The frigid weather makes me crave more comfort food. Arroz caldo is one of my favorite Filipino comfort foods. It’s basically, Filipino porridge, much like Chinese congee or jook. But what’s different about arroz caldo is that it has so much more flavor than Chinese porridge. There’s ginger, fried garlic, and fish sauce to spice it up.

I use whatever rice I have on hand – brown, jasmine, calrose, long grain, or short grain. You can even mix them up. Also, if you have sweet rice, substitute it with one rice cooker size cup, which will make the arroz caldo creamier.

Fried garlic is sold in a plastic container at Asian grocery stores. It makes it much easier than chopping and frying your own garlic.

After making the arroz caldo, we can eat it over several days. You can also freeze it, which is what Filipino restaurants do.

After making this countless times, I’ve come up with an easy and quick way to make arroz caldo, by cooking the rice first and using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.

Arroz Caldo Recipe
Serves 8 – 10

4 rice cooker sized cups of rice
2 inch knob of ginger, sliced into thick matchsticks
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
12 cups of water
2 cups of chicken broth
Vietnamese fish sauce to taste
1/2 cup of fried garlic
2 stalks of green onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook rice. While waiting for rice to cook, peel and chop ginger, shred rotisserie chicken, and slice green onions.

2. In a large stockpot, saute ginger over medium heat, about a minute or until fragrant.

3. Add shredded rotisserie chicken to ginger. Saute for 1 – 2 minutes.

4. Add the water and chicken broth to the pot. (If you add the liquids before the cooked rice, it will prevent sticking).

5. Add the cooked rice and stir.

6. Turn up to high heat until boiling. Then turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking at the bottom of the pot.

7. Add fish sauce to taste. I usually pour fish sauce, circling the inside of the pot, 4 – 5 times.

8. Add 1/2 cup of fried garlic or more if you like.

9. Add sliced green onions and salt and pepper to taste.

The arroz caldo always tastes better the next day, after the ginger has infused into the pot. You’ll also notice that the rice soaks up a lot of the water, making it very thick. Feel free to add more water before reheating.

I was at Walgreens today and picked up a copy of Real Simple. Their guide to a month of easy dinners was intriguing especially since there is a photo accompanying each recipe. Plus there’s a good mix of meat and meatless dinners that look yummy and delicious.

When I went home, I got online and found the same recipes along with the grocery shopping list here: Your Guide to a Month of Easy Dinners.

Real Simple. No thinking needed. Enjoy!

This Herb Baked Chicken recipe was inspired by Rachael Ray’s 30 minute meals. I make this Herb Baked Chicken at least once a week because it tastes sooooo good and it’s easy to make! The olive oil and herbs make a great combo for this flavorful baked chicken dish. I first pan fry the chicken in my Emerilware Cast Iron Skillet, then bake it in the oven to finish cooking.

Herb Baked Chicken Recipe

• 6 chicken thighs with skin

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

• Dried thyme

• Dried oregano

• Salt

• Pepper

• Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat up a cast iron pan or frying pan on warm/medium flame on the stove.

2. Place chicken in a baking dish. Season chicken on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the herbs with a light hand. A little goes a long way. You don’t need to cover the entire chicken thigh with a layer of herbs, but sprinkle enough that the herbs are spread over the chicken.

3. Coat cast iron pan or frying pan with olive oil. Place chicken thighs skin side down onto pan. I can fit up to 4 in my pan. Cook for about 3 minutes each side, making sure that the skin side is crispy.

4. Place browned chicken back onto baking dish. Pour pan drippings over chicken. Bake chicken in the oven for 30 minutes or until done.