Chao Ga

During my 5 week stay in New York prior to permanently moving here, I started missing Vietnamese dishes that were so easily accessible in California. I set out to find a recipe in order to make chao ga (chicken congee/porridge). With a little bit of tweaking here and there, I successfully made a delicious pot that would rival my mother's! I was extremely proud of myself considering it was late at night when I started...this recipe was very time consuming and took 3+ hours to complete. If you are on a time crunch, fear not! You can always skip making your own stock by using chicken broth as your base instead! That will significantly cut down the time needed to prepare this wonderfully filling dish! Make sure to get broth that is not high in sodium so you can control the salt! You would probably need at least 2 (32 oz.) box of chicken broth if you are using the shortcut. I added chicken broth and a chicken bouillon cube to the stock afterwards because I found it to be a bit lacking in chicken flavor; to be fair, I only simmered my stock for a little over 2 hours. I am not sure whether just simmering all those ingredients in equal parts chicken broth and water to boil the chicken would yield the same results in less time. I will definitely have to experiment with this idea the next time I make it and will update everyone on my experiment. If you happen to take the shortcut route, please let me know how successful or unsuccessful it was! You would only simmer the broth until the chicken was fully cooked through (about 30 minutes). I would not advise using only chicken broth, because it would be very salty. Use equal parts chicken broth and water. You can always add more chicken broth or a bouillon cube if necessary!

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Stock: • 5 chicken thighs, bone in & with skin • 1 two-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled & halved lengthwise • 5 whole cloves garlic, peeled • 1 onion, peeled & quartered • 10 peppercorns • salt • 1 2 lb. box of chicken broth and 1 chicken bouillon cube

Congee: • 2 tbsp olive oil • 3/4 cup jasmine rice, rinsed & drained • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 3 small shallots, diced • 1 tbsp fresh, minced ginger <--- I don't like ginger in my chao so I omitted it! • 4 stalks scallion, thinly sliced (white for soup, green for garnish) • 1 tsp. sugar to start • salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste • handful fresh Vietnamese coriander leaves, chopped (optional) • handful fresh Thai basil leaves, chopped (optional) • handful fresh spearmint leaves, chopped (optional) • lime wedges (optional)

Directions:

1. Lightly salt both sides of each chicken thigh to give it a bit of flavor, being careful not to oversalt. 

2. To make the stock, put first set of ingredients into a 6-qt stock pot and fill up with half cold water half chicken broth or until all ingredients are submerged. Bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to let stock gently simmer. Allow chicken to poach for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken and allow to cool and continue to simmer the stock. Once cooled, carefully take meat off the bones and try to keep the meat in large pieces. Return skin and bones to stock pot to continue simmering. The chicken meat can then be shredded into long, thin strips for use in congee or salad (I leave the shredded chicken out until the last 15 minutes of cooking and then put half of it back into the chao). Continue to add chicken broth to stock pot to keep ingredients submerged for the remainder of the cooking time and 1 cube of chicken bouillon for more flavor. I simmered the stock for at least 2 hours, but ideally it should simmer for 6 hours or longer. Once done, pour stock through a fine mesh strainer into another stock pot. Discard the solids and continue to simmer the stock.

3. Rinse and drain the rice thoroughly. Heat up a skillet with olive oil, shallot, ginger (I don't like ginger in my chao so I omitted it), garlic, and rice and toss until rice is fragrant and fully coated with oil (turns a little yellow). Transfer the rice to the pot of simmering stock. Cook for another 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. 10 - 15 minutes before the rice is completely done, add white part of scallions, sugar, salt, and pepper. Serve in soup bowl, topped with shredded chicken and chopped herbs. Squeezing a bit of lime into the congee gives it a burst of freshness. Mix all the ingredients up before eating.

*The salt, pepper, and sugar should be added sparingly, to taste. I like my chao ga with a hint of sweetness, but everyone has different expectations when it comes to taste! Season it however you would like and enjoy! This is a great recipe to try on a gloomy day; it warms you right up and fills you up! Have fun with the recipe and make it your own!