch him for a bit while she ran some errands. I thought this was odd since Ben was such a well behaved child but I kept my questions to myself. He sat quietly in the kitchen, watching my mother as she set about making fish and chips. The only time he spoke was when he suggested she use a higher heat for the second fry. The three of us enjoyed a meal together and Ben complimented her on the chips. I thought he was just being a little suck up, but again kept it to myself. An hour or so passed and his mother called mine. She asked that I walk him home since she was already there. I agreed of course and we set out. As we walked down the road, I asked him why he had not stayed home or gone with his mum. His reply was "I don't like our house and mum hates to take me shopping..." He went on to explain that he would suggest dinners and try to put odd things in the cart. We had a laugh over it but then I asked why he didn't like his house. Ben's face turned paler than usual and he looked down at his feet as we walked. "There is a locked room my parents won't let me into... and when they're gone..." He looked at me, glasses fogging from his flushed cheeks and what may have been tears. "When they are gone, the door rattles." I looked over him a moment, trying to decide if he was pulling my leg. He wasn't. We reached Ben's house without another word between us. As we were walking through the door, Ben's mother was walking out. "Oh, Mike. Could you stay with Ben till I get back? I forgot to get tea." I agreed and Ben looked a little nervous but nodded to his mum before she went to her car. The moment she closed the door I turned to him. "Show me the door." Ben was hesitant but after a moment of convincing, he walked up the stairs. My foot hit the last step and then I heard it. A soft rattle as if someone were shaking a door knob. I froze and so did Ben. He kept his mouth closed and looked over at the white door across from his bedroom. "And no one is in there?" I whispered. "No... The door has been locked since we moved in..." He moved in front of it then backed against his own door as his eyes locked on the handle. I moved beside him and watched as it slowly turned side to side and shook. It was unreal. The shaking and turning got more energetic and Ben covered his ears. I said nothing but Ben started to whimper. The handle was shaking violently now, as if what was in there wanted to get free. Ben started to cry, pleading under his breath for it to stop. He crouched down, sitting on his heels while I stood in shock and horror. "Please..." he breathed as the rattling reached its peak. I lunged forward, grabbing the door handle and then turning it as hard as I can. The door stopped moving and the sound of a lock clicking open was the only thing I could hear. I meant only to stop the door. Not open it. I backed up instantly, slamming my shoulders against the wall. The door crept open, the unused hinges sounded like nails on metal. It was a pitch black closet with only one thing inside. On the lone center rack, they hung. Bright red and smaller than they should be. The horrific sight of those shorts still haunt me to this day but it is nothing compared to the way they enslaved that poor child next to me. I often wonder if he has broken free of their hold but I know it's not my place to intervene.

When Ben chopped the chicken, it's like how the uncles does it at the chicken rice stalls 😂👏 also those tips are all on point. from exfoliating the chicken to making the condiments from scratch 🖒

I remember when we were younger, Ben always talked about wanting a son called Tyrone. Really sad that he keeps denying it nowadays

Just can't help but say I'm very impressed, right down to the way the chicken is cut. Very well done!

as a Singaporean, I am so excited for the theme this week! this recipe is on point guys! and Ben was a scout! awesome!

Sorted, PLEASE compile a list of all the "Ben's childhood" comments here and read them as many of them as you can out loud in front of him. I think many of us would like that as well!

Try adding Pandan Leaves, ginger, shallots, spring onions, coriander leaves to the stock. Much more fragrant. Pandan leaf is in your mystery box!

I remember when Ben was younger, he declined a date with a girl who had a massive crush on him so that he could stay home and perfect his quiche.

I'm usually don't like commenting but I just have to this time because even though Ben done research and getting a expect to help him people are still complaining for example his pronunciation like really. Ben done a good job I'm proud of him. Why can't people appreciate what they are doing instead of complaining for the most ridiculous and smallest things. Yes his pronunciation was wrong but bear in mind this is not his first language and I'm sure you would do the same when talking or saying a word in another language I'm sure your pronunciation won't be the same. For those people who are complaining about the food not this video but other too I would like to see you making your own food channel and let's see if you can do better. No ones perfect but try to appreciate the littlest things at least they are trying you should be thankful sorted promoting your country dishes that makes people interested to try the actual things. They said multiple time when cooking another country dish with a slight twist. Also I'm sure when you cook another dish you will also put your own twist for your own tasting. Sometimes I wonder do you like being pressed like seriously get a life because it's obvious you have nothing better to do.

I remember the time Ben got dumped by my friend because she thought he cheated on her - she heard him giving another girl an exfoliating massage and commenting on how silky smooth her skin was. Turns out though, Ben was just trying to cook Hainanese chicken.

I remember when Ben and I were in secondary school and he tried to convince the whole class he was pregnant because he kissed Kathrine Stromberg on the playground the day before. Good times Ben!

oh God, on point. I'm proud

dang, you guys. i've never craved chicken rice so much before in my life. makes me wanna go downstairs to buy a packet of chicken rice right now! my stomach literally growled. well done guys!

i remeber beings bens room mate in culinary school. He insisted doing all of his recipe planning in the nude. He said it got "the juices flowing"

On the note of tyrone, how's Ollie doing? I remember the video when he was on and he was adorable (though probs all grown up now)

wow you guys actually did a good amount of research and were extremely thorough! Would love for this to continue for your remaining recipes.

As a Singaporean studying in the UK right now, you guys are making me miss chicken rice so much after watching this. That just means that you guys did a great job replicating the recipe :) Well done guys!

NAILED IT! Proud of you guys :) Hahahha I also love how you felt the need to be as accurate as possible. Hope we don't scare you too much it does mean an incredible lot to us for featuring Singapore in such a big way

I remember being in Year 10 with Ben and his compulsion to have his stationary set out in a particular order, always on the right-hand side of where he was sat, all in a straight line. Good times!

Wow, this really brings me back to junior high! Ben actually used to bring raw chicken to school and pester the chem teacher to use the hot plate to cook it during my class period! X) I always used to think, wow, this kid sure likes his chicken... And look where he is now!

You guys have come a long way from your other past Singapore-inspired dishes. Looks pretty authentic. I'd gladly say that was chicken rice Sorted. X)

I remember the amazing time Ben and I had when he visited Sweden 14 years ago. That was when Ben discovered his love of eating cinnamon buns in a bath tub filled with black coffee.

I was in high school with Ben and we sang in the school choir. He had the most angelic soprano voice and I remember him really struggling to sing below a middle C. I hope he's still singing. He truly impressed the choir teacher.

I have the highest admiration for you guys continuing to do these food types despite receiving harsh criticism from all sides, and continuing to want to improve your execution via learning through all available sources. Really makes me even prouder to be a Sorted fan. That and the Benuendos... Ben, really? "beautiful mound" "breast" "thighs" all right after each other??

Guys I'm a Malaysian studying in Russia and I followed this exact recipe and was awarded with a taste of home. I definitely recommend trying it!

In Ben's late teens he received 5 tons of Raw meat for Christmas I remember this because instead of receiving a Christmas card from ben I got a raw pork shoulder anytime bens near meat he has a traumatic flashback to that very Christmas day but luckily Tyrone helped him get over his fears this year and now ben can finally go the butchers without calling the ambulance

I came here to see how much this guy gets ignored and oooof I feel bad for him.

Hoppity hoppity get ready for dudes coming from Uncle roger in a few moments

which honest singaporean did not know how chicken rice was made until this video ;;;;;;

Hey guys! Ramadan starts in a week or so and since Ben really likes Morocco and I'm moroccan, why don't you try making Harira? It is a warm and comforting national soup most moroccan families use as a starter when breaking the fast. And if you want "Level-Up" the challenge, you should try to make Chebbakya which is a deep-fried pastry, dipped in honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds that comes as a side for the Harira. Hope you give this a try!!

"Jamie's walked off, and there's still chicken left" 😂😂😂 Laughing my ass of* right now!!! *EDIT: off

Mike contributed alot more then Uncle Roger implied 🤣 Love that team up

omg this is the first time I've felt some confidence that I might be able to make a dish which I OBSESSIVELY ADORE to eat, thanks fellas :D

I never was in school with Ben but my mom told me that he would always borrow her pencils and never get them back. She has still kept that grudge Ben.

I remember when Ben was at secondary school - he was a few years above me - but we all heard the stories about how he would steal the urinal cakes from the boys toilets to take home for 'experiments'. Never stop being you, Ben.

Poor Tyrone, being denied even existing!

My father-in-law was a chef in Guang Dong before marrying & moving to NY. This is one of his specialty dishes along with lobster in black bean sauce. You did a great job Ben. My mother-in-law is a great cook too & I'm super blessed to have them both & to have learned these dishes from them.

for me, the star of the dish is the Hainanese Rice, not the chicken. But it still needs the chicken stock, so nevermind XD

The addition of a bruised lemon grass while cooking the rice gives it the fragrance too!

Good job lads! Looks pretty authentic and delicious, glad you asked an expert and the community. Howeveeeeerrr..... Hainanese rhymes with "Hi Denise". That's all.

chicken rice is one of my all time favorite asian dish. hainan, roasted, honey roasted. it is one of asian most amazing dish ever made. the fact that u guys made it, makes me want to make one again.

"Jamie's walked off and there's still chicken left" 😂😂

I was born in Australia, but Mum has family in Singapore. Just seeing this reminds me of the smells and tastes of this. The hustle and bustle of a hawker centre that kinda becomes a background noise as the food takes up your whole universe.

I encountered Ben when he stumbled upon my mom's humble store in Southeast Asia. Unsure of what to eat he asked her "What's your recommendation?" My mom told him her torpedo soup was a hit among customers, so he ordered that and happily ate it. I don't think he knew that torpedo soups are made of genitals from bulls...

I love the more recent novelty videos that you guys have put out, but in my opinion I still love your basic midweek recipes, that inspires us to just get into the kitchen and enjoy cooking. Don’t go changing your uploading of challenges, battles and novelty trips, but for sure throw a few midweek meals into the upload schedule every now and then. Cheers

one of the best replicas of the chicken rice rice I have seen. well done guys! Now I need to go and eat my chicken rice. bye!

Im hainanese and this video reminds me of my late grandma. She used to make chicken rice w homemade chili for us! regretfully none of us learnt the recipe from her. I think u guys did a really good job recreating this. I will definitely try to cook it and surprise my mum with it! Even the sound from the chopping of chicken was so legit.

I remember when Ben and I were about 16 years old and he told the whole class he could fit a whole wheel of Brie cheese in his mouth without chewing. When he was confronted and couldn't do it, Denis Gergen got revenge by leaking photos of Ben with a chickens but photoshopped onto his head.

This is the number one dish in Hainan! Can't believe that it makes its way to RU-vid's top 45. Hope more people would like to appreciate Hainanese culture

Well sorted! 😍 now I'm craving for some chicken rice!! ❤️

I'm glad you guys got May for help. It's always useful to have a different perspective

Waiting Uncle Roger to comment “Hello nieces and nephews”

as a singaporean I have almost nothing to complain about your recipe (which is a good sign) other than the fact that you are making me crave chicken rice right now!!!

Looking at ben cooking chicken rice looks so werid. I've grown up seeing my dad cooking chicken rice at home ( which he learned from this very famous chicken rice stall owner in the past when he was younger ) and seeing the way ben cook chicken rice looks pretty close to the we cook it 👍👍

I mean, I don't remember much about him but I do vaguely remember some things about Ben from school. He used to sit in the corner, writing fan fiction about chess. I remember once he made frog quiche for a bake sale and then cried when the whole school went down with food poisoning. He was weird for sure, and obsessively insistent that he sat in the sixth seat of the third row in every single lesson but, in general, I think he was quite nice.

Where Your Wok ?

I remember Ben when at school he asked us to wrap him in sellotape from the neck down to his toes - he slid around on the grass and had us call him a worm! Classic Ben!

Saucepan just dieded lmao

Made this for dinner two nights ago, deviated a bit by adding lemongrass to the poaching liquid and made my own chili sauce and ginger sauce. Thank you for the walkthrough on how to cut the chicken, that was very helpful!

Admit it, you're here after Uncle Roger and Auntie Liz

i remember back when ben bragged about his cooking skills in primary school so for a whole month he brought in a stove and some cooking utensils to cook lunch for our grade because he was so proud of his dishes. he put the cafeteria out of business.

How about you guys make Char Kuew Teow. I'm not sure of its popularity in Singapore but its delicious.

I love love love how you spent so much time researching and asking so many singaporeans about this dish. it looks delicious, the whole way this was approached showed respect and appreciation for the cuisine and culture - and the cleaver for the chicken!!! exactly how my grandma does it :') scary little bugger and she'd have been proud of this one

Who went to this video because of Uncle Roger?

another dipping sauce for a traditional southeast asian chicken and rice is ginger, chilis, and fish sauce with some sugar!! It's soooo good, the fish sauce compliments the chicken so well you wouldn't believe. Also, the rice is best when you leave it in a little bit longer to let the bottom part of the rice get crunchy because of the stock and chicken fat, it's my favorite food in the entire planet! Oh, and I'm vietnamese by the way! :)

who is here from uncle roger video?

I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPPE THAT WANTED THIS SO BAD I LOVE U GUYS THANK YOU SO MUCH -Singaporean

Omg, the sound you made when chopping up the bird reminds me of home T^T

I just had Ghim Moh hawker centre chicken rice (my absolute fave) but now I'm feeling hungry again!!! I always see the hawker man make the rice by frying lemongrass and rock sugar along with the ginger and garlic, but it's the soup that they cook the chickens in that is just mind-blowingly good. I could eat this dish everyday, honestly!!!

hi actually the soy sauce you use for dipping should be dark soy sauce and also add a bit of sesame oil to it. cheers! but you nailed it ! the way you chop the chicken and the steaming white rice .oooh

As a Singaporean, seeing our favourite dish being prepared on Sorted just makes me misty-eyed! (and hungry). There's nothing like the smell of the rice cooked in chicken stock and chicken fat, and the silkiness of Hainanese style poached chicken!

OMG PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE LAKSA!!! IVE ASKED ON THE SORTED FOOD'S INSTAGRAM TOO BUT PLEASE!!!

Who else was worried that there would be any kind of a "twist" while watching? So glad that it turned out to be the authentic Hainanese chicken rice!! Well done team

Get ready! Nieces and Nephews, they're coming...

I am not from Singapore. But this recipe feels like a level up. Well done, guys. So proud of you

Try out some of our traditional desserts ( from different communities ) :D Since the mystery box has pandan, I'd suggest pandan kuih bakar, which translates to 'baked dessert/sweets'. It's usually shaped like a flower, and there are other variations like pumpkin flavour but I think alot of people like the pandan one. There's also kuih lapis, which is a rainbow layered dessert. There's Chinese muah chee, which are like chewy balls with peanut coating, and savoury wise, Ban Mian ( noodles ) are really good. Indian thosai / dosa would be cool to know how to make! Or prata. :D ( though they don't really include ingredients from the mystery box )

In Malaysia, apart from calling it Hainanese Chicken, we also called it Slipperly Chicken it just so smooth to eat. We also call it white chopped chicken. And the taste of ginger vinegar chili sauce is so unique and delicious.

Just missing fresh Pandan leaves while cooking the rice, but well done on so many levels!

Seriously!! Job well done guys! From the chicken, to the rice, to even the sauces, you nailed it!!! Felt so happy watching this vid! I feel like a proud mom patting on her sons' shoulder for job well done!! My mom sometimes use a mix of of fragrant thai rice and basmati rice! It's not necessarily Hainanese, but every race and has a different way of making their version of chicken rice! Gob well done Sorted!!!

Haiiiiiyaaaaa sort the MSG first before sorting other food

Ive been to singapore, I love hainanese chicken rice, but i never knew it was the national dish that had this much love from you guys. Feels so different from the heavy hitting, spicy, asian fusion, dishes i usually see

hello uncle roger's niece & nephew

Pretty spot on! My late parents, who owned an awesome Hainanese Chicken Rice shop in the 80s, would be proud of you guys. And... I'm gonna head downstairs to buy a plate of this right now!!

I remember ben from 3rd grade, he was much different then than now. He used to throw pencils and rubbers at the teacher, and then hide behind the sofa, blaming me. Good times.

The rice is typically infused with chicken oil or fat with a bit of soy. It's so good that way though. I like using dark meat, which makes it phenomenal!!! And when I make the ginger/scallion type sauce, I chop it finely and sprinkle it with salt occasionally to stop it from watering. And then a few drops of soy sauce! I don't blend the ginger up because it ends up in strands and becomes like hay.

Thanks for saving me $10 every week! No longer have to buy lunch from uni

i am impressed guys... as a hainanese person... this is quite legit ahhah

omigosh it would be amazing if sorted tried speaking Singlish 😀

Ben > any chef I've seen on tv. More personable and charming and inforrmative and fun to watch, and partially because of the people he surrounds himself with. Could Gordon handle someone taking the mick the whole time he roasts a chicken? No. He'd have to do push-ups or something to even things out.

Where is u wok???????

Hainanese Chicken rice, Singaporean approved! it looks so beautiful and well executed.

I'm tempted to take a picture of one of your dish and tweet it to gordon ramsey and see what he has to say. I personally think all your recipes look great

The amount of times Ben says amazing is AMAZING!

YAY HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE! IM A PROUD BUT RARE HAINANESE :^]

theres something so special for people of other nationality learning our food and making it :)))

I took pole dancing classes with ben a few years back

so happy to see this traditional approach to this dish talked about in Sorted! The only difference from memory is that we try, if can, to use specific types of free range chicken that just comes out with the skin looking yellow (like it's been through tumeric but it just naturally looks that way) It's said that the meat of these chicken, through this cooking method, is the most melt-in-your-mouth :D