Chicken Congee / Arroz Caldo
While being sick all week last week, I had a craving for Filipino comfort food, arroz caldo, or congee. It’s basically rice soup with chicken in porridge consistency. I wanted that taste of ginger and soupy rice so badly. So I made some. The thing is, I actually can’t remember the last time I made arroz caldo. Let’s just say I enjoyed every warm bowl of arroz caldo last week.
By the way, the best rice to use in congee is sticky rice. The kind I use for sushi but I didn’t have any so I just used what I have which is the regular long grain rice. Fish sauce is also good with this but I’m low on Pinoy supplies so I just used salt. Believe it or not, my life didn’t crumble with those substitutes. When you crave for something, make it work with what you have.
Chicken Congee/Arroz Caldo
Ingredients
- 6 pcs chicken(thighs or legs)
- 2 thumb-size ginger (peeled, chopped finely)
- 1 sm onion (peeled, chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled, chopped finely)
- 2 cups rice
- water (enough to cover)
- 3 tbsp oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- In a pot, heat up the oil. Cook the onions, garlic, and ginger for 2-3 minutes or so. Add the chicken pieces to brown. Add the rice, and enough water to cover the chicken. Stir in salt and pepper. Use fish sauce instead of salt if you have any. Cover the pot and let that boil until the rice forms a thick, porridge like consistency. Stir occasionally. Add more water if necessary and adjust the seasonings to your taste.
- Serve in individual bowls, with a squirt of lemon wedge if you want.
You can also use leftover cooked chicken, like from a roast the day before. Pull the meat apart for the bones and add to the pot midway into boiling the rice.
