Chicken long rice is often served as a side dish at Hawaiian luaus. The "long rice" in this dish actually refers to vermicelli noodles, a clear thin noodle made of potato and mung bean starches; so despite the name, there's NO rice in the dish at all.
It's believed that these "long rice" noodles were introduced to the islands by Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century, and the locals adapted them to make the chicken long rice soup that is now Hawaiian comfort food. But you don't need to fly to Hawaii to enjoy this clean tasting ginger chicken noodle soup. It's a super easy one-pot dish to make at home.
I'm lucky enough that my local Costco sells organic "long rice" (pictured above), otherwise known as bean-vermicelli, glass noodles, crystal noodles, or cellophane noodles. They are thin white dry noodles that turn clear and transparent when boiled and are similar to it's much thicker cousin, Korean Jap Chae noodles. The Costco size is A LOT of noodles, but it comes as two individual packs of 10 bundles, and you use up 3 to 5 bundles in just this recipe of 4 servings. Plus the expiration date isn't until 2023, so it'll keep in the pantry for a long while. If your Costco doesn't carry this, you should be able to find these noodles at any Asian grocery store.
Some people like their long rice to be more soupy (me!!!); others like it more dry. Some want more chicken, others want more noodles. Some add mushrooms and veggies to make it a complete meal, others want their chicken long rice "unencumbered". Make it to your preference!
Here's how:
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| Soak dry vermicelli in water |
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| Brown chicken and then add stock and ginger, and simmer |
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| Shred chicken. Discard bones. Set aside shredded chicken. |
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| To the stock, add the soaked vermicelli and boil until soft. Add shredded chicken back to the pot. Add green onions. Stir. Turn off heat and serve hot. |
P.S. According to my mom, this gingery chicken long rice soup is good for after [COVID-19] vaccinations, cuz it's immune supporting... no scientific evidence, more a home remedy old wives tale kinda thing...
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (bone-in, skin removed, about 4 chicken thighs)
- 4 c low sodium chicken broth
- 1 t salt (more to taste if needed)
- ¼ t ground pepper
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1 T dried onion flakes
- 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- ½ c chopped scallions
- 1 T oil (for browning chicken)
- 3 bundles of vermicelli noodles (5 bundles if you like your dish less soupy)
Procedures:
1. In a pot, add oil and brown the chicken thighs on one side. This helps to add more flavor to the soup.
2. Pour in the 4 cups of chicken stock and scrap up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the ginger, garlic, and dried onion flakes, and simmer in the pot with the lid on for 40 minutes.
4. While the chicken is simmering, soak the bundles of bean thread in a bowl of cold water.
5. After 40 minutes, remove the chicken pieces from the pot. Remove bones from the chicken, and discard the bones. Shred the chicken meat to bite size pieces. Set aside.
6. Add the soaked vermicelli noodles to the pot of chicken soup and simmer until noodles have softened (about 5 minutes). Add the salt and pepper. Then add back in the shredded chicken and continue to simmer until everything is hot.
7. Turn off the heat. Add in the chopped scallions. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot or warm.