Be prepared to fall in love with a lesser-known but absolutely delightful dish: Taiwanese Chicken Rice. This humble street food, originating from Chiayi in southern Taiwan, has captured the hearts and taste buds of locals. It’s a perfect embodiment of what makes Taiwanese cuisine so special – simple, savoury, and utterly delicious.
A Dish with a Story
This beloved dish wasn’t originally made with chicken! Post-World War II, when resources were scarce, the locals of Chiayi turned to turkey as an affordable and nutritious alternative. This adaptation gave birth to a local specialty that would soon sweep across the nation. While this dish has become a popular street food throughout Taiwan, some restaurants now make it with chicken due to its common use and easy accessibility for home cooks. However, in Chiayi, they still make it with turkey, calling it “turkey rice.”
Simple yet Satisfying
Every time I return to Taipei, I always visit Liang Ji Chiayi Chicken Rice (possibly the most famous one in Taipei) as it’s close to my grandma’s place, and I’ve been coming to this restaurant since I was little. Their chicken rice typically consists of tender, shredded chicken atop a bed of rice that’s been cooked in fragrant chicken broth. It’s then drizzled with a savoury sauce that ties all the elements together. Their sunny-side-up egg is also a must! This chicken rice has remained my favourite after all these years.
Liang Ji Jiayi Chicken Rice 梁記嘉義雞肉飯
No. 19, Lane 90, Songjiang Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Easy to Make, Hard to Resist
While the list of steps might seem daunting at first glance, making Taiwanese Chicken Rice at home is surprisingly straightforward. The key lies in the preparation, with each step contributing to the final, mouthwatering result.
Taiwanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken legs deboned, skin separated
- A few Spring onions
- 4-5 ginger slices
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp cooking wine
- water for cooking
- 1-2 pcs shallots (about 30g) sliced or diced
- finely chopped spring onion for garnish (optional)
- cooked rice to pair
FOR THE SAUCE
- 80 ml chicken broth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dashi powder (or MSG)
- sliced fried chicken skin
Instructions
- Boil enough water in a large pot. Add spring onions, ginger, cooking wine, and salt.Mix well.
- Add chicken and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.Transfer chicken to a plate to cool. Reserve the broth.
- Ina pan, cook chicken skin over medium-high heat until golden and crispy. Remove from pan. Once cooled, slice and set aside for the sauce and garnish.
- Using residual heat, add shallots to the pan and fry until bubbling. Turn on low heat and fry until shallots turn slightly brown.
- Strain shallots and spread on kitchen paper to cool and dry. Reserve the chicken shallot oil.
- For the sauce, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, salt, sugar, dashi powder, white pepper, and sliced crispy chicken skin in a small pan. Cook over medium heat until dissolved.
- Slice or shred the chicken meat.
- To assemble, spread chicken oil over rice, add sliced/shredded chicken, top with crispy shallots,crispy chicken skin, and spring onion. Drizzle with sauce.
