Sinn Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice: Succulent Poached & Roasted Chicken Rice That Isn’t Oily Near Novena

What is the most common local food that can be found anywhere ranging from hawkers to restaurants? Yes, it’s Hainanese chicken rice! To me, a good chicken rice needs to have tender chicken pieces, fragrant rice, and spicy and flavourful chilli sauce.

Sinn Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice at Novena Regency ticks off all these points and best of all, it’s affordable! The young chef and owner Derwin Chan previously apprenticed under a chicken rice master for a month, and afterwards, he worked on improving what he had learned.

Chef Derwin has created a unique way to poach chicken, resulting in an even tender texture throughout the whole chicken. A cylinder tool has been created specifically for the chicken, so that the liquid used for poaching can be circulated within it.

I couldn’t wait to try the chicken to see how effective their innovation is, so I ordered the Mixed Quarter Chicken (S$10) with their traditional Sinn Ji Chicken Rice (S$0.80). My first bite of Sinn Ji’s poached chicken proved that it had a silky texture which broke apart easily. Chef Derwin’s creation definitely paid off!

The glistening poached chicken was slightly savoury from the light soy sauce drizzled on top of the chicken. However, there was a thin layer of gelatinous fat under its translucent skin, which I wasn’t a big fan of because of its jelly-like texture, but that’s just me.

In general, roasted chicken is known to be tougher than white chicken due to the extra cooking time it needs. Surprisingly, Sinn Ji’s roasted chicken was as tender as the white chicken. I preferred the roast chicken which had slightly crispy skin and succulent meat.

Even though the chicken was cooked to perfection, the fragrant rice is still an important factor towards the dish. Despite having been opened for the past two years, Chef Derwin has continued to improve his recipe for the rice.

Sinn Ji’s chicken rice has to follow two specific rules: Firstly, each grain of rice has to be separated individually. Secondly, the rice should not leave any trace of oil on the plate.

The whiff of fragrant rice was so distinct that it made my mouth water before I even taste it. With the lack of oil in the rice, I did not feel jelak after eating it. In fact, it was so tasty that I cleaned up every single grain of rice on my plate. The homemade chilli sauce which Sinn Ji provides is both sweet and zesty, so those who enjoy spicy food would love the fiery kick to their meal.

Not only does Sinn Ji sell Hainanese chicken rice, but they also sell a range of homemade side dishes. One of their most popular dishes is their 5 Spiced Chicken Roll (S$8.50). Although ngoh hiang is commonly made with pork, all the meat dishes at Sinn Ji are made with chicken.

The five-spiced chicken rolls had a crunchy deep-fried beancurd skin wrapped around the succulent meat, and mixed with some crunchy vegetables.  Instead of the usual chestnut pieces, Sinn Ji added turnips which gave the chicken a slight sweetness.

If you’re looking for sides to share, Sinn Ji also offers some Thai dishes. The Crispy Thai-Style Tofu (S$6.80) came in a bowl full of vibrant healthy colours that looked very appetising.

The deep-fried tofu was drizzled with sweet Thai chilli sauce, and the dish was topped with a salad of sliced carrots, capsicum, parsley, onions, and crushed peanuts. I enjoyed the tofu, as the outer batter was crispy and light. However, the fiery aroma of the chilli sauce actually overpowered the whole dish.

Sinn Ji Hainanese Chicken rice is where diners can enjoy affordable and high-quality chicken rice with their friends and family. I would definitely come back for their roasted chicken and maybe keep my stomach for two plates of rice the next time.

Psst, you should also keep an eye out for potential new dishes on their menu coming soon.

Expected Damage: S$4.80 – S$16 per pax