That Pho King Chicken Over Rice
Hainanese chicken rice and Halal-style chicken over rice collide at the Pho King Rapidos food truck in Denver.
long nguyen and shauna seaman | Photos; Will Blunt
When Long Nguyen and Shauna Seaman first moved to New York City, their friends brought them to The Halal Guys cart on the corner. “It was after a few nights of drinking, and we were like, ‘oh my god, it’s so good,” says Nguyen, chef and co-owner of Pho King Rapidos.
So when he and Seaman were developing recipes for their Vietnamese-inspired food truck, they kept thinking about that chicken over rice, and how it reminded them of a dish from Southeast Asia: Hainanese chicken rice. “It’s so simple, but such a flavorful dish, because you’re essentially boiling the chicken, then using the stock to make the rice.”
Nguyen and Seaman noticed that, while many of the spices and marinades may be different, both dishes ignite the same feelings: comfort, affordability, and the often unspoken rule of mixing all the components together in order to get the full experience. After a lot of trial and error, Nguyen and Seaman landed on a recipe for their own rendition of chicken over rice that “hits all the spots.”
Chicken Over Rice: Turmeric, Ginger Garlic Rice, Mustard Greens, Confit Garlic, White Sauce, and Szechuan Chile Crisp
THE RICE
Similar to Hainanese chicken rice, Nguyen simmers jasmine rice in a garlic, ginger, and chicken broth, made specifically for this dish and this dish only. The aromatic rice is thrown on the flat top à la minute, adding a crunch-factor similar to the crispy bits left at the bottom of the rice pot.
THE CHICKEN
After hand-prepping each chicken thigh, Nguyen marinates them in sugar, garlic, lemongrass, and fish sauce. “It gets seared on a plancha before it’s served,” he says. “The idea is it’s like street food, so you don’t have to cut it with a fork and knife.”
THE MUSTARD GREENS
“When you eat in a lot of Asian settings, you’ll have a meat, vegetable, and a soup,” says Nguyen. “This is the vegetable part.” Nguyen steams the mustard greens, then drops them into an ice bath to retain their vibrant color. The chopped greens are mixed with confit garlic oil and fresh-grated garlic, which cuts through any remaining bitterness.
THE CHILE CRISP
Pho King’s “PKR Tingly Crisp” doesn’t shy away from spice. It’s made with a combination of garlic, red pepper flakes, Thai chile, Szechuan peppercorns, and lemongrass. “It has a good kick to it. It has that lingering tingly numbness from all the spices,” notes Nguyen. “We plate it to the corner so that you can add however much you want.”
Pho King Rapidos food truck
THE WHITE SAUCE
“It’s 100 percent influenced by The Halal Guys,” says Nguyen. “We love the light creaminess that it adds to the dish. It ties everything together.” Like The Halal Guys, Pho King’s white sauce is yogurt-based with mayonnaise, lime juice, and sugar, but Nguyen adds a touch of fennel powder to tie in the Vietnamese flavor profile. The white sauce acts as a binder, coating every bite of juicy chicken, fragrant rice, crunchy mustard greens, and the zippy, lemongrass-tinged chile crisp.
