It doesn't matter that one of our national dishes takes inspiration from Hainan's Wenchang chicken. The Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore that we have come to love is a result of local chefs adapting their cooking techniques to work with local chicken breeds while refining its flavours to cater to our unique palates.

Beyond the classic poached chicken, we can even enjoy roasted and soya sauce chicken. With the myriad of options, we may not agree on where to find the best chicken rice, but most of us will have favourite spots to tuck into this ubiquitous dish.

In the spirit of National Day, we spotlight some of our (and our friends) favourite Chicken Rice spots in Singapore to relish a flavourful plate of rice and poached chicken with (optional) lashings of chilli, ginger, and black soya sauce.

Tong Fong Fatt

From a single stall in Chong Pang selling sugarcane juice, Tong Fong Fatt now boasts over 20 stalls around Singapore.

Although service differs from place to place, the business upkeep its food standards with technology, ensuring its chicken is cooked to a silky smooth consistency everywhere. Its rice is not just aromatic but leaves a sweet-savoury aftertaste, which complements the tenders and boneless chicken doused in their housemade soy-based sauce.

We love that the chicken is served on a separate plate, even for single portions, so there's more of that yummy sauce for our chicken and rice!

Tong Fong Fatt is located at multiple locations around Singapore. 

Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice

Moving from its original location, Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice now calls the red brick blocks of Holland Drive its home. Wherever they are, their unctuous rice is good enough to eat on its own but you wouldn't want to miss out on their gelatinous chicken, paired with ground ginger-scallion sauce and chilli.

Besides being featured on the Singapore episode of Netflix's Street Food Asia, they've also earned their mark with Bib Gourmand- a recognition we support!

Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice is located at 40 Holland Drive, #01-39 Stall, #5, Singapore 270040 and multiple locations around Singapore.

Henry's Chicken Rice

In many ways, Teo of Henry's Chicken Rice can be considered the OG of chicken rice in Singapore. Besides serving old-school chicken rice, he's also an apprentice to the master chef of the famed Chatterbox Chicken Rice at Hilton Singapore Orchard.

And he's certainly proven his craft with the juicy and succulent chicken at his stall. Regulars swear by his roasted chicken rice, but what binds everything together is his homemade chilli sauce and a secret blend of soy with sesame sauce glazed over the chicken. And please don't call Teo, Henry, because that's the name of his son!

Henry's Chicken Rice is located at 117 Commonwealth Drive, Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre, #02-84, Singapore 140117. 

Katong Mei Wei

From People's Park Complex to Katong Shopping Centre (and a new tea cafe in Changi), Katong Mei Wei is the go-to place for chicken rice in the east.

Nevermind that it is nestled within the nostalgic Katong Shopping Centre, fans still make their way there for hearty plates of tender chicken rice, alongside complimentary boiled soup and achar — its sweet and sour notes make for a great palate cleanser between bites of the succulent chicken.

We loved the extra crunch from heaps of fried garlic on top of the chicken and would recommend an order of the refreshing Crystal Chicken Feet with loads of collagen. 

Katong Mei Wei is located at 865 Mountbatten Rd, Katong Shopping Centre, Singapore 437844.

Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat Hainanese Restaurant

There's no mistake; charcoal steamboats may be their main highlight now, but the forefathers of this Hainanese restaurant started by selling chicken rice.

To enjoy the best of both worlds, most diners to Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat Hainanese Restaurant will order the nostalgic steamboat set, together with poached chicken and the fragrant chicken oil-infused rice.

Gently flavoured yet not too oily, the rice pairs as well with the steamboat, as with the bouncy chicken dipped in its killer chilli and ginger sauces. 

Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat Hainanese Restaurant is located at 6001 Beach Rd, #B1-20 Golden Mile Tower, Singapore 199589.

Ah Boy Chicken Rice

When the chicken rice is raved about by celebrity chef Eric Teo, you know it's something you have to try. In fact, he calls it "one of the best chicken rice" he's ever tasted.

And it's not hard to see why, with its aromatic rice and chicken — choose between crispy roasted chicken or the smooth poached chicken with jelly skin slathered with a blend of soy sauce, sesame and chicken oil. Learn the ways of Chef Eric, and dip your chicken into their chilli sauce for maximum flavour and heat.

Ah Boy Chicken Rice is located at 678A Choa Chu Kang Cres, Singapore 681678.

Hainanese Delicacy

Withstanding the test of time, Hainanese Delicacy has fed generations of Singaporeans for the past 30 years, in the same little stall situated in Far East Plaza.

Being a cheaper and good alternative to the restaurants and cafes in Orchard Road, the family business is popular with the lunchtime work crowd. And for some of them, the stall might even hold cherished memories of student life.

The typical order here often includes bean sprouts and their popular Salted Duck Vegetable Soup alongside their silky chicken rice. It is also common for diners to order more than one plate of rice because it is good enough to eat on its own. 

Hainanese Delicacy is located at 14 Scotts Road, Far East Plaza #05-116, Singapore 228213.

This article was first published in City Nomads.