Claypot Chicken Rice (easy rice cooker method)
No claypot, but craving Claypot Chicken Rice? Use your rice cooker instead. You're going to be impressed with how easy and delicious this is!
Video
Ingredients
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked, drained, sliced into strips) (NOTE 1)
- ⅓ cup peanut oil (or vegetable/ canola oil)
- 2 Chinese sausages (sliced thinly) (NOTE 2)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 cup water (500ml / 17floz)
- 2 cup Jasmine rice (450gm / 16oz) (NOTE 3)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (NOTE 4)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced spring onions (scallions, green onions)
CHICKEN AND MARINADE
- 500gm / 1.1lb chicken thighs (skinless & boneless, chopped into bite sized cubes)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (NOTE 5)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (NOTE 6)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (NOTE 7)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine (NOTE 8)
Instructions
- Soak the mushrooms - For the best flavour, soak the dried mushrooms in cold water, then cover and leave overnight at room temperature. If you don't have time, soak mushrooms in boiling water for 20 to 40 minutes. For both methods, add some weight, like a small plate or bowl, to hold the mushrooms down or they'll float to the top. The mushrooms should look soft and plump after soaking.
- Chop the chicken into small bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl along with the marinade ingredients. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature. Slice the sausages thinly and rinse the rice 3 to 4 times or until the water runs clear. Get rid of as much water as you can on the last rinse.
- Heat oil in a large deep frying pan or wok over high heat, then add the sausages. Stir-fry them for 1 to 2 minutes or until they look translucent. Optional - remove the sausages from the pan. Place in the garlic and ginger and stir-fry quickly for 1 minute or until fragrant, then add the sausage, mushroom, and chicken, including all the marinade. Stir-fry until the chicken has cooked.
- Reduce the heat to low, then pour in the water, then add rice, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and carefully transfer the mixture into the rice cooker bowl. If your rice has a clay pot setting, select this function. If not, select jasmine rice or the white rice setting. Once cooked, allow the chicken rice to rest in the cooker for 10 minutes. Fluff up the rice, then stir in the spring onions before serving.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Dried shiitake mushrooms have a deeper flavour and are more fragrant compared to fresh ones. They need to be soaked before using. Supermarkets stock packets of dried shiitake mushrooms in the Asian section, or you'll find them at an Asian grocer.
(NOTE 2) Chinese sausage (lap cheong or lap chong) is made from preserved pork. It's quite fatty with sweet and savoury flavours with a firm and chewy texture. Supermarkets stock packets of Chinese sausages in the Asian section, or you'll find them at an Asian grocer.
(NOTE 3) Jasmine rice - I used Jasmine rice, but any long-grain white rice would also work. Rinse the rice 3 to 4 times or until the water clears. I like my rice-to-water 1:1 ratio using the same cup to measure, but you may wish to adjust the ratio according to your taste or what's recommended by your rice cooker.
(NOTE 4) Sesame oil (roasted) is very aromatic with a roasted nutty flavour. Supermarkets usually stock sesame oil in the international or cooking oil section of the supermarket.
(NOTE 5) Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce will work, but not dark or sweet soy sauces, as these aren't interchangeable.
(NOTE 6) Dark soy sauce - The dark soy sauce variety is mainly used to add colour to a dish. It's less salty, but sweeter and thicker than regular or light soy sauce.
(NOTE 7) Oyster sauce adds more depth to the savoury sauce, but it doesn't have a strong oyster or fishy flavour. It's actually more salty and sweet in taste. Supermarkets usually have it in their international or 'sauces' section.
(NOTE 8) Shaoxing cooking wine is a Chinese cooking wine, sometimes known as Shao Xing or Shao Hsing. It comprises water, rice, wheat, salt and alcohol. Bottles of Shaoxing wine are cheap to buy from Asian specialty stores and some supermarkets stock them too. Mirin or dry sherry are suitable substitutes for Shaoxing wine.
Leftovers - Allow the Claypot Chicken Rice to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 580kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 27gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1013mgPotassium: 416mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 105IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 7mg