Chicken rise: the elevation of Singapore’s favourite dish

Chicken rice is arguably Singapore’s most iconic dish, beloved by locals, sought after by travellers and championed by celebrated chefs like the late Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay. It’s affordable and ubiquitous, a hawker centre staple that’s widely available in food courts, coffee shops and restaurants.

In 1971, Chatterbox made the then-audacious move of elevating the humble everyday meal into a gourmet dish and served it at a much higher premium in luxury hotel The Mandarin Singapore (now Hilton Singapore Orchard). It inevitably raised some eyebrows amongst the value-conscious, prompting the question: is pricier always better? Its longevity suggests success. Over 50 years on, the restaurant maintains that the premium has always reflected strong standards.

“While it may seem atas (Singlish for upscale), to us, it’s simply quality on a plate,” explains Chatterbox’s executive chef Liew Tian Heong.

In recent years, other chefs have been inspired to reinterpret chicken rice in their own kitchens, from French-inspired roasts to elegant Japanese versions, a testament to its versatility and prestige.

The Mandarin Chicken Rice (S$25++) at Chatterbox is one of the best-known and most enduring culinary icons in the country. Widely recognised as the pioneer of premium chicken rice, the restaurant prides itself on delivering the same consistent flavour and high quality for over five decades. One of its most distinctive traits is the rice, says chef Liew. Much of its aroma comes from flavoured chicken oil, made by slowly rendering chicken fat over low heat, then infusing it with aromatics and spices. The oil is then mixed into the rice before cooking, which gives the grains their signature taste and scent.

For better taste and texture, he prefers 60-day-old chickens from free-range farms in Malaysia.

“At this age, the meat tends to be more flavourful and pleasantly firm,” notes the award-winning chef. Unlike traditional Hainanese chicken rice, where the chicken is generally poached, chef Liew says, “We steam the chicken to keep the meat tender and maintain its flavour. Since our chickens aren’t overly fatty, we don’t put them in ice water after cooking. That technique is often used to create the jelly-like layer of set fat beneath the skin, but it’s not our way.”

The restaurant has a devoted following. “We have regular guests who come back just for our Mandarin Chicken Rice at least three times a week,” shares chef Liew. “We even have regulars who fly in for a day just to dine with us, and then take away for their family and friends back home.”

After the success of its Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised hawker stall at Tiong Bahru Market, founders Anders and Max Cheong opened the brand’s first restaurant on Orchard Road in November 2025.

“At a destination like Takashimaya, we serve not only Singaporeans but also many tourists, so the customer profile is quite different from our hawker stalls,” they explain. “At the restaurant, we have significantly higher overheads in terms of labour and rent, and those are key considerations when formulating eventual price.”

The restaurant serves not only a larger standard portion of chicken, there are also three exclusive rice options: basmati rice that is low-GI; premium Niigata Koshihikari rice often used for sushi; and the signature Thai Hom Mali fragrant rice. These are prepared in small batches and cooked in high-end Japanese rice cookers for a superior fluffy texture.

Also exclusive to the restaurant is a modern French-inspired take on the dish – Baked French Poulet served with Japanese Rice (S$60++) – which is slow-baked to retain its natural juices while achieving a crisp, golden skin.

The Cheongs remain clear-eyed about customer perceptions. “To Singaporeans, chicken rice is an everyday dish, so psychologically, there will always be a ceiling as most people will benchmark it against hawker prices. But having moved into a restaurant setting with service, ambience and more premium sourcing, our hope is that expectations will shift. We also believe that consistency is actually one of the biggest markers of ‘premium’. Delivering the same standard plate after plate for almost 40 years has not been easy.”

To chef Sho Naganuma, including chicken rice on the menu of the Hibiki-led modern izakaya made perfect sense. “For many years, the perception was that Suntory whisky was too expensive, too premium, too exclusive,” he shares.

Now that the whisky maker has expanded production capacity to meet demand, it launched Barrel partly to democratise the enjoyment of Japanese whisky. Chicken rice, he felt, embodied that egalitarian ideal.

“It’s the perfect dish that everyone loves. It’s very accessible – you can find it everywhere.”

The Barrel Chicken Rice (S$46++) is a faithful, if opulent, rendition of the classic dish. It features succulent premium hormone-free chicken on Japanese rice, drizzled with a luscious oyster sauce that’s incredibly 40% Hibiki whisky, then topped generously with Oscietra caviar.

“It’s my personal favourite,” shares the ebullient Japanese chef. “The chicken rice, the ginger, a bit of Hibiki sauce and caviar all together. Even without the chicken, it’s very good.”

“People don’t really know this, but in Europe, we eat a lot of rice,” shares The Plump Frenchman’s ​​chef Lorenz Hoja. “So, the idea of chicken and rice had been introduced to me when I was very young. My mother made blanquette de volaille with a creamy sauce and pilaf rice. That’s very traditional.”

In 2012, while the German chef was working at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, he also made ‘Chicken Rice’-style Chicken legs with Foie Gras and Cognac for a special National Day menu. So, it’s perhaps no surprise Chicken Rice (S$98++) is one of the French bistro’s star dishes.

Served in a generous copper pan, it features a whole roasted chicken, perfectly crisp from the rotisserie, topped with house made sriracha, uni-mayo and prawns.

“We use a heavy, homemade chicken stock, and add ginger, garlic, lemongrass and lime leaves. And we do something different: we cook the prawns with the rice, so the flavour comes through.” The uni-mayonnaise was inspired by the aioli that’s sometimes served with paella.

“I really love the explosion of flavours, so we added it for colour and flavour. It’s amazing with the chicken.”

At chef-patron Julien Royer’s Claudine, the chicken rice is a treat that’s reserved exclusively for weekend brunches. More akin to a classic French Sunday roast, the Whole Roasted Chicken (S$138++) is served with fragrant Niigata rice, and finished simply with spring onions, roasted garlic and a rich chicken jus.

Executive chef Julien Mercier, a fan of Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice in Kuala Lumpur, was inspired to replicate the depth of flavour developed through the traditional claypot technique, particularly the deeply caramelised, crispy rice at the bottom of the pot.

“An evolution of the ‘off-menu’ roasted chicken dish served to regulars at three-Michelin-starred Odette, the poulet undergoes a meticulous five-day preparation, involving a 12-hour sugar and salt brine for thorough seasoning, followed by four days of dry-aging to deepen flavour and tenderness. It is then air-dried before being roasted with butter, garlic and thyme in a cast iron cocotte to achieve its golden, crisp skin,” says chef Mercier.

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