Canja de Galinha (Chicken Soup)

Hi All,

Oh it’s been a while, and I apologize!  I’ve been pretty good about putting out weekly recipes, but there have been a couple of exceptions that past few weeks.  If you follow me on Instagram, you see that I made Irish Soda Bread for Saint Patrick’s Day a couple of weeks ago; a fun recipe I wanted to try, and obviously not a “Maria’s” recipe!  For this past weekend, I made chicken soup, but am late in posting the recipe, but better late than never!

This chicken soup recipe is from my Tia Gorette, and it’s actually probably one of my favorite soups.  I remember eating it a lot growing up, and it’s so comforting and tasty.  I called my mom to get a little help with the details of this recipe, and she said to me, “Desiree, this recipe is so easy that a 2-year old could do it!”  Well, let me tell you, I had to make this recipe twice, so a 2-year old apparently has a better handle of this than me!

The part I really struggled with was the whole chicken, and cutting it up into its separate pieces.  I’ve never cut up a whole chicken (gasp!), and it was more difficult than I had anticipated.  This is not to scare anyone from trying out this recipe, but I will throw out a suggestion: go to your local grocery butcher, and have them take care of the whole chicken for you!  That’s what I did the second time around, and it certainly made it easier for me.  If you’re a veteran chicken chopper and/or aren’t intimidated by it, go for it yourself! 🙂

I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and have a great weekend!  I’m off to Harry Potter: the Cursed Child on Broadway! (AHHHH!)

Yields: 4-6 servings

Tip: Request the store butcher to cut the chicken for you instead of doing it yourself!

Ingredients:

12 cups water
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, and keep the back and giblets.  Remove most of the skin
2 green onions, halved
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped fine
4 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves,  halved
1 cup white rice
salt and pepper, to taste

Note: The chicken carcass or back is what helps create the chicken stock needed for this soup, and the giblets provide more flavor.

Directions:

1) Fill a large cooking pot or Dutch Oven with water.  Add chicken pieces, including back and giblets, green onions, parsley, bay leaves, and garlic, and cook over medium heat.  Let everything simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through, approximately 30-45 minutes.

2) Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pot, and set aside for a moment. Discard chicken back and giblets.

3) Separately, place a sieve over a large heat-safe bowl.  Pour and drain the broth into the bowl, separating the ingredients from the broth.  Pour broth and chicken back into the large pot or Dutch Oven.

4) Add rice to the pot, cover and cook over medium heat until rice is soft and fluffy, approximately 18-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

There you have it!