Must-Try Hainanese Chicken Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
1 whole chicken
1 stalk spring onion (optional)
3 cloves garlic, crushed, or to taste
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root (optional)
water to cover
salt to taste
For the Soy Sauce:
5 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon garlic oil (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Rice:
3 cups uncooked rice, or more to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste
1 (1 inch) piece ginger, crushed
salt to taste
For the Garlic Chile Dip:
5 red chile peppers, seeded and chopped
2 limes, juiced
3 cloves garlic
1 (1/2 inch) piece ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch white sugar, or to taste
Ginger Dip:
2 limes, juiced
3 cloves garlic
1 (1 inch) piece young ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Trim chicken of all excess fat, reserving fat.
Place chicken, spring onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, and one 1-inch piece ginger in a large pot. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming any scum off the surface, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 1 hour.
Remove chicken from the pot, reserving broth. Rub chicken with salt. Chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate.
Combine soy sauce, 3 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar, garlic oil, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Drizzle over chicken pieces.
Melt reserved chicken fat in a large pot over medium heat. Add rice, 3 cloves minced garlic, crushed 1-inch piece ginger, and salt; cook and stir until rice is glossy and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour enough reserved chicken broth into the pot to cover rice by half an inch. Cover; bring to a boil. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Combine red chile peppers, juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, one 1/2-inch piece ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 pinch sugar in a blender; blend until garlic chile dip is smooth.
Combine juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, one 1-inch piece ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender; blend until ginger dip is smooth.
Serve garlic chile and ginger dips alongside chicken and rice.