Junior Borges’ Canja de Galinha

This rendition of canja de galinha, Brazilian chicken-and-rice soup, comes from Rio-born chef Junior Borges; it is his updated version of the one his grandmother used to make for him when he was growing up, which which his mom still makes for him and his family. Borges is executive chef of Meridian, a restaurant he will open in Dallas in early 2021. We wrote about it in a November 2020 story about chicken soups from around the world.

Serves 4 - 6.

Ingredients

2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, legs or breasts, or a combination

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

One-half of a medium onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into medium dice (about 2/3 cup)

 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into medium dice (a generous 1 cup)

 1 cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine

 ¼ bunch of Italian parsley, chopped (use mostly leaves)

 ¼ bunch of cilantro, chopped (use mostly leaves)

 2 ½ teaspoons salt

 Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Season the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper and the lime juice. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it is shimmering, then add the onion, garlic and chicken pieces. Sear the chicken pieces on all sides (no need to brown; just briefly sear). Add 8 1/2 cups of water, raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers. Continue simmering for 30 minutes, till the chicken is cooked.

2. Use tongs to remove the chicken pieces to a bowl. Add the carrot, potato, rice and salt to the pot. Remove the chicken meat from the bones, discard the bones and return the boneless chicken to the pot. Continue simmering 20 minutes, until the rice and vegetables are cooked.

3. When you’re ready to serve, stir in the parsley and cilantro, taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary.