Arroz Caldo – Filipino Chicken and Rice
I wasn’t too familiar with Filipino food because there wasn’t a lot of exposure to the culture here. Until recently, there were hardly any, if any, Filipino restaurants in the state, despite there being a decent amount of people from the area, or whose families are, here in SC.
In Charleston there is a Filipino restaurant that is familiarizing us to Filipino culture within the state and beyond. Kultura, which opened in 2023, stood out quickly and made its food both accessible and elevated.
I went there last summer with some friends and we shared a lot of the dishes. I even tried and liked some of the fish dishes, which is very rare for me! But the standout dish was arroz caldo, a chicken and rice meal. It was a warm August day but I kept going back for bites of the arroz caldo. Since I am not lucky enough to live in Charleston, I knew I’d have to recreate this dish to enjoy at home in between trips to the coast.
Most of the recipes involved dismantling a whole chicken, something that I and many people are just not willing to do. So I used inspiration from what I loved best about Kultura’s, since it was my introduction to the dish, and a few recipes, to come up with an easier version. I have included several shortcut items you can use to make it even easier and more delicious without sacrificing the character of it. You can remove any of the items for toppings listed here if you for example, can’t find or don’t want to make your own fried shallots. I also share what you cannot do without in the dish, and substitutions when possible. Let’s talk about some of the different components of this dish.
Specialty Ingredients for Arroz Caldo
Glutinous Rice
Glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice or sushi rice, is probably not going to be in just every grocery store. Look for it in the Asian section of whole foods, at an Asian grocery, or order it online. You can sub in Arborio rice (used in risotto) if you must, but you will need a rice that’ll release their starches to truly thicken it up to the right texture.
Fish Sauce
As I mentioned, I hate seafood so I buy Ocean’s Halo vegan fish sauce. If you also hate the smell of fish sauce, you may want to go the same route, but if you have no qualms with sea creatures, use any fish sauce that suits your fancy.
Fried Shallots
I got these at Trader Joe’s, they often pop up around Thanksgiving to fancy up a green bean casserole but I have seen them year round too. You can find these other places or get fried shallots online as well. You can make your own fried shallots, especially if you have a deep fryer and aren’t afraid to use it. I like the crunch these add!
Chili Onion Crisp
I wouldn’t skip this as it adds a little kick of heat, and depth of flavor. Trader Joe’s has my favorite version, or Momofuku chili onion crisp is in Whole Foods and online as well.
Calamansi
Unless you have a Filipino friend, a citrus farmer friend, or a well-stocked Asian grocery, or you’re very lucky, you’re probably not going to find fresh calamansi. Calamansi are like small, less tart, Asian lemon-limes. I grew calamansi on a little tree I got from a garden center a few years ago. But it succumbed to my lack of knowledge on proper citrus-growing practices. You can find calamansi juice in most Asian markets with a Filipino section. But I just prefer a fresh lemon over bottled calamansi juice, personally.
Grilled Chicken Breast
I pick up a pre-cooked, grilled chicken breast from the pre-made section at Whole Foods when I am going to make arroz caldo. A half pound is enough for me to enjoy arroz caldo several times with the addition of chicken. If you don’t want to have your last serving of arroz caldo chicken-less, get more. If you grill chicken yourself, you can use that, it doesn’t have to come pre-cooked from the store. You could even substitute rotisserie or any other kind of cooked chicken as well. You can add as much or little chicken as you like, this part is purely preference.
Arroz Caldo
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh or bottled ginger (not powder)
- 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (can use vegan, see notes)
- 1 cup glutinous rice
- 1 cup white jasmine rice
- 8 cups chicken broth (can sub in up to 4 cups of vegetable broth if desired)
- salt to taste
- 1 grilled chicken breast (see notes regarding amount)
Toppings
- soft boiled eggs
- scallions chopped
- flash fried shallots
- chili onion crisp
- fresh lemon or calamansi sliced in half
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion and stir. Let cook for 1 minute. Add ginger and garlic, stir and let cook for 4 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Add turmeric powder.
- Add fish sauce. Stir and cook down 1 minute.
- Pour in the two rices and stir to coat with the fish sauce mixture.
- Add chicken broth (and vegetable broth if using). Stir to mix. Bring to a boil. This can take a few minutes but don't walk away. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once it reaches a boil, turn down to medium low heat and stir frequently for 15 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, soft boil a few eggs but only the amount youre eating immediately. Soft boil eggs to order for any reheated leftovers.
- Julienne or cube the chicken breast in small pieces (however much you want, for one serving I like about ⅓ to ½ a cup) and place in the bottom of the serving bowls.
- Once the rice has reached a porridge like texture, or your preference (some people like it soupier, some like it drier), remove from heat. Salt to taste.
- Place about ¾ to 1 cup of the rice mixture over the cubed chicken breast.
- Top with scallions, fried shallots, chili onion crisp, the soft boiled egg sliced in two halves, a squeeze of lemon or calamansi juice, and any additional salt.
Arroz Caldo Toppings To Taste
I add all of the toppings above to mine, and think they are all necessary for the full expression of arroz caldo! However, I’ll forgo the soft boiled egg if I am hungry and not in the mood to add an extra step when eating leftovers.
