Canja is a Portuguese chicken soup that is also popular with Brazilian cuisine. It is in the middle of the road between American chicken soup and Asian variants. American chicken soup tends to not have rice or not cook the rice very much at all and Asian chicken soup tends to thoroughly dissolve or disintegrate the rice to the point of mushiness. Typically, canja is paired with a side of bread used for dipping, transforming it from a simple dish to a fun eating experience.
Health Benefits
The chicken in canja is the basis for its nutritional profile. Chicken has many health benefits: it has a high protein content, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and a fat content. The protein contained in chicken helps the body to build and repair cells and muscle tissue. The iron is responsible for hemoglobulin production which regulates blood cell production and oxygen di
Ingredients
lbs boneless chicken - skinless: 3
onion – chopped: 1
large white onion: 1
cups chicken stock: 6
cup long-grain white rice: 1/4
cup tomato - peeled, seeded, and chopped: 3/4
cup carrots – chopped: 1/2
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
cup ham – diced: 3/4
tbsp fresh parsley – chopped: 1
How To Make Canja
- Add the chicken, onion, and chicken stock to a large sauce pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid and bring its contents to a simmer.
- Cook over low heat until the chicken is tender; about 45 mins.
- Lift the chicken out onto a platterthen set aside.
- Using a sieve, strain the stock.
- Skim off fat as much as possible from the stock after discarding the solids.
- Rinse out the saucepan and return the stock to the pan.
- Add the rice, tomatoes, and carrots to the stock.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Cook until the rice turns tender; about 25 min.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into ½ x 1 ½ in strips.
- Return the chicken and ham to the soup and cook just long enough for it to heat through.
- Add the parsley.
- Serve and enjoy!
Trivia
The full name of canja is canja de galinha which translates to chicken congee.