Hainanese Chicken Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) whole chicken
salt to taste
water to cover
1 onion, halved (skin on)
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
salt and ground white pepper to taste
Rice:
3 cups long-grain white rice
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 teaspoons oil
5 pandan leaves, knotted
Dipping Sauces:
3 fresh red chile peppers, halved and seeded
1 lime, juiced, or as needed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 slice fresh ginger
Garnish:
10 leaves lettuce, or as desired
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Preparation

Remove fat from the chicken and reserve it for later use. Season chicken, inside and out, with salt.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add chicken, onion, 8 garlic cloves, sliced 1-inch piece ginger, salt, and white pepper. Bring liquid back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Carefully remove chicken and plunge into a large bowl of ice water until cooled. Remove chicken, dry, and cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Strain chicken broth and reserve liquid.
Wash and drain rice.
Heat reserved chicken fat in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir 5 sliced garlic cloves and sliced 1/2-inch piece ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and oil; cook and stir until rice is coated in oil. Pour in enough reserved chicken broth to cook rice, about 6 cups. Add pandan leaves. Cover skillet and cook rice until tender and broth is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes.
Pound red chile peppers using a mortar and pestle, adding a small amount of salt, until peppers transform into a fine paste. Stir enough lime juice into paste to make smooth; transfer to a serving dish.
Pound 4 garlic cloves and 1 slice ginger using a mortar and pestle until paste is formed; transfer to a separate serving dish.
Place lettuce leaves on a serving plate and arrange cucumber slices and tomatoes around dish. Place the chicken pieces in the center. Mix soy sauce and sesame oil together in a bowl; pour over chicken. Serve a bowl of reserved chicken broth on the side with a bowl of rice and the 2 dipping sauces.