Chicken Arozcaldo is a popular rice porridge that is popular in Asian countries. This porridge is made from rice that has been simmered until soft. This can be serve plain or with sliced steam chicken and/or hard boiled egg. It is a filling comforting soup, easy to prepare with very few ingredients.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Mami), Chicken Macaroni Soup (Sopas),Chocolate Rice Pudding (Champorado) and Arozz Caldo are only few of my Filipino comfort food on cold rainy days when I was  in the Philippines and even more now that I live in Canada. We don’t get much snow in Vancouver, but we get our fair share of cold days, and quite a lot of rainy days too. For me, there nothing more comforting than hot bowl of soup on days like that. 

What is Arozcaldo?

Arozcaldo is an Asian rice porridge. Similar to “Congee” and a soup style version of  “Risotto”. It’s basically a sticky rice simmered in chicken stock until soft. It’s very easy to prepare and yet very filling so it is not surprising that this is a common thing we have in the Philippines, aside from the fact that it is rice based.  Arozcaldo always reminds me of home, my childhood and most especially my family. This is always the go to soup of my Mom when I’m feeling sick, and it never failed to make me feel better. After all, mother knows best. 

Can I Use Regular Rice? 

Technically you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The texture will be different which will ruin the experience of enjoying this soup. You can easily find sticky rice in any Asian store or supermarket or in the International section of the grocery.

Can I Use Chicken Thighs or Legs? 

Definitely! In fact, I make this using chicken legs and Chicken Wings most or the time. Chicken legs, wings and thighs are cheaper than chicken breast, plus it saves time by not having to slice the chicken. Although chicken breast is more lean, healthy and filling, the chicken legs, wings and thighs seems to be more flavorful. In the end it is up to you, your budget and your preference.

What Can I Substitute for Chicken Powder?

If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s always nice to try something different from time to time and experience different cuisine. Although arozz caldo is Spanish sounding, it has its origin from “Congee” (also a rice porridge). Now, Arozz Caldo is being made almost in every Filipino household using Filipino ingredients.

What are the Ingredients for Arozz Caldo?

• Sticky Rice – You can buy this in Asian store or in the International section of the grocery
• Chicken Breast – Chicken breast, thigh, wings or legs will work. Check the instruction below for details.
• Olive Oil – or any flavorless oil will work
• Onion – I used yellow onion, white will work too
• Ginger – This adds taste to the soup, a slight heat and it works well with chicken
• Garlic – This is very important as well for providing taste to the soup. Watch out for it when cooking as it get burn easily.  
• Chicken Stock – I strongly suggest using a broth (homemade or store-bought) for better taste
• Chicken Powder – This is basically the base seasoning of the soup
• Salt, Pepper & Red Chili Flakes – For additional flavoring on top of the chicken powder
• Hard Boiled Egg – Optional, but It is really a nice addition to the soup
• Green Onion

How to Make Arroz Caldo

• Saute the Aromatics: Start by sautéing to garlic, onion and ginger. This step will extract the flavor of these ingredients so take time in doing it. Stir from time to time to avoid burning the ingredients.
• Add the chicken: If using chicken breast, do not cut it. Leave it whole to avoid from getting dry. If using chicken legs, thighs or wings, use it as is. Use a large pan for easy cooking.
• Add the Broth and Sticky Rice: Pour the broth, add the sticky rice, chicken powder, salt and peppers. Simmer until the rice is cook, you will notice the rice grains will expand just like a regular rice. If the water reduced before the ride cooks, add more broth as needed. If using chicken breast, remove the chicken once cook and set aside for later. Chicken breast when cook too long can get dry so it is important to remove it and let the rice continue cooking. If using chicken legs, wings or thighs, you can leave it until the rice cooks. It will flavor the soup better. Taste and adjust Seasoning as desired. Often times, I add more Chili flakes because I like I spicy.
• To serve, pour in the serving bowl and arrange with sliced chicken breast. If not using chicken breast, serve with the chicken legs, wings or thighs.
• Hard Boiled Egg is optional, but I always add one to mine. Garnish with green onion and sprinkle with red chili flakes. 

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 2 small white Onion – thinly sliced 
• 1 small fresh Ginger (15g)- thinly sliced 
• 2 cloves of Garlic – minced 
• 1 Chicken Breast  
• 1/3 cup Sticky Rice
• 3 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
• 3 tablespoon Chicken Powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt – ONLY if not using chicken soup powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Chili Flakes 
• 2 Hard boiled Egg
• Green Onion (optional) – for garnishing

Instructions:

1. Sauté oil, onion, garlic and ginger, about 1 minute.
2. Add chicken and sauté for another minute.
3. Add sticky rice, chicken stock and simmer on low medium heat for 50 minutes or until the rice is cooked and soft. At 20 minutes, remove the chicken breast and set aside. Cooking time of chicken vary on the size of the chicken breast, adjust as needed. Stir from time to time to avoid sticking at the bottom. Add chicken powder and mix until distributed. If you do not have chicken powder, you can season it with salt, black pepper, red chili flakes and paprika. You may need to increase the seasoning measurement, adjust the seasoning to your taste.
4. Serve: Transfer in serving bowl. Slice the chicken breast and arrange on top of the soup.
5. Add Hard Boiled Egg and garnish with green onion and red chili flakes.

Serves 2  -3

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