Don’t get it twisted: Chicken Rice is not chicken and rice.
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It is a very small window, adorned with little more than a sign held in place by string and a handwritten menu taped on the glass. On that menu there are only three, that’s right 3, dishes. If you didn’t already know to look for this place — and perhaps even if you did — you would walk right past it. That’s because the storefront for Drunken Chicken is just the tiny take-out window of the popular Juisala Juice Bar in Seattle’s food-centric Wallingford neighborhood. But at certain times on certain days through that window comes what just may be the finest Chicken Rice in all of Seattle.
Easy to miss - The little window (far right) is the face of Drunken chicken
Singapore’s Iconic Chicken Rice
A little context: After having lived in and eaten my way through Singapore I have learned that “Chicken Rice” is not the same as “Chicken and Rice.” Sure, the basic ingredients may overlap, but they are vastly different dishes — the former having a specific method of preparation, presentation and taste; the later being a basic set of guidelines from which one can riff in any direction and style. Unlike a plate of chicken and rice, Hainanese Chicken Rice is a specific recipe and the unofficial national dish of Singapore. It is a food that everyone there knows and loves; a meal that helps hold life together on the Little Red Dot. And it’s a dish that, when prepared properly, I am totally, hopelessly and unendingly in love with.
The people at Drunken Chicken occupy that take-out window only four days a week for about four hours a day. And during that time there is inevitably a line. With no tables to sit at, they prepare every order for takeout, but one can usually find a nearby bench to sit at for those like me who, um, can’t wait long enough to take it home. That’s because Drunken Chicken has brought the magic of Chicken Rice from Southeast Asia to Seattle. Despite that they call it “Chicken & Rice” this is really Chicken Rice in it’s true Hainanese form and another in Shanghainese style, and with every bite they transport me back to the hawker centres of Singapore and streets of Malaysia. So, you may ask, just what is this Chicken Rice, anyway?
It seems so simple, this humble serving of chicken with rice. But the artistry is in the technique, which can take years to perfect. A whole free-range chicken is gently poached in an elixir of pandan leaves, ginger, garlic, herbs and chicken stock. The rich broth is made from previous chickens and is replenished repeatedly by the poaching process and the adding of more ingredients to the existing stock to impart a unique essence -- reminiscent of refeeding a sourdough bread culture without ever letting it run out. The flavorful stock infuses the poultry, keeping it moist and succulent. And once the chicken is cooked to just the right degree of tenderness, often retaining a slight bit of pink inside, it is plunged into ice water until cool. This causes the micro-thin layer of fat between the skin and flesh to almost imperceptibly gelatinize with silky, subcutaneous goodness.
Meanwhile, fragrant Thai rice is simmered with some of the same stock that the birds bathed in, imparting a cooked-in flavor of herbs, spices and chicken that elevates the dish to truly delectable heights. The chicken is cut into thin slices and arranged gently with the rice, along with crispy cucumber and three sauces: spicy herbal chili, ginger scallion and thick black soy.
At Drunken Chicken, their namesake signature Drunken Chicken is a Shanghainese variation (above left) of the Hainanese Khoa Mun Gai (above right). Unlike the traditional method of steeping the bird in a bath of herbal flavor, they marinate the chicken in Shaoxing rice wine (hence “drunken”) and then steam it to perfection before chilling. The serving style for each these, as well as the third menu selection — a vegan, fried tofu version — is the same. Whichever version you choose, to bring out the dish’s full splendor every bite should include each ingredient. Combine the glistening chicken with a dollop of rice and dip it into the sauce and you will discover the magic of Chicken Rice which, if you're like me, you will crave forever.
Foodwalkers Tip: When you order a plate of Chicken Rice from Drunken Chicken it only makes sense to at the same time order some remarkable sticky rice from Nit Thai — another pop-up business that shares that same little window and practically the same hours with the Drunken Chicken masters. It is sticky rice that will make you come back again and again. But just as I have been accused of not sharing my chicken rice well with others, I will also not share the space of this chicken rice writeup -- so watch for a future post about Nit Thai.
Drunken Chicken, at Juisala, 4401 Wallingford Ave N Seattle, WA
