Chicken Arrozcaldo (with Turmeric)

I check my pantry more often now because I have to try and make use of what we have. Before the pandemic, whenever my family wants me to make a dish that I don’t normally make, I just go to the store for the ingredients that I don’t have. Nowadays, I check my pantry and plan our meals around them. If we’re missing some ingredients, either I substitute or move on to the next dish. I think that’s what most of us do right now, we adapt. We’ll always be able to cook the food that we crave (but don’t have the ingredients now) once this is all behind us. But for now, the hashtag “#stayhomestaysafe” is my focus.

I thought of making Chicken Arroz Caldo because I saw the half-opened glutinous rice in my pantry and I remembered that I still have some ginger in the freezer (which I froze when it was on sale). Chicken is a given because we stocked up on meat weeks ago. And it’s the perfect timing because I have some salted chicken eggs which were cured a month ago. If you haven’t tried salted egg with arroz caldo, you’re in for a treat. The first time I tried it was about 10 years or so ago when we were upgraded to business class while travelling from the Philippines via PAL (Philippine Airlines). It was so good that I had two helpings. But if you don’t have the salted one, the good old hard boiled egg always saves the day.

Chicken Arrozcaldo (with Turmeric)

Pam from PinoyBites

This porridge is a Filipino comfort food with a rich chicken-flavored broth that’s infused with ginger and garlic. It’s normally eaten for breakfast. 

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Course Breakfast, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Filipino

Servings 5 people

Ingredients

  

For the chicken broth:*

• 1 lb bone-in chicken thighs about 4-6 pieces
• 8 cups water
• 1 medium onion halved
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt

For the Arroz Caldo:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 thumb-sized ginger finely julienned
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 ½ cups glutinous rice rinsed and drained
• ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 6-7 cups chicken broth*
• Patis fish sauce or salt
• Ground black pepper

Toppings (Garnish):

• Salted eggs or hard boiled eggs
• Sliced lemons
• Crispy fried garlic
• Green onions
• Ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• TO MAKE CHICKEN BROTH:
• In a large pot, add all the ingredients to make chicken broth. Cover, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim the scum off the top as it starts to boil.
• When done, separate the meat from the broth. Discard the bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Drain the broth using a fine sieve. Reserve the liquid.
• TO MAKE CHICKEN ARROZ CALDO:
• Heat oil in a large pot. Add the ginger then the onions and cook for a minute. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds then add the rinsed glutinous rice. Next, add in the turmeric powder and stir well to combine. Put 6 cups of the reserved chicken broth and stir to scrape the rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked and broth is thick. Add the cooked chicken pieces and season with patis and ground black pepper. Add more broth if needed.
• Simmer for a couple more minutes then turn off heat.
• Serve in a bowl and top with sliced salted egg, sliced green onions, fried garlic and lemon slices

Notes

*You can use store-bought chicken stock if you prefer or substitute vegetable broth to make it vegetarian

Keyword chicken arrozcaldo