Stay warm this winter by curling up with a bowl of cháo gà.
Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Cháo Gà)
Stay warm this winter by curling up with a bowl of "cháo gà," chicken rice porridge. Vietnamese cháo gà is a simple yet aromatic chicken rice porridge. Customize by cooking with leftover rice, using your preferred protein or adding veggies, like chopped carrots or corn.*
Servings 3 servings
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb chicken any parts, preferably bone-in and skin-on for more flavor
- 1 oz knob of ginger about 4 inches, peeled and sliced
- ½ yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 8 cups water enough to cover chicken and ingredients
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp mushroom seasoning** optional
- ½ cup uncooked jasmine rice*** optional to rinse
Optional Seasonings and Garnishes
- fish sauce
- ground pepper
- green onion chopped
- cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- To make broth, add chicken, ginger, onion, salt and mushroom seasoning (if using) to a large pot. Fill the pot with water, enough to cover ingredients.
- Boil pot on high heat. Reduce to a simmer. Let the stock simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, or until chicken is done.
- Use a ladle to skim any scum and foam off the top of the broth.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove from pot. Set aside to cool.
- Add rice to pot of broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice expands and is fully cooked. Stir frequently to keep rice from sticking together. While rice is cooking, shred chicken and prep garnishes.
- Once porridge finishes cooking, check consistency. If you want it thicker, continue cooking. If you want it looser, add water or broth. Adjust seasoning to your preferred taste using fish sauce, additional mushroom seasoning and/or salt.
- Ladle "cháo" (rice porridge) into bowls, top with "gá" (chicken). Garnish with black pepper, green onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
*Vietnamese “cháo,” rice porridge, traditionally consists of a simple rice base and a protein of choice, like offal or chicken. The only time my mother added vegetables was when she made “gỏi gá,” a chicken salad with shredded cabbage, to complement the cháo. Although this dish doesn’t feature vegetables, I like to add chopped carrots at the same time I add rice to the broth for additional nutrients. Feel free to explore and customize this dish to your taste preferences.
**If you don’t have mushroom seasoning, feel free to omit or substitute with chicken bouillon for additional flavor.
***Rinsing your rice is optional. If you prefer a thick porridge, use unwashed rice. Otherwise, rinse your rice to remove some of the starch for a looser porridge. You can also use leftover cooked rice!
To store leftovers: pack chicken and porridge in airtight containers separately. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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