Chicken Not Noodle Soup

Whether you have a minor head cold or the flu, chicken noodle soup always helps to make you feel better. There are endless variations when it comes to chicken noodle soup and each variation showcases unique cooking practices from its point of origin. Unlike the traditional American version, Canja is a classic Brazilian chicken soup where rice is used in the place of noodles. Like many Brazilian recipes, Canja can be manipulated to suit any taste, but rice is always the mandatory ingredient. In the book The Art of Brazilian Cooking by Sandra Cuza it states, "Canja is not served as a first course but always as a main dish, usually accompanied by Italian bread" (Cuza 115). While this soup is not always served with Italian bread, it is usually paired with a bread in a similar form.

To achieve it's classic flavor, this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, the most important ingredients being the two chicken breasts and the half cup of uncooked rice. Canja is made of two tablespoons of salad oil, two small finely chopped onions, one large clove of minced garlic, a half teaspoon of grated ginger, one medium carrot chopped, one medium potato cubed, one and a half quart of chicken stalk, two sprigs of basil, and salt and pepper to taste (Cuza 116). For garnish, use one quarter of a cup of chopped parsley and one thinly sliced green onion. Because there is not an exact size the ingredients need to be or cut to, you have more control over the dish to fit your preferences.

To begin, use oil to fry the onions in a large saucepan. Next you would add the garlic and ginger and fry for two minutes before adding the chicken breasts and lightly browning, but because I personally do not care for ginger I chose to not add it.   

Then add the rice and use a spoon to ensure the grains are equally coated in oil. When the rice is evenly coated in oil, add the carrot, potato, chicken stock, basil, and salt and pepper. Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are fully cooked. Allow the soup to cool a bit before removing the chicken breasts to de-bone. Cube the meat and return to the soup, adding more stock if needed (Cuza 116). When you are ready to serve, reheat and top with parsley and green onions.

Canja is served throughout Brazil as one of the many variations of chicken noodle soup. I was home sick with the flu this past week, and I decided to try this to see if this Brazilian version of chicken noodle soup would also help make me feel better. It appears that no matter where you look you can always find variations of this classic dish that all help . They may have many variations, but they all share a similar base. Upon this I began to wonder: what are some other variations of chicken noodle soup? 

Cuza, Sandra. "Soup." The Art of Brazilian Cooking. Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub., 2012. 115-116. Print.