Chao Ga / Vietnamese Chicken Porridge
Growing up, my mom had a way of showing her love without many words. Her affection often came in the form of food, and cháo gà was her remedy for almost everything. If I was feeling under the weather, I knew what was coming: the comforting aroma of chicken simmering on the stove, mingling with
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup Uncooked Jasmine Rice
- 2 lbs Chicken Quarters
- 2 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 4 Quarts Water
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 2 inch Knob Ginger
- 1 inch Nub Rock Sugar
- 1 tbsp MSG
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- Cilantro
- Green Onion
- Ginger
- Fried Shallots
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- 1
Chicken:
- 2
Scrub chicken with kosher salt and rinse with cold tap water 1-2 times to help reduce chicken odor
- 3
Prep:
- 4
Cut yellow onion and knob of ginger in half
- 5
For garnishes, thinly slice and julienne ginger, finely chop up green onion and cilantro
- 6
To prep rice, take one cup of uncooked rice and toast in a dry frying pan on medium heat for 2 minutes or until grains of rice turns to an opaque white color
- 7
Cook:
- 8
Bring 4 quarts of water up to a boil in a stockpot. Add cleaned chicken quarters, half a yellow onion, and a 2-inch knob of ginger. Bring the water back up to a boil, skim off the impurities, and then reduce the heat to low
- 9
Simmer covered with a slight crack for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender
- 10
Remove chicken and aromatics from the pot, and skim away any other impurities
- 11
Season broth with a 1-inch nub of rock sugar, one tablespoon of MSG, and half a teaspoon of salt
- 12
Add toasted rice, bring back up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer covered with a slight crack for 40-50 minutes or until the rice has fully expanded and grains begin to dissolve into the stock
- 13
Season to taste with fish sauce, and then make a cornstarch slurry and add to the rice porridge for a velvety finish
- 14
Serve:
- 15
Shred chicken by hand or cut with a knife. Then, ladle rice porridge into a bowl. Top with chicken and garnishes of choice, and enjoy!