Chao Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Rice Porridge)
A steaming bowl of cháo gá or Vietnamese chicken rice porridge made with fragrant rice enveloped in a delicate aromatic chicken broth and shreds of tender poached chicken and topped with fresh herbs and fried shallots is the most comforting, heartwarming experience.
Servings 12 servings
Calories 348kcal
Ingredients
Chicken Broth
- 1 3.5-4 lbs whole free-range chicken
- 3 large shallots peeled and halved
- 3 inch knob (70 g) ginger peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 cubes palm sugar about 3 tablespoons
- 3 liters water about 12 1/2 cups
Porridge
- 2 shallot minced
- 11/2 cup (335 g) long-grain Jasmine rice washed
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Garnish
- Black Pepper ground
- Fried Shallots
- 1 bunch Cilantro chopped
- 4 stalks green onion sliced
Instructions
- Cook the chicken. In a large pot, add the chicken, halved shallots, sliced ginger, salt, and palm sugar. Then fill with 3 liters of water. Heat the water over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil, then boil the chicken for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat, skim the scum off the surface, cover the pot, and let the chicken sit for 1 hour, (flip the chicken halfway for even cooking).
- Shred the chicken. After 1 hour, remove the chicken and place it in an ice water bath for 3 minutes. Then shred the chicken and set aside. Using a spider strainer or slotted spoon, remove the ginger and shallots and discard.
- Prepare the rice. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Then drain and pat to dry. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 2 minced shallots. Cook until the shallots are translucent and fragrant. Then add the rice and toss to combine until the rice is lightly toasted about 5-6 minutes.
- Add rice and chicken broth. Add the chicken broth and rice into the large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Then boil for 10 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer on medium-low for another 35-40 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Stir periodically to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning.
- Season to taste. Season the chicken rice porridge soup with chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, and fish sauce. Adjust to taste.
- Serve. Ladle the rice porridge into bowls, top with the shredded chicken and garnish with black pepper, shallots, and chopped cilantro and green onion. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use high quality free range chicken: the flavor of the chao ga will be determined by the chicken that you use. For the best flavor and tender chicken, use a free range chicken.
- If you want to clean the chicken before cooking, scrub the whole chicken with about ½ tablespoon kosher salt and a cut lime. Then rinse it off with water.
- Season to taste: like any soup recipe, you will need to taste the chicken congee and season with salt, pepper, sugar, or fish sauce.
- Pay attention to the rice consistency. Once the rice begins to thicken the broth, adjust the consistency based on your preferences. If you’d like a thinner chicken porridge, add more chicken broth. For a thicker porridge soup, cook the rice even longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 1309mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 88IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg