Making comfort food for someone you love: Hainan-inspired donabe chicken & rice

In unsettling times, food—especially warm, nourishing food—is one of the few things we can rely on to bring a little bit of comfort. This dish requires just a few ingredients & minimal effort.

This dish is always a crowd pleaser—It’s nourishing, satisfying, delicate, and tastes just as good the next day.

But the reason I’m sharing this now, specifically, is because LA is in the midst of a major crisis—we’ve all seen the level of destruction and likely know someone who has lost everything. With thousands of homes destroyed, the privilege of preparing a meal has been unfairly taken away from so many people. This heartbreaking reality is a reminder of how fragile life is and how much small acts of kindness matter. This quote by Andy Stanley has been circulating my social feed and kind of just simplifies things when you’re feeling powerless: “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.”

Cooking for people and feeding others has always been my love language, but now, more than ever, it feels like a tangible way to spread love and provide comfort. If you know someone who is hurting right now, this is a dish you can make for them (and their families) as a small gesture.

Hainanese chicken rice—a dish of poached chicken, chicken-fat-flavored rice & tangy dipping sauce—originated with immigrants from Hainan, China. Over time, it has inspired countless adaptations. Here’s mine:

Chicken Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts (can be boneless/skinless or bone-in/skin-on!)

• 2 cups chicken bone broth + 2 cups water (or can use 100% broth)

• 1 bunch of scallions

• 1 knob ginger, peeled

• 4 gloves garlic, peeled

• 1 handful of cilantro leaves

• 1 shallot, peeled and cut in half

• 1 tbsp peppercorns

• 1 tsp salt

Rice Ingredients:

• 1 + 1/2 cups Jasmine rice

• 1 + 3/4 cup chicken broth (or water, but I love cooking rice in broth for added flavor/nutrients)

• 1 tbsp grated ginger

• 1 tsp grated garlic

• salt

Herby Yuzu Garnish

• 1 large handful cilantro, minced (or any herb you’d like)

• A few scallion greens, thinly sliced

• 1 fresno chilli, finely minced

• 1 tbsp Yuzu juice (sub with lime juice if needed)

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 1 tsp salt + freshly cracked pepper

Method:

1. Make the herby garnish by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In a donabe (or stock pot / dutch oven) add all ingredients except chicken. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

3. Place chicken breasts in the simmering broth, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees F. (Will be longer if using bone-in breasts)

4. Meanwhile, add 1.5 cups of jasmine rice and 1 + 3/4 cup chicken broth to a donabe or rice cooker. (Can do this in regular pot too, just follow ration on the back of rice bag.) Spoon the grated garlic and ginger on top.

   1. In a donabe: cover, set flame over medium-high heat, and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff with rice paddle and serve.

   2. In a rice cooker: follow instructions!

   3. In a standard pot: Add broth, rice, ginger & garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once boiling, cover with lid & reduce heat to a simmer for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes before uncovering & fluffing with a fork.

5. When the chicken is fulled cooked, take the breasts out of the broth and place onto a cutting board. Slice and place back in the broth.

   1. Feel free to strain the broth or simply use tongs to take out the aromatics.

6. To serve, spoon a nice portion of rice into a shallow bowl. Add some sliced chicken breast on top, spoon in some broth, and drizzle on the herby mix!

From left: Making the jasmine rice cooked in chicken broth for extra flavor, laying out the broth ingredients, gelatinous bone broth in the donabe with the aromatics, chicken breasts simmering, final plating with herby garnish!