Why every ingredient earns its place
The whole trick with this recipe is the inverted bowl. Place a small heatproof bowl or cup upside down in the centre of the rice, rest the chicken legs on top, and as it cooks the chicken essence and sesame oil collect inside the bowl below. Once the rice is done, you lift the chicken off, remove the bowl, and all that flavourful essence is sitting right there waiting. Add one teaspoon of soy sauce and you have your sauce. One pot, one thing to wash, full hawker flavour.
Protein-rich, deeply comforting, and genuinely one of the smartest one pot hacks in this series. Save this for the next day you are too tired to cook but still want something good.
This recipe is for you if
- You are craving chicken rice but cannot be bothered to go out
- You want a full meal with basically one thing to wash
- You have a rice cooker and 10 minutes of prep
Less relevant if
- You do not have a rice cooker
- You are avoiding poultry or sodium
- You want something ready in under 20 minutes
The recipe
Easy Singapore Chicken Rice in a Rice Cooker
Inverted bowl hack. Chicken essence into the rice. One wash up.
Ingredients
- The chicken
- 2 chicken legs
- Salt to season
- Sesame oil to season
- The rice
- 1 rice cooker cup white rice, washed
- 3 stalks scallions
- 4 to 5 slices ginger
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup water
- The sauce
- Chicken essence collected from the pot
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Method
- Season the chicken legs with a light sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of sesame oil. Set aside.
- Wash the rice and add it into the rice cooker pot. Add scallions, sliced ginger, and garlic directly into the rice.
- Place a small heatproof bowl or cup upside down in the centre of the rice. Rest the seasoned chicken legs on top. As it cooks, the chicken essence and sesame oil collect inside the inverted bowl, ready to become your sauce.
- Pour 1 cup chicken stock and ½ cup water around the bowl into the rice. Close the lid.
- Set to white rice mode and let the rice cooker do all the work.
- Once done, remove the chicken and lift out the inverted bowl. You will see the chicken essence that has collected underneath.
- Stir 1 tsp soy sauce into the collected essence. That is your sauce.
- Serve the chicken over the flavoured rice and spoon the sauce generously over the top. 🍗
Tips
"The chicken essence that drips into the rice is what makes this taste like the real thing."
Tip 01
Pat the chicken dry before seasoning. Excess moisture on the skin dilutes the sesame oil and salt and stops it adhering properly. A quick pat with a paper towel before seasoning means the flavour stays on the chicken rather than washing off into the pot.
Tip 02
Do not skip the ginger in the rice. Ginger cooked directly into the rice is what gives chicken rice that distinctive warm, fragrant base. It also neutralises any gamey notes from the chicken. Use fresh sliced ginger, not powder.
Tip 03
Taste the essence before adding soy sauce. The amount of essence collected will vary depending on your chicken. Taste it first. If it is already quite savoury from the chicken fat and sesame oil, go easy on the soy. If it needs a lift, add the full teaspoon.
Tip 04
Let the chicken rest before slicing. Once the rice cooker is done, leave the chicken on a board for 5 minutes before cutting. The juices redistribute back through the meat and every slice stays moist rather than drying out the moment you cut into it.
Something we have alongside this
Chicken rice is a comforting, satisfying meal. But pairing it with something that supports your metabolism afterwards means your body processes the meal more efficiently rather than just sitting heavy.
Our Sicilian Orange Shot is what we reach for after this one. Bright, citrussy, and genuinely doing something real for your body. One sachet, drink it straight 🧡
What we have after this meal
Sicilian Orange Shot
for natural fat burn, metabolism support, and a slimmer waist
Every sachet delivers patented Morosil® Sicilian Blood Orange Extract at a clinically meaningful dose, paired with L-Carnitine to support fat metabolism and steady energy. Real Sicilian blood orange concentrate gives it that bright, citrussy flavour. No artificial colours, no preservatives, zero added sugar.
Quick summary
- Season chicken legs with salt and sesame oil. Pat dry first so the seasoning sticks.
- Wash rice, add scallions, ginger, and garlic into the pot. These go directly into the rice.
- Place a small heatproof bowl upside down in the centre. Rest chicken on top. Pour 1 cup stock and ½ cup water around it.
- White rice mode. Walk away and let the rice cooker do everything.
- Remove chicken, collect the essence, stir in 1 tsp soy sauce. That is your sauce. Spoon it over everything.
