i've done hainanese chicken rice a few different ways to preserve the rice or the chicken, probably
This Hainanese chicken and rice dish is soul-warming and comforting. A succulent whole chicken is gently poached until it reaches tender perfection. It is sliced and presented atop a bed of fragrant rice, each grain infused with chicken broth and garlic. But it's not just the chicken and rice...
tasty.co
but instead of putting water over the chicken and then boiling it, i'd boil the water to boil and blanch the chicken whole for 2mins, this "toughens" up the skin more. dunk in icecold bath to cold and then put back into boiling pot, set temp to low
i don't know if you need to cook/fry the rice ingredients before, i've done both and i'll still give it a saute, (to render the chicken fat) you really need A LOT of chicken fat to really bring out the yummy, so don't be frugal in trimming off the fat, i even cut out the entire butt and use it exclusively for the chicken rice.
i don't bother incorporating the rice into the wok, i just prefer to dump the rendered chicken fat/butt and garlic/ginger into the rice cooker.
i've seen ppl say to wash the rice and soak for 20 and then drain/dry for 20, i don't bother with that, it didn't seem to make a difference, maybe cuz i use a zoshi, idk. i do recommend only using jasmine rice, it does "smell" (more fragrant?") better and that just adds to it, and i wholey only use the water from the chicken to cook the rice.
thats my alterations to that recipe.