Taiwanese chicken rice soup recipe
Warm up with Taiwanese chicken rice soup. This delicious rice soup has rich chicken broth, sesame oil, and garlic chips for a satisfying meal.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 0.75 oz ginger slice to thin pieces, 3-inch length
- 2 oz garlic cloves sliced, 8 large
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil plus more for garnish
- 1 lb ground chicken dark and breast meat
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- 3 tbsp Taiwanese rice wine (michu) or Chinese shaoxing wine, gluten-free sake
- 100 gram brown rice rinsed, a little over ½ cup
- 4-5 cups chicken stock I use Pacific brand, see notes for liquid quantity
- 0.5-1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste
- Small dash ground white pepper
- ½ tbsp lime juice plus more for garnish
Garnish:
- 2 bulb scallion chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the garlic and ginger: Slice the ginger and garlic into thin pieces. Aim for 3-inch slices for the ginger.
- Fry the Garlic and Ginger (Start Cold!): In a 4-quart heavy-bottom soup pot, start with a cold pot. Add sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Spread them out evenly.
- Pan-fry over low heat, flipping and stirring periodically. Take care not to burn the garlic. Once the garlic turns light golden brown (about 8 minutes), remove it from the pot and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Finish Frying the Ginger: Continue frying the ginger slices for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Remove the ginger and set it aside on a separate small plate.
- Cook the Chicken: Add the ground chicken to the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high. Season with salt and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into fine pieces.Sauté the chicken until it’s almost cooked through (about 6-7 minutes).
- Deglaze the Pot: Pour in the rice wine to deglaze the pot. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot to add extra flavor.
- Rinse the Rice: While the chicken is cooking, measure out the rice and rinse it 2-3 times in cold water. Drain the rice well.
- Add Rice and Stock: Add the rinsed rice and chicken stock to the pot. Return the fried ginger slices to the pot.
- Simmer the rice and soup: Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot, leaving a small gap to prevent it from boiling over. Stir occasionally and cook until the rice is tender and has broken down, making the soup slightly thickened (about 40 minutes). Check after 30 minutes.
- Season the rice soup: Stir in fish sauce, white pepper, and lime juice. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce or salt if needed.
- Prepare the garnish: Remove the ginger slices from the rice stew. Slice them into thin strips for garnish.
- Serve and topping: Divide the soup into serving bowls. Top each bowl with chopped scallions, garlic chips, and a few thin ginger strips. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil.
- Optional: Add a poached egg on top!
Video
Notes
- Make-Ahead Tips: The rice soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How to Reheat: Microwave on medium power until warmed through, or reheat over the stovetop. If you prefer a thinner texture, add a bit more chicken stock or water when reheating.
- How to Freeze and Thaw: Let the soup cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave it in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, and add more stock if needed to adjust the consistency.
- Alcohol-Free Substitute: Taiwanese michu gives a distinct depth of flavor to this rice soup. If you want to avoid alcohol, replace the cooking wine with a sprinkle of chicken bouillon powder for added flavor.
- How Much Cooked Rice Does This Recipe Yield? For 100 gram (a little over ½ cup) of uncooked brown rice, you’ll get about 1 ½ cups of cooked rice.
- Choosing the Right Rice Grain:
- I use short-grain brown rice for a slightly heartier texture. You can also use short-grain or medium-grain white rice.
- If using white rice, reduce the cooking time since it cooks faster than brown rice. Start with 4 to 4.5 cups of broth, adjusting as needed.
- You want to use rice that releases starch and turns soft and creamy as it cooks.
- Avoid long-grain rice (such as jasmine or basmati rice) or any type that stays firm and doesn’t get starchy—they won’t work well in this soup.
- Tip: Don’t use pre-cooked or ready-to-eat rice. The rice needs to cook from raw so it can slowly release starch to thicken the soup and create that silky, creamy texture.
- How Much Broth to add to the pot:
- For 100 gram (a little over ½ cup) of uncooked rice, use 4 to 6 cups of broth:
- 4 cups will give you a thicker, almost stew-like soup.
- 5 to 6 cups will result in a lighter, more broth-like consistency.
- I personally prefer a brothier soup, so I use 5 cups of liquid. If you like it thicker, start with 4 or 4.5 cups. Keep in mind that the rice will continue to absorb liquid as the soup cools, so a slightly higher broth-to-rice ratio helps keep the soup from becoming too thick when refrigerated or reheated.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 407mg | Potassium: 636mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg