Healthy Eating Healthy Cooking How-Tos Heritage Cooking Aromatic Chicken & Rice Soup with Fried Garlic Oil 5.0 (3) 2 Reviews This chicken and rice soup is a bit time-intensive, but the flavor is worth the effort. Turning some of the cooked rice into a paste is a genius trick that gives the soup a creamy congee-like texture. If you have leftover lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, consider packaging them up in sealable containers along with ginger, and you’ll have pre-portioned aromatics for the stock at your fingertips. (Freeze them for up to 1 year.) If there’s any leftover garlic oil, refrigerate it for up to 1 week and use it to make salad dressing or drizzle over a grain bowl. By Alexandra Domrongchai Alexandra Domrongchai Alexandra Domrongchai is a Southern-raised, Brooklyn-based writer with a passion for storytelling, cooking, and food history. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines and Sichon Domrongchai Sichon Domrongchai Sichon Domrongchai is a Thai chef and graphic artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 21, 2024 Tested by Hilary Meyer Tested by Hilary Meyer Hilary Meyer is a freelance recipe developer, tester and content creator. After graduating from culinary school, she started working as a freelancer in the EatingWell Test Kitchen in 2006, developing and testing recipes. Meet the EatingWell Test Kitchen Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD Emily Lachtrupp is a registered dietitian experienced in nutritional counseling, recipe analysis and meal plans. She's worked with clients who struggle with diabetes, weight loss, digestive issues and more. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying all that Vermont has to offer with her family and her dog, Winston. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 8 Nutrition Profile: Sesame-Free Diabetes-Appropriate Dairy-Free Soy-Free High-Protein Egg-Free Gluten-Free A steaming, aromatic bowl of soup brings my family together like nothing else. Regardless of the weather or season, we are a year-round soup-loving-and-eating family. And each week, as a labor of love, dad’s culinary passion takes the stage with our Sunday soup ritual. Among his repertoire of delicious and intricate soups, one stands out: his chicken and rice soup, fragrant with ginger, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, and adorned with fried garlic oil. I’ve always admired my dad’s earnest approach to cooking, focusing on the foundation of what makes a dish good. And when it comes to this soup, the foundation is its rich, fragrant broth, that he likens to liquid gold (and after you try this soup, you’ll understand why). The bulk of the flavor comes from the melody of herbs and aromatics—lemongrass, ginger and makrut lime leaves—slowly simmering alongside chicken. While not found in traditional Thai cookbooks, this dish encapsulates the essence of Thai soups, ingredients and techniques, passed down from my grandmother to my dad, and now to me. In fact, I’ve always believed that straying away from fixed recipes and focusing on technique and quality ingredients may just be considered the “Thai way.” You see, much of the country’s history and cuisine is full of triumphs of change, adaptation and resilience that has made Thai cuisine the global superstar it is today. Food has always played a central role in bringing my Thai American family together. My grandparents opened their first Thai restaurant, Siam Gourmet, in 1986 in South Florida, making it the first of its kind in the region at a time when Thai cuisine was a novelty abroad. Like many Thai immigrants, my family relied on exchanges of information and cookbooks when they first moved to the states in order to replicate the flavors of home without easy access to familiar ingredients. In a sense, the passion for food and technique my grandparents instilled in our family over the decades is embodied in this soup. Though I no longer live at home, the moments spent cooking Sunday soups with my dad are forever in my heart. Yet, I do find solace in the ability to prepare warm, nourishing dishes like this on the Sundays I’m not home, serving as a comforting reminder of my family and how proud I am of my culture. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Ingredients Stock 4 whole chicken leg quarters 1 large white onion, halved 1-2 stalks lemongrass 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices 5 fresh or dried makrut lime leaves 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon salt Fried Garlic Oil 1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other neutral-flavored oil 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and finely chopped Soup & Garnish 2 cups cooked jasmine rice or other long-grain rice, divided 5 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 1/4 large head) 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons fish sauce Juice of 1 lime Ground white pepper to taste 3 scallions, finely chopped 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned Directions To make stock: Put chicken leg quarters in a large pot and add just enough water to cover the chicken (in our test it was 16 cups). Add onion, lemongrass, sliced ginger, lime leaves, sugar and salt. Bring to a lively simmer over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook, turning the chicken once or twice, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part without touching bone registers 165°F, about 45 minutes, skimming any fat and impurities that rise from the surface. Remove from heat. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones (discard the skin). Return the bones to the stock; cook, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes. Shred the chicken and set aside. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Meanwhile, make fried garlic oil: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic starts to color, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl or another large pot. Transfer the lime leaves and lemongrass to a small bowl and discard the remaining solids. Wash the pot. Return the stock, lemongrass and lime leaves to the pot. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco To finish soup: Return the stock to a boil. Put 1/4 cup rice on a clean cutting board (or in a mortar) and mash into a paste with the back of a knife or fork (or with a pestle). Whisk the rice paste into the stock. Stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups rice, cabbage, carrots and the chicken. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the soup has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add fish sauce, lime juice and white pepper to taste. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Divide the soup among 8 bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with scallions, cilantro and ginger; drizzle each with 1 teaspoon fried garlic oil. Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Nutrition Information Serving Size: 1 3/4 cupsCalories 348, Fat 20g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 109mg, Carbohydrates 18g, Total sugars 3g, Added sugars 0g, Protein 23g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 664mg, Potassium 421mg EatingWell.com, January 2024 Rate It Print