Clean the chicken and cut off the fats (see tips). For the Spring Onions, wash and cut off the white sections and set aside. Cut the green sections into small pieces and place in a large bowl, and refrigerate.

Wash the pandan leaves and fold it up into 2 bundles. Peel and cut 6 slices of ginger. then set aside.

Insert the 6 slices of ginger, the white section of the spring onion and 1 bundle of pandan leaves into the cavity of the chicken.

Use a few tooth picks to seal up the cavity to prevent the stuffing from falling out during cooking.

Fill a tall pot with water (see tips) and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, hold the chicken by the neck and dunk the whole chicken in and out of the boiling water 3 times. On the final dunk, immerse the whole chicken into the water and cover the pot.

Once the water boils, let the chicken simmer for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat but do NOT open the cover. Let the chicken continue to stew in the hot water for another 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large basin of ice water. Once the chicken is cooked, use a pair of chopsticks to lift it out of the pot from under the wings, then plunge it into the ice water for about 20 mins.

Remove the chicken and transfer onto a plate. Rub the whole chicken with 2 TBsp sesame oil. Measure out 3 cups of the chicken stock for cooking the rice, then freeze up the rest for another day.

While the chicken is cooking, add oil to a wok and fry the chicken fats to extract the chicken oil. Remove and discard the crispy chicken fats once they turn golden brown.

Add in the grated ginger and chopped garlic prepared earlier and fry till aromatic. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Once aromatic, immediately add in the washed and drained rice and the 1 1/2 tsp of salt, then mix well.

Transfer the rice mixture into the rice cooker. Pour in the 3 cups of chicken stock. Place the second bundle of pandan leaves on top of the rice and cook for extra fragrance. Once the rice is cooked, remove the pandan leaves and loosen the rice.

When the chicken is done, remove the stuffing from the chicken, chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate. Pour the dipping sauce over the chicken (optional). Garnish with parsley and sliced cucumber and serve with the chicken rice, dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and spring onion oil.

COOKING TIPS

1. For easier cooking and smoother texture, The Rice needs to be soaked for a while before cooking.
2. To remove the bitterness of cucumbers, cut off one end and use the tip to rub the cut end of the cucumber in a circular motion until you see a milky substance. Repeat on the other side and wash.
   
3. Prepare the chilli sauce a day before to save time
4. Use a slim and tall pot so the the whole chicken can be immersed into water without using too much water. This way the stock will be sweeter and tastier. The level of water in the pot should be about 1″ above the chicken.
5. Fold the chicken wings backwards into a ‘arm-lock’ before cooking. These will later act as handles that you can use to remove the chicken from the pot with a pair of chopsticks, without breaking the skin of the chicken
   

   

   

   

   
   
6. Insert a long skewer or chopstick into the thickest part of the thigh. The chicken is cooked if the juices come out clear or if the tendon at the end part of the drumstick breaks.
   

1. Make sure the chicken is thawed completely. otherwise it will affect the cooking time.
2. Remove any feathers and innards from the cavity.
3. Exfoliate the inside and outside of the chicken with coarse salt to remove the smell. Then rinse chicken thoroughly and drain dry.
4. Chop off the chicken feet and keep it for boiling the soup.
   
5. Cut off the fats from the chicken and set aside for later use.
6. Do not remove the head and neck of the chicken as it provide a good grip for dunking the chicken in and out of the boiling water.

WHY DUNK THE CHICKEN?

The water must be boiling before the chicken is dunked into the water a few times, each time being completely immersed into the water. Why?

• To seal the juices within the chicken to retain its sweetness through the rapid expansion and contraction of the skin as it is dunked in and out of the boiling water
• It ensures more even cooking and more accurate timing as it heats up the inside of the chicken, so the water inside the cavity is at the same temperature as the outside.

HOW TO MAKE THE CHICKEN EXTRA SMOOTH

1. Exfoliating the skin when cleaning the chicken also helps to make the chicken skin very smooth
2. Plunging the chicken into an ice bath is a MUST! The ice water will firm up the skin and coagulate the juices under the skin of the chicken to give it a smooth gelatin-like texture. It also stops the cooking process to ensure the chicken is not overcooked.
   
3. Rub the chicken with sesame oil to prevent it from drying out and to add flavour.