Rice-Cooker Chicken & Rice (Dian Fan Bao Ji Tui)

The story

Rice-cooker cooking is the genius genre born of Chinese dorm rooms and tiny apartments — and chicken-leg rice is its crown dish. The chicken steams over the rice, dripping seasoned juices into every grain. One button, one pot, zero stove.

Ingredients (6 + pantry staples)

• Chicken leg quarters — 2 lb / 900 g
• Rice (any white rice) — 2 cups / 400 g
• Soy sauce — 3 tbsp
• Oyster sauce — 1 tbsp
• Ginger — 5 slices
• Scallions — 2, sliced

Pantry staples used (don't count toward the 6): sugar (1 tsp), salt. Not stocked yet? See the pantry page.

Steps

1. Wash the rice and start it in the rice cooker as usual.
2. Marinate the chicken in soy, oyster sauce, sugar and ginger for 10 minutes.
3. When the rice boils for the first time, lay the chicken skin-side up on the rice. Close the lid and let the cycle finish.
4. Rest 5 minutes, scallions on top, mix gently. Every grain is stained gold.

Swaps

Marinated pork chops, lap cheong (Chinese sausage) or chicken thighs on the bone all follow the same arc. Add frozen peas with the scallions.