Arroz Caldo (Chicken Porridge)

What is Arroz Caldo

Regardless of where you're from, I think most of us can agree that there are few things more soothing than a comforting, delicious bowl of hot chicken soup. In the Philippines, they take this to the next level by cooking rice with chicken stock until it turns into a thick rice gruel called Arroz Caldo. It's a subset of a class of rice porridge dishes called Lugaw, and although the name Arroz Caldo is Spanish for "rice soup," the dish is rooted in Congee, which was brought to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants. I'm going to share with you how to make Arroz Caldo, including how to prepare the garnishes that take this chicken and rice soup to the next level.

Why This Recipe Works

• Pan-frying the chicken skin allows you to render out fat that you can use to fry the garlic. This not only adds more flavor to the porridge, you also get crispy chicken skin to use as a topping.
• Starting with chicken stock and then poaching some thigh meat in the broth gives you a double dose of chicken flavor while also adding protein to the porridge.
• What really makes this dish crave-worthy is the bevy of condiments, which add bursts of vibrant colors, contrasting textures, and complementary tastes.

Ingredients for Arroz Caldo

Chicken Stock

While it's possible to make Arroz Caldo using a whole chicken and water, I find that it takes far too long to make it all in one go. That's why I usually make huge batches of homemade chicken stock and store them in the freezer, so I always have some on hand when I need it.

My favorite stock for Arroz Caldo is this Rich Chicken Stock recipe. As its name implies, it's white and creamy thanks to the addition of chicken wings. The broth makes for an ultra-rich porridge with a luxuriously silky mouthfeel thanks to all of the dissolved collagen.

If you don't have homemade chicken stock, you can use canned chicken broth, but it won't taste as rich and meaty. If you end up using store-bought broth, be sure to get one that's low-sodium, as the long cooking time and the addition of other seasonings will make your Arroz Caldo too salty. 

Rice

The traditional rice to use for this Filipino porridge is malagkit, which is long-grain glutinous rice, but to be honest, any rice you have on hand will work, such as long-grain rice like Jasmine rice, as it's cooked long enough for the rice to lose its shape.

Chicken

Chicken that's been cooked to make broth isn't a great addition to anything because all of the flavor has been cooked out of it. That's why I like starting with a fresh chicken thigh for my Arroz Caldo recipe, which allows me to use the skin to make chicharron. Then I can poach the meat in the chicken stock until it's tender enough to shred. I prefer thigh meat because it won't dry out as quickly, but if you use chicken breast, you'll want to cook it for less time.

Aromatics and Seasonings

Like most rice porridges, Arroz Caldo isn't heavily seasoned; accents come from adding condiments. In terms of aromatics, I like to add a ton of fragrant ginger and some onions, which contribute a mild sweetness. I also add a bit of patis (fish sauce) to amp up the umami and some white pepper to give it a bit of mild heat. You can use black pepper, but I don't like the dark specs it leaves in the porridge.

Finally, many Filipino arroz caldo recipes call for adding a yellow color to the dish using safflower, saffron, or turmeric. Although these ingredients add a sunny hue to the dish, I like to keep mine the natural color of the chicken stock, which allows the condiments to pop.

Condiments for Arroz Caldo

At its core, Arroz Caldo is just thick chicken soup, and the condiments make this dish compelling. Beyond being a way to personalize each bowl, the traditional condiments provide a variety of contrasting tastes and textures that keep the porridge from being one-note.

• Calamansi - Many Asian porridges feature a ton of condiments, but what sets Arroz Caldo apart for me is the Calamansi. They're about the size of a superball, and have thin green skin around yellowish-orange flesh with lots of seeds. Calamansi is extremely fragrant and has a flavor that's like a cross between green mandarins and limes. The taste is sour, but there's also just a hint of sweetness that keeps it from getting quite as sour as a lemon. A squeeze of this citrus on top of the rich porridge provides a welcome fresh contrast that keeps your spoon returning to the bowl for more. Unfortunately, Calamansi can be a little hard to find outside Southeast Asia, so if you can't find it, you can substitute other tart citrus fruits such as Meyer lemons, yuzu, or limes.
• Egg - Hard-boiled eggs are the traditional choice, but there are a ton of options here. Slow-cooked eggs and poached eggs are excellent options. If I'm feeling particularly lazy, I might just scramble a raw egg into the porridge as I reheat it, which turns it into something like a thick egg-drop soup.
• Patis - Because Arroz Caldo is meant to settle the stomach, it isn't heavily seasoned. That's why it's usually served with additional fish sauce (Patis), so you can adjust the taste to your preferences. You can also just add additionalsalt to taste.
• Fried Garlic - Adding fried crispy garlic not only adds a crunch on top, it also adds the wonderful flavor of caramelized garlic that's reminiscent of Sinangag (Filipino garlic fried rice).
• Chicharon - Fried chicken or pork skins add an awesome crunchy texture and impart a wonderful meaty umami to the porridge. This is a great reason to use skin-on chicken instead of skinless chicken thighs.
• Scallions - I think the main purpose of adding scallions or green onions is for the burst of color they provide, but they also contribute a nice oniony flavor and crisp texture that's an important part of the experience.

While these are the traditional condiments for Arroz Caldo, there's plenty of room to be creative here. Some other options I like to add are avocado, fried shallots, and herbs such as cilantro and Thai basil.

How to Make Arroz Caldo

Because I start with chicken stock, the process for making my Arroz Caldo is pretty straightforward. I like to start things off by rendering out the fat from the chicken skin until it turns golden brown and crisp. Then, I use the rendered fat to fry the fresh garlic to a crisp. This also produces crisp cracklins, which can then be used as a topping.

Sauté the onions and fresh ginger in the remaining fat (1-2 minutes), and then add the rice, chicken stock, and seasonings. I also add some chicken meat to this and poach it just long enough so that I can shred it. Once it's shredded, the meat is set aside until the chicken porridge is almost done.

Then, it's just a matter of cooking the rice until it starts to dissolve into the soup, which takes about another 20-30 minutes.

How to store and reheat Arroz Caldo

It doesn't take much effort to make Arroz Caldo, but it does take a bit of time, so I like to make a big batch and reheat it. Once it's cooled to room temperature, you can store it in sealed containers in the fridge for up to a week. While I usually have no problem getting through a batch in a week, you can divide it up and freeze it if you don't think you can eat it all.

I recommend reheating Arroz Caldo in a pot. If it's from the fridge, you can add the amount you want to eat to a small saucepan, add a bit of water (it tends to get very thick when chilled), and reheat it over medium-low heat. Be sure to stir it regularly to keep it from burning. If you're starting with frozen Arroz Caldo, I recommend defrosting it before attempting to reheat it.

As for using a microwave, I don't recommend it, as the porridge will heat unevenly and splatter. If you must do it in the microwave, put the porridge into a relatively shallow bowl, cover it, and reheat it at a lower wattage (500-600 watts) for a longer time (3-4 minutes).

📖 Recipe

Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken Porridge)

4.75 from 8 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Yield 6 bowls

Equipment

Heavy Bottomed Pot

Units

Grams + US CupsUS Standard

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For Arroz Caldo

• 250 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs (2-3 thighs)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 25 grams garlic (4 large cloves garlic, minced)
• 175 grams onion (1 small yellow onion, finely chopped)
• 25 grams ginger (julienned)
• 210 grams long-grain glutinous rice (about 1 cup)
• 6 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

For garnish

• 2 scallions (chopped)
• 6 Calamansi
• 3 boiled eggs (sliced in half)

Instructions

Step PhotosNo Photos

• Remove the skin from the 250 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs and then mince up the skin.
  
• Add the chicken skin and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot (such as a dutch oven), and fry over medium-low heat until the skin is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and set aside.
  
• Add the minced 25 grams garlic and fry until the garlic is light brown, and not sizzling any more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and set aside.
  
• Increase the burner to medium heat. Add the 175 grams onion and 25 grams ginger to the pot and fry until the onions have started to become tender (but not browned).
  
• Add the uncooked 210 grams long-grain glutinous rice to the pot and fry for about 30 seconds, to coat every grain with oil.
  
• Add the 6 cups chicken stock , f1 tablespoon fish sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper along with the chicken thighs.
  
• Bring the mixture to a boil and skim off any scum or fat that floats to the top.
  
• Turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook the chicken until it's fall-apart tender (about 30 minutes). Be sure to stir this a few times to keep the rice from burning to the bottom of the pot.
  
• When the chicken is tender, remove it from the pot, and shred the meat using two forks. Keep the shredded chicken covered until the porridge is done.
  
• The Arroz Caldo should be starting to get thick at this point, so be sure to stir it more frequently to keep it from burning. When it reaches your desired consistency, the porridge is done. I usually let it cook for another 20-30 minutes. This is a good time to prepare all your condiments.
  
• When the porridge has thickened to your liking, taste it and season with salt if needed.
  
• Return the shredded meat to the pot and stir it in to reheat.
  
• Serve the Arroz Caldo garnished with 2 scallions, 3 boiled eggs, fried garlic, chicken cracklins, 6 Calamansi wedges or halves, and an additional teaspoon of fish sauce.
  

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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 408kcalCarbohydrates • 49gProtein • 20gFat • 15gSaturated Fat • 4gPolyunsaturated Fat • 4gMonounsaturated Fat • 6gTrans Fat • 0.05gCholesterol • 141mgSodium • 842mgPotassium • 574mgFiber • 3gSugar • 7gVitamin A • 244IUVitamin C • 24mgCalcium • 74mgIron • 2mg