For most people, chicken noodle soup is ubiquitous with being sick, but for me it’s chao (aka congee) – an asian chicken and rice porridge-ey soup. Nothing like a steaming bowl of chao to make the sniffles go away, or at least make you forget about them.
Congee
In a pot add 4 chicken thighs, a quartered onion and 4 cups water, bring to a boil and continue to boil for about 30 minutes (I didn’t have ginger on hand, but I’d highly recommend throwing a thumb of peeled ginger in).
Remove chicken, and set aside.
Strain broth in a colander lined with a paper towel and reserve.
Rinse 1 cup jasmine rice. Add reserved broth, and 4 cups homemade or canned broth to rice. Bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes (per Serious Eats’ recommendation I used Kitchen Basics, which I think was fragrant and rich, but I think College Inn or Swanson would be more suitable for this recipe).
Shred chicken and add to congee.
Season with fish sauce start with 2 tbsp and add more to taste.
Sprinkle with pepper and sliced scallion and serve (optional).
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