Hainan chicken here in the states is nothing like Singapore or the rest of Asia. Once you’ve had it there, it will forever ruin the dish for you here in the states.
People, especially ABC’s, hype the local places so much, but most of them haven’t eaten it (or any Asian food) anywhere but in socal, so you can’t really believe the hype.
A few Cantonese places do chicken just as well as Singapore, but then they usually don’t have the rice or sauces to accompany it.
Thanks for noting that: having eaten Hainanese chicken/rice in Singapore on more than one occasion I was a little befuddled by the denigration of a great and subtle dish.
i tried the hainan chicken at this place in “the square” food court (san gabriel & garvey) and having tried the HCR at most of the well regarded purveyors in the SGV. i’ll just say i enjoyed this version as much as any i’ve had in the SGV.
the stall is named ‘tasty food’, and the chicken was moist and tender (i had to wait 1/2 hour before it was ready - apparently they make new batches throughout the day) and served over a rice that was nicely flavored. not necessarily the best rice of the versions i’ve had, but i personally like chicken & rice in every mouthful vs. eating them separately.
the condiments included minced ginger & scallion, what looked liked sriracha, and what appeared to be a garlicky soy. they also have what i’d call the south asian chili sauce, as well as soy with chilis in it. i tried different combinations with my first bites and just ended up mixing them all up and putting them on the chicken. YMMV as to which combinations and proportions you prefer.
the dish also comes with egg drop soup (eh) as well as cucumbers and pickled cabbage which turned out to complement the chicken & rice quite nicely.
i wouldn’t say drive a long way to try it, but if you’re in the WSGV, definitely go for it.
they also offer a deep fried version (with different flavored rice), also at $8 incl. tax.
For those of us in LA (IIRC you’re in the Bay Area) 99 Ranch carries stewing chickens - old birds with great flavor. They also stock chicken feet (they are labelled “paws”). Between the two of them, and a pressure cooker great chicken stock can be made. Next time I have a break in work I am going to try Hainan chicken and rice. We shall see…
I’m going to venture a “Yes”.
Pu-er is pretty common as an option at dim sum restaurants around the SGV. My favorite combo is getting them to mix the pu with chrysanthemum.
the fried version:
i should have taken a separate picture of the rice, which is different - gently seasoned and stir fried with slivers of scrambled egg, it kinda reminded me of the the rice in a spam musubi. it was very good in its own way. i say come with a friend, order both and share them. if you’re going to eat one and take the other home, eat the fried rendition there as it does not travel well.
if you want to try this, (i had to wait an hour for this order) call ahead:
(626) 569-1867 and advise them of your ETA so they can respond to your order in a timely fashion. 11-8 closed tuesdays.
No line at this establishment, but we passed anyway.
Sawatdee-krap!
Straying just a tad from Ray Kroc’s vision.
I finally had the fried hainan chicken there. The first time I went, I forgot it was Tuesday and they were closed! Today, called ahead, told it would be 20 mins, arrived there 20 mins later, and then maybe waited 5 more minutes after I paid.
The verdict: VERY VERY GOOD. The fried chicken is almost like chicken karaage, but more juicy and more skin. The skin was amazing and I can see how they encourage you to eat it there. Perfectly blistered and crunchy. The rest of the chicken, even the white meat, was nice and tender.
The fried rice it was served on was also a nice touch. I’ve never fought so hard to not finish a meal in one sitting, but it really was too much for me to eat in one go. Looking forward to the leftovers later.
