Chiayi is famous for its turkey rice (火雞肉飯), one of Taiwan’s most deceptively simple comfort foods. Traditionally, it’s made with turkey, but for this home-friendly version, I use chicken — it’s much easier to find and cook in small batches, and the result is still incredibly delicious.

At first glance, the dish looks almost suspiciously plain: tender chicken over steamed rice with a little sauce. But most of its character comes from what you don’t immediately see — fragrant chicken fat, crispy fried shallots, and a light savory-sweet sauce made with the chicken cooking broth.

Think of it almost as a lighter cousin of Taiwanese lu rou fan. You still get plenty of savory richness and fried-shallot aroma, but without a heavy braised sauce overwhelming the rice.

Homemade chicken fat and fried shallots will give you the fullest flavor, but don’t let either of those stop you from making this dish. Store-bought fried shallots and neutral oil are perfectly good shortcuts, and even the simplified version is absolutely worth trying.

💡 Tips

Why I Use Residual-Heat Poaching

This poaching method comes from the technique I use for Shanghai- and Cantonese-style white-cut chicken (bai qie ji / 白切雞).

Instead of keeping the chicken over direct heat until it’s completely cooked, I give it a short initial simmer, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the residual heat in the water to finish cooking the meat gently.

I find that this gives me much better control over doneness, especially with lean chicken that can become dry surprisingly quickly. As the temperature of the water gradually drops, the chicken cooks in a gentler environment than it would under a continuous boil.

The 15–20 minute resting time is only a guideline. A small boneless piece will cook considerably faster than a large, thick, bone-in piece. Adjust the timing according to the cut you’re using; larger or bone-in pieces may require a longer covered poach.

Use a Good-Quality Soy Sauce

Because the sauce in this recipe is so simple, the flavor of the soy sauce really comes through. This is one of those dishes where using a good-quality soy sauce can genuinely make a noticeable difference.

A well-made soy sauce brings more than just saltiness — it can contribute fermented depth, subtle sweetness, umami, and a fuller, more rounded aroma. With so few ingredients in the sauce, those nuances have nowhere to hide.

You don’t need anything particularly expensive or fancy. Just use a soy sauce that you genuinely enjoy the flavor of on its own. In a simple dish like this, a better soy sauce really can make a better bowl of chicken rice.

Store-Bought Fried Shallots Are Totally Fine

If you don’t feel like frying your own shallots, store-bought fried shallots work perfectly well in this recipe. You can usually find them at Asian grocery stores.

Making them yourself does have one major advantage: frying the shallots in rendered chicken fat creates an incredibly aromatic shallot-infused chicken fat, which can then be drizzled directly over the rice.

But convenience is completely valid here. Use a good packaged fried shallot, skip the frying step, and move on with the recipe.

No Chicken Fat? Make It Anyway.

Chicken fat gives this dish extra richness and a distinctly savory chicken aroma, but don’t let the lack of chicken fat stop you from making the recipe.

You can fry the shallots in a neutral cooking oil instead, or simply use store-bought fried shallots and skip rendering chicken fat altogether.

The finished rice won’t have quite the same depth or chicken aroma as the full version, but it will still be genuinely delicious and absolutely worth making.

For the fullest flavor: rendered chicken fat + homemade fried shallots.

For an easy shortcut: neutral oil + store-bought fried shallots.

Both work.

Don’t Throw Away the Shallot-Infused Chicken Fat

If you make the fried shallots yourself, the fat left behind is one of the best parts of the recipe.

It picks up both the savory aroma of the chicken and the sweetness of the fried shallots. Reserve it and drizzle just a little over the hot rice when assembling.

You don’t need much. The goal is fragrance and richness, not greasy rice.

Preserved Radish & Substitutions

A small amount of Taiwanese preserved radish (cài pú / 菜脯) adds a subtle savory, fermented depth to the sauce.

If yours comes in a larger piece, use one small piece. If you’re using chopped preserved radish, 10–15g is plenty.

If you can’t find preserved radish, you can simply leave it out — the dish will still be delicious.

Alternatively, add a small amount of miso or fermented tofu (腐乳) to the sauce. Neither is a direct substitute for preserved radish, but both can provide that extra background layer of savory, fermented complexity.

Start with just a little, especially with fermented tofu, since different brands vary considerably in saltiness and intensity. The sauce shouldn’t taste distinctly like miso or fermented tofu; you’re simply looking for a subtle fermented undertone that makes the overall flavor feel a little deeper and more rounded.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 500g chicken (bone-in or boneless)
• 1L water
• 7g salt

For the Rendered Chicken Fat:

• Chicken fat and skin, trimmed from the chicken, as needed

You will need approximately 100g rendered chicken fat if making the fried shallots from scratch.

For the Fried Shallots:

• 60g shallots, thinly sliced
• About 100g rendered chicken fat (or neutral oil)

Store-bought fried shallots can be substituted — see Tips.

For the Sauce:

• All of the reserved chicken cooking broth
• 3 tbsp good-quality soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rock sugar
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• Crispy fried shallots, from above
• Crispy rendered chicken skin, optional
• 1 small piece Taiwanese preserved radish (cài pú / 菜脯), or 10–15g finely chopped preserved radish, optional

For the Quick-Pickled Cucumber:

• 100g cucumber, thinly sliced
• 5g salt
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1½ tbsp granulated sugar

For Serving:

• Steamed white rice
• Shredded chicken
• Shallot-infused chicken fat
• Prepared sauce
• Crispy fried shallots
• Quick-pickled cucumber
• Fried egg with a runny yolk, optional

Instructions

1. Poach the chicken. Combine 1L water and 7g salt in a pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken. Once the water returns to a gentle simmer, cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken finish cooking gently in the residual heat for 15–20 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly before shredding or slicing. Do not discard the cooking liquid. Reserve all of the broth for making the sauce. The exact poaching time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken and whether you’re using bone-in or boneless pieces, so treat 15–20 minutes as a guideline rather than a fixed rule.

2. Render the chicken fat. If you’re starting with a whole chicken, you’ll usually find small pockets of soft yellow or white fat around the cavity, near the tail, and underneath loose areas of skin. Simply trim off these fatty pieces along with any excess skin and save them for rendering. If you’re not sure where to find enough chicken fat — or simply don’t want to deal with it — feel free to skip it altogether and use a neutral cooking oil for the fried shallots instead. And if you’re curious about how I collect and render chicken fat from a whole chicken, feel free to DM me on Instagram — I’m always happy to help! To render the fat, place the trimmed chicken fat and skin in a cold pan and set it over the lowest heat. Let everything cook slowly, allowing the fat to gradually melt out. Continue cooking until the skin and fatty solids are deep golden and crisp and most of the fat has rendered. Strain and reserve the rendered chicken fat. Save the crispy chicken skin for serving, if desired.

3. Fry the shallots. Add approximately 100g rendered chicken fat to a pan and heat to around 130°C / 265°F. Add the 60g thinly sliced shallots and fry over medium heat for about 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low. Continue frying slowly until the shallots are evenly golden and crisp. Strain, reserving both the crispy shallots and the shallot-infused chicken fat. Keep a close eye on the shallots toward the end — they’ll continue to darken after they’re removed from the hot fat, so pull them slightly before they reach your ideal final color.

4. Make the sauce. Add all of the reserved chicken broth to a saucepan along with the soy sauce, rock sugar, white pepper, some of the crispy fried shallots, and the crispy chicken skin and preserved radish, if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes, allowing the chicken, fried shallot, and preserved radish flavors to infuse into the broth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. The finished sauce should be savory, gently sweet, and deeply aromatic, but it shouldn’t taste excessively dark, salty, or heavy.

5. Make the quick-pickled cucumber. Toss the 100g sliced cucumber with 5g salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes to draw out some of its moisture. Rinse thoroughly, then drain and gently squeeze out the excess water. Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar and 1½ tbsp granulated sugar and toss well. Let the cucumber marinate while you finish the rest of the dish.

6. Assemble the chicken rice. Spoon hot steamed white rice into each bowl. Arrange the shredded chicken generously over the top. Drizzle with a small amount of the reserved shallot-infused chicken fat, followed by enough sauce to season the chicken and rice without completely soaking them. Finish with plenty of crispy fried shallots. Serve with the quick-pickled cucumber and, if you like, a fried egg with a runny yolk.

Serving Suggestions

The classic combination is wonderfully simple: hot white rice + shredded chicken + chicken fat + sauce + crispy fried shallots.

The quick-pickled cucumber brings acidity and crunch to balance the richness. For a more substantial bowl, I also love adding a fried egg with a runny yolk — once the yolk breaks into the rice and sauce, it adds another layer of richness without making the dish feel overly heavy.

Most importantly, don’t drown the rice in sauce. This isn’t supposed to eat like a heavily braised rice bowl. The individual grains of rice should remain distinct, with the chicken fat and sauce lightly coating and seasoning them.

Flavor Profile

Taiwan Chiayi-style chicken rice is savory, gently sweet, deeply aromatic, and surprisingly light.

The poached chicken itself is deliberately mild and tender. The real character comes from the fragrant chicken fat, intensely aromatic fried shallots, and light soy-based sauce. A little preserved radish adds a subtle fermented backbone without becoming an obvious flavor of its own.

The pickled cucumber cuts through the richness with acidity and crunch.

Compared with something richer like Taiwanese lu rou fan, this dish can look almost understated — but that simplicity is exactly what makes it so good.

It’s essentially tender chicken, hot rice, fragrant fat, crispy shallots, and just enough savory-sweet sauce to bring everything together.