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As cold-cool-chilly-ish weather finally makes its appearance in Austin, I find myself craving hearty comfort foods like pot roast, chili and chicken noodle soup. Chicken noodle soup has been a staple of the American diet since Campbell’s debuted it in 1934. This soup is so popular that the company claims to have sold 200 million cans of it in 2013. Since the cold months are long and your standard can of Campbell’s tends to get a little boring, I decided to look for chicken soup recipes from around the world. During my search, I found three delicious recipes from Food Network that are sure to satisfy during the cold(er) months ahead.
Arroz Caldo
While browsing the internet for my first international recipe, I stumbled upon Arroz Caldo and decided to try out this Filipino-style soup. This chicken soup is dense and packed with flavor. The unique taste of this Arroz Caldo comes from combination of garlic, ginger, bay leaf, lime and saffron. An added bonus is that it was an easy sell for my two toddlers since it contains two of the few foods they will actually eat – chicken and rice.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 bone-in chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, minced
One 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
3/4 cup jasmine rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Pinch of saffron, plus saffron threads saved for garnish
1 bay leaf, torn
2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more for serving
Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
Directions
- Heat a 5-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant and golden, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to a paper-towel lined plate, and reserve for serving. Reserve the garlic-infused oil in the pot, off the heat.
- Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Return the pot to the stove over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, skin-side-down and cook until the skin is golden, turning halfway through, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Add the onion, ginger, and rice to the pot. Cook, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, 4 cups water, a pinch of saffron, and the bay leaf to the rice. Return the chicken and juices to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer.
- Cook, partially covered, until the chicken is tender, the rice is cooked, and the soup is thickened, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf, stir in the fish sauce and lime juice, and season the soup with salt and pepper. Serve one chicken thigh per bowl of soup and garnish with the fried garlic, scallion greens, freshly ground pepper, reserved saffron threads, and lime wedges.
Red Thai Curry Chicken Soup
The second soup I made also comes from Asia, specifically Thailand. It wasn’t spicy hot, like I thought it might be due to the curry. Instead, it was full of scrumptious flavors like lemongrass and basil. The soup contains thin, glassy vermicelli noodles soaked in coconut milk and interspersed with thinly sliced chicken thighs. This Red Thai Curry Chicken Soup was my husband’s favorite and will definitely be enjoyed a few more times this year at my house.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
One 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
3 tablespoons fish sauce
One 4-inch piece lemongrass, lightly bruised
Kosher salt
Pinch of sugar
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced
3 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1/3 cup torn Thai basil leaves
Juice of 1 lime
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the garlic, ginger, and Thai red curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until dark red and very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, lemongrass, 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the lemongrass and ginger are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the lemongrass.
- Meanwhile, put the noodles in a medium bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside. Toss together the red onion, cilantro, scallions and Thai basil in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Stir the chicken into the broth and simmer over low heat until tender, 5 minutes for chicken breast and about 15 minutes for chicken thighs. Increase the heat to high and stir in the noodles. Bring the soup to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the lime juice. Serve the soup in bowls topped with the reserved onion and herb mixture.
Chicken Caldo Verde
The last soup I cooked was a Portuguese Green Soup and was the most unique of the three. The broth in this Chicken Caldo Verde is thickened with potatoes and seasoned with onion, garlic and bay leaf. The highlight of this soup is the slices of cured Spanish chorizo that bring an excitement to this soup whose other main ingredients are chicken and kale. I found that this soup became even more flavorful after it sat for a few days.
Ingredients
3/4 cup thinly sliced cured Spanish chorizo (about 3 ounces)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups diced white onion (about 8 ounces)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced into 3/4-inch pieces
1 bunch lacinato or other kale (about 8 ounces), stemmed
Directions
- Set a large pot over medium heat and add the chorizo and olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo is crisp and the oil is red and infused, about 2 minutes. Remove the chorizo to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve; leave the oil in the pot.
- Add the chicken broth, onion, chicken thighs, garlic, bay leaf, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 4 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until both the chicken and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove the chicken to a bowl.
- Mash the potatoes coarsely with a potato masher to thicken the consistency of the soup. Discard the bay leaf. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and set aside.
- Layer the kale leaves to make a stack. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces (or tear into 1/2-inch pieces). Add the kale and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the soup, return to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the leaves are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken to the soup and return to a simmer.
- Divide the soup among 6 bowls and serve topped with several pieces of the reserved chorizo.
What are some of your favorite chicken soup recipes from around the world?
