Chicken rice is arguably Singapore’s most iconic dish, and is a dish that is so widely available in Singapore that it can easily be taken for granted. There is actually so much effort involved in making a good plate of chicken rice. Not only should the chicken be juicy and succulent, the rice also needs to be flavourful and oily enough. As if that is not challenging enough, the condiments such as the chilli and ginger sauce have to be piquant and tasty as well. For me, though, nothing is more disappointing than ordering a plate of chicken rice only to find out the rice is white, not fragrant and not oily enough. The rice is usually cooked with chicken fats in order to achieve that yellowish tinge, oily texture and overpowering fragrance. I wanted to make chicken rice sushi using chicken breast, which means I would not have any chicken fat for the rice. So I decided to use Dancing Chef’s chicken rice paste instead and my rice turned out exactly the way I like it to be! Do take note that they recommend you to use 3 cups of rice for the packet of chicken rice paste, but after trying 3 times, I personally think it’s better to use only 2 cups of rice for that amount of paste. I found that the flavour and oiliness were not intense enough when I cooked 3 cups of rice with that amount of chicken rice paste.
For cooking the riee, you will need the Dancing Chef chicken rice paste, ginger slices, garlic and shallots. Do note that the amount shown here is less than the recipe because I wanted to make just half the recipe.
First, add 1 tbsp of oil to a saucepot. Fry ginger, garlic and shallots till fragrant.
Add rice, chicken rice paste and water. Cover with lid and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and cook until rice is tender and water has been fully absorbed.
Once it’s cooked, remove the lid and allow rice to cool to around body temperature. This should take around 10-15 minutes.
For this recipe, I’m using chicken breasts. You can also use chicken thighs or even a whole chicken.
In another pot, bring water to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and add chicken breast. Simmer for about 4-6 minutes until chicken is just fully cooked. Beware not to overcook the chicken breasts otherwise it will be tough and dry.
Note: Cooking time depends on thickness and size of chicken.
Once cooked, remove the chicken and submerge in ice water for about 5 minutes. Then remove and set aside.
Sorry I don’t have photos for the following steps I had to use my hands for moulding the sushi.
Once rice has cooled, use your hands to mould about 20g of rice into a rectangular log. Press the rice together firmly so that it will stick together. Repeat for the rest of the rice. You should be able to make about 37-38 pieces.
Cut the chicken breast into rectangular pieces around the same size as the rice logs. If the chicken breast is too thick, you can slice it into two or even three, horizontally.
(Optional) Using a peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise into long, thin strips. Place one strip of cucumber on a plate, then place the rice log on top of the cucumber strip, and then a piece of chicken onto the rice. Wrap the cucumber strip around the chicken rice sushi. Repeat for the rest.
Mix soy sauce, sesame oil and hot water together to form a sauce for the chicken. Using a spoon, drizzle some sauce onto each piece of chicken rice sushi. Add a dab of chilli onto each sushi and garnish with spring onion curls. Serve.
Take note that because chicken rice is oilier and we are not using short grain rice, it will not be as sticky as Japanese sushi rice. So in order to ensure your sushi doesn’t fall apart, do press your rice firmly together so that the rice grains will stick to each other better.
Although I used chicken breast for this recipe, it wasn’t at all tough or dry! It will still tender enough and paired very well with the rice. While the cucumber is optional, it definitely helped to curtail the oiliness and added a refreshing crunch to the dish. If you prefer, you could also pair your chicken rice sushi with sweet dark sauce. I was quite impressed with this dish and think that it’ll make a perfect party snack! At parties you want to try a bit of everything yet not become too full. This chicken rice sushi will allow you to enjoy goodness in small bites, and leave you wanting more!
Chicken Rice Sushi
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken breast
- 1 Japanese cucumber optional
RICE
- 1 packet Dancing Chef chicken rice paste $2.85
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 shallots
- 4 slices ginger
- 2 cups rice
- 2 cups water
SAUCE
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- In a saucepot, add 1 tbsp of oil and fry ginger, garlic and shallots until fragrant. Add rice, chicken rice paste and water. Mix till even, cover saucepot with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and allow rice to cook until tender and all water has been absorbed. Remove lid and allow rice to cool till around body temperature (at least 10-15min).
- In another pot, bring water to a boil over high heat then reduce to low heat. Add chicken breast into pot and cook for about 4-6 minutes until just fully cooked. Once fully cooked, remove chicken breast and submerge in ice cold water for about 5 minutes, then remove and set aside. Note: Cooking time depends on thickness and size of chicken breast. If you prefer, you can also use chicken thigh or even a whole chicken.
- Once rice has cooled, use your hands to mould about 20g of rice into a rectangular log. Press the rice together firmly so that it will stick together. Repeat for the rest of the rice. You should be able to make about 37-38 pieces.
- Cut the chicken breast into rectangular pieces around the same size as the rice logs. If the chicken breast is too thick, you can slice it into two or even three, horizontally.
- (Optional) Using a peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise into long, thin strips. Place one strip of cucumber on a plate, then place the rice log on top of the cucumber strip, and then a piece of chicken onto the rice. Wrap the cucumber strip around the chicken rice sushi. Repeat for the rest.
- Mix soy sauce, sesame oil and hot water together to form a sauce for the chicken. Using a spoon, drizzle some sauce onto each piece of chicken rice sushi. Add a dab of chilli onto each sushi and garnish with spring onion curls. Serve.