That magic moment when the dish you want to make–but mostly eat–is also one your toddler willingly indulges? That’s a keeper of a recipe, my friend–a sure and soon-to-be mainstay on your menu. If you don’t have one of those in your arsenal yet, or if you are on the lookout for another (and who isn’t?), this is the one: the full flavors of Hainan chicken, now in Toddler friendly form. Supple poached chicken. Golden, creamy rice. That almost velvety ginger-scallion oil cascading over it all. Easy enough for a small child to eat and enjoy; good enough for you to go back for a second helping after putdown. It doesn’t get any better than this–for a weeknight, anyway.
The best versions of ginger-scallion chicken rice involve whole chickens, long and gentle cooking times, and generous applications of poultry fat; no one with a small child (i.e., you and I) has time for that. We’ve greatly simplified and shortened the process by subbing in boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and by cooking the rice concurrently with the chicken: you’ll get the same textures and flavors–especially as the process of making of the ginger-scallion oil is basically the same as it is in a restaurant version of the dish–while being able to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat. Be sure and check out our pointers in the “Serve” section for some tips on how to present to your child.
Cover pot and cook until no broth remains and rice is tender, roughly 13 to 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow to sit, covered, for five more minutes.
When ready to serve, lay the breast horizontally and cut thin slices vertically. If your child needs or prefers smaller pieces, halve the strips or cut each piece into smaller nubbins.
In restaurants the components of Hainan chicken are typically served separate, with the chicken to the side of a mound of rice; the ginger-scallion sauce is served separately, allowing diners to dispense as they see fit. You could do that, of course, especially if your child doesn’t like mixing components of dinner and/or if (s)he likes to dunk things in sauce; that said, because the chicken and rice have complementary textures, we have found this meal to be an easy way of encouraging our son to eat foods together, so we usually drape the chicken over the rice and then pour the sauce on top (see recipe pic). The use of a bowl rather than a plate with multiple compartments is no accident: it helps facilitate scooping and digging through the chicken and rice.
while we keep our son’s bowl simple, we grown-ups bowls are vivid: jalapeno slices, cilantro leaves, and pickle or cucumber slices are all tossed on top. If you’re leery about pouring a bunch of infused oil on your child’s dinner, a good substitute is peanut sauce: just mix a scoop of PB with a splash of soy, a splash of sesame oil, and a squeeze of lime; thin with some water if needed.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
