Hong Kong Clay Pot Rice With Chicken

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Hong Kong Clay Pot Rice, or bo zai fan, is a beloved Hong Kong dish that brings together fragrant steamed rice, chinese sausage and crispy golden crust cooked in a traditional clay pot. This comforting meal is slow-cooked over an open flame creating a signature crunchy rice layer at the bottom.

Marinated chicken and Chinese sausage on top of clay pot rice, garnished with chopped green onions and soy sauce, served in a bowl.

What is clay pot rice?

Clay pot rice originates from southern China, particularly in the Guangdong province and Hong Kong where my family is from. We appreciate slow-cooked meals because it makes the meat extra tender and soft.

This dish goes great with leafy vegetables like choy sum or Chinese broccoli. Cooking rice in a clay pot gives the dish an earthy aroma and helps the rice at the bottom form a nice and crispy crust. If you don’t have a clay pot, you can use a regular pot or a rice cooker ◡̈

Ingredients:

Chicken thigh, jasmine rice, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms, chicken bouillon, salt, sugar, soy sauce, white pepper, cooking wine, corn starch, olive oil, ginger, and green onion laid out on the counter.

Chicken thigh is generally used for this dish for it’s juicy flavor. You can use chicken breast if you like. The corn starch and oil marinade will make the meat tender and soft.
Chinese seasonings – white pepper, shaoxing cooking wine, and ginger makes the chicken extra fragrant and removes the gaminess of the meat.
Soy sauce – adds saltiness to the chicken. I recommend using low sodium so it doesn’t make your dish too salty. Especially we add more soy sauce at the end of the dish.
Chinese sausage – preserved sausage is found in most Chinese grocery stores. Sometimes they’re in the refrigerated section or in the preserved meats section.

Substitutions and Variations

Rice Cooker: If you don’t have a clay pot, you can use a rice cooker or a pot on the stove. If you use a rice cooker, follow my Rice Cooker Chinese Chicken Rice recipe that is very similar to this clay pot rice.
Rice Substitutes – Traditionally, white jasmine or short-grain rice is used. If you prefer to use brown rice, feel free to use it. However, you may need to consider adding more water or adjust the rice to water ratio to ensure your rice is soft and fluffy.
Chinese preserved meats – salted fish or dried shrimp/scallop can be used instead of Chinese sausage or preserved pork belly. The dried seafood can be found in Asian grocery stores and provide a fragrant (sometimes ocean flavor haha) flavor to your rice.

How to Make Chinese Chicken Clay Pot:

A bowl of rinsed rice, ready for cooking.

Step 1. Wash rice until the water runs clear.

Raw, cut pieces of chicken on a white cutting board.

Step 2. Cut 1 pound of boneless chicken thigh in 1 inch pieces.

Raw chicken pieces in a bowl with flour and seasonings being prepared for marination or mixing.

Step 3. To marinate the chicken, add the following ingredients: salt, white pepper, shaoxing cooking wine, soy sauce, ginger, chicken bouillon, sugar, corn starch, water, and olive oil. Marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 4. Add your rice and water to the clay pot. Place clay pot on fire and turn heat to high. Cover the clay pot and cook for 5-7 minutes until the water is boiling (covered).

Marinated chicken, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger slices placed on top of boiling rice.

Step 5. When the water is boiling, add chinese sausage, marinated chicken and shiitake mushrooms.

Adding olive oil to clay pot with rice, marinated chicken, Chinese sausage, and shiitake mushrooms.

Step 6. Finally, add 1 tablespoon olive oil at the top. Cover the clay pot and turn the heat to low-medium. Cook for roughly 15 minutes (cook for 20 minutes if you like extra crispy rice, but be careful not to burn the rice!).

Pro Tip: While cooking, you can move the pot in different positions to ensure that there’s an even layer of crispy rice at the bottom.

Step 7: Take the pot off of the heat and let it rest covered for 10-20 minutes. Then take off the lid, add green onions and sweet soy sauce. Mix everything together.

Marinated chicken and Chinese sausage on top of clay pot rice, garnished with chopped green onions and soy sauce.

Expert Tips

To ensure the rice doesn’t burn, you need to cook it on low heat and move the pot around on the same stove. This ensures even cooking.
Chinese sausage adds saltiness and oil to your rice (which makes it extra fragrant). If you don’t add this, you will need to add more soy sauce to ensure your rice tastes savory.
Soaking your rice with water 15 minutes before cooking also helps cook the rice faster.

Recipe FAQs

Where can I buy a clay pot?

I bought mine at a Japanese home goods store. You can also find them at asian grocery stores like 99 ranch or Hmart. Amazon is also a good place to find a clay pot. Remember that clay pots can crack easily when you first use them, so I would suggest finding how to prep the coating first!

What if I don’t have a clay pot?

No worries. You can still use your stove pot to make this rice. Follow the same instructions and try to cook on lower heat to ensure the rice doesn’t burn at the bottom.

My rice isn’t crispy enough. Why is that?

It takes some practice to make crispy rice from the clay pot. Due to the nature of different thicknesses and materials in the clay pot, the instructions are not perfect. You will also have to play with how strong your fire is. If you have too strong of a fire, you will risk burning your rice or having undercooked rice kernals.