Chicken Arroz Caldo
[ad]
ahhh, welcome to memory lane, as you savour the aroma when you are cooking this dish – for me it brings back fond memories of my Mom and Grandma cooking in the kitchen. It reminds of many family gatherings and the all the relatives over at the house, noise, children all around, adults all talking about what’s what and who’s doing what…while the kids are playing or as for me, I was told to go and play as they were having adult conversation! HAHAHA, I loved listening to all the stories about the whole family gossip (as you would call it) as we’re such a big family that its getting bigger by the minute (well it seems like it). I am the oldest of my Grandmas children and I remember some of the “teenagers” then…I got to “tag” along with them and it was really a fun time and since my memory is not as good…any kind of smell of foods, its brings such a rush of memories that …. its just no words…I hope that you all continue to check my place and do let me know what y’all think. Hugs to all and may you all be full of love, happiness in your life! CHEERS.. of course, I couldn’t say enough for Philippines Food & Recipes – who has brought me many memories of all the recipes. 🙂
Arroz Caldo is a Chinese congee that was adapted to the tastes of the Spanish colonial settlers who patronized Chinese restaurants in the Philippines. As the Spanish could not pronounce Chinese, they gave it a Spanish name for easy reference, thus giving birth to theArroz Caldo dish. 
Arroz caldo is most usually spiced with saffron and black pepper in place of or in addition to the more traditional ginger and scallion. Arroz caldo is clearly recognized by the bright yellow hue contributed by the addition of saffron, and the larger pieces of meat. The most popular variant of this is the Chicken Arroz Caldo.
Arroz Caldo Recipe Ingredients
1/2 kilo of stewing chicken
1/2 kilo of chicken liver, gizzard and premature eggs
1 whole garlic
1 whole onion
6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. of kasubha
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1 onion, diced
1/2 c. of long-grain rice
1/2 c. of malagkit (glutinous rice)
10 c. of chicken broth
1/2 tsp. of chopped fresh parsley OR 1 tbsp. of chopped onion leaves
1 tbsp. of cooking oil
4-6 pcs. of kalamansi (native lemon)
patis (fermented fish sauce) or salt
pepper
Arroz Caldo Preparation And Cooking Procedure
1). Wash the chicken and remove all visible fat. Separate the eggs, liver and gizzard.
2). Cut liver into 2 x 2 cubes.
3). Place eggs and liver in the refrigerator.
4). Clean and remove all visible fat from the gizzards.
5). Place the chicken and gizzards in a casserole and cover with water.
6). Add whole garlic, onion, peppercorns, bay leaf and 1 tsp. of salt. Set on the stove over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove scum as it rises.
7). Lower the heat and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the chicken and gizzards are tender.
8). Remove the chicken and gizzards and cool.
9). Chop coarsely and set aside. Strain the broth.
10). Wash the long-grain and glutinous rice and drain well.
11). Heat the cooking oil in a large heavy casserole.
12). Frythe garlic until toasted. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
13). Add the ginger to oil and fry until golden. Add the onion and continue frying until the onion is transparent.
14). Pour in the drained rice. Cook the rice in oil until the grains start to brown. Pour in the broth, a cup at a time, while stirring. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the rice grains start to crumble.
15). Season with patis or salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped chicken meat and gizzards. 16). Bring to a soft boil then add the eggs and liver. Simmer for 5 minutes. Do not overcook the livers.
17).Sprinkle with toasted garlic and chopped parsley or onion leaves.
Serve hot with kalamansi halves on the side. Enjoy your hot and yummy Arroz caldo.
