This was inspired by one of my favorite Southeast Asian dishes, khao man gai, also known as Hainanese chicken rice. Although I find Southeast Asian cuisine to have heavy, bold flavors, I love how flavorful, yet light, Hainanese chicken rice is.

I steamed the chicken thighs until they were perfectly cooked and juicy. As my rice was cooking, I added some of the chicken soup and fat that came out as the thighs cooked, imparting all the flavors into the rice. For the sauce, I always love the scallion oil that comes with Hainanese chicken rice, so I made my version by pouring hot oil over the scallions and seasoning to taste.

After plating everything, I still wanted some spice and smokiness, so I added some chili crisp over the rice. After adding the scallion oil over the chicken, I topped everything off with some sesame seeds.