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Top down view of a wooden bowl filled with chicken arroz clad. The rice congee is topped with a hard boiled egg, crispy garlic, sliced green onion, and a lemon wedge.
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5 — Votes 5 votes

Chicken Arroz Caldo Recipe: Authentic Filipino Comfort Food

The ultimate in comfort food, this Chicken Arroz Caldo is like a warm hug in a bowl and perfect for any meal in any season. Steeped in Filipino culture, it is loaded with the most nourishing ingredients and packed with flavor.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Melissa Guevara

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup fresh ginger (about 4") minced
  • 2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skinless cubed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • hard-boiled egg for garnish
  • green onion for garnish
  • fried garlic for garnish
  • lemon or calamansi wedge for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute for 5 minutes until fragrant.
  • Add the chicken, salt, and pepper to the pot with the onion mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the fish sauce and toss to coat. Then add the rice and stir.
  • Pour the chicken broth and lemon juice into the pot and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Garnish with a hard boiled egg, sliced green onion, fried garlic, and a squeeze of lemon.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Ingredient Modifications and Variations
  • Change up the chicken - most traditional Arroz Caldo recipes actually call for bone-in chicken, but we love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the ease and convenience without compromising on flavor. Cooking with bone-in meat delivers extra nutrients into the dish, so feel free to sub the boneless, skinless chicken thighs for bone-in, or use whole chicken parts (wings, legs, thighs, breasts, etc.). You’ll just take the bones out and shred the meat after it’s finished cooking before you eat the meal.
  • Decrease the fish sauce - another super common ingredient in Asian cuisine, fish sauce adds a delicious depth of flavor, umami, and salt to the dish (it’s actually a great lower-sodium option if you’re trying to reduce your salt intake). If you’re sensitive to the flavor, feel free to decrease the amount and adjust the salt in the dish to your preference.
  • Use a different rice - we used jasmine rice here, but you can use your rice of choice. Any long-grain rice (i.e., Basmati, jasmine, long-grain white and brown rice) will cook up the same. If you use a shorter-grain, the dish will definitely be thicker in consistency from the starchier nature of the rice.
Toppings
  • Hard-boiled egg
  • Crispy, fried garlic
  • Sliced green onion
  • Lemon or calamansi (Philippine lime) wedge
  • Drizzle of fish sauce
  • Drizzle of saffron or sesame oil
Tips for Making the Best Arroz Caldo
  • Don’t skimp on the fresh - The bulk of the flavor comes from the fresh garlic, ginger, and onions in the dish, so for those reasons, we do not recommend subbing for dried.
  • The dish will be more "soup-like" when it first finishes cooking. Over time, it will thicken more and become more "congee-like" as the rice continues to absorb more liquid. If you want it to be more soup-like, you can add an additional couple cups of chicken broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 1910mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg