Canja de Galinha is a delicious, fresh and hearty soup made with chicken and mint from Portuguese cuisine. If you’ve spent some time in Portugal, you probably know that an authentic Portuguese meal nearly always start with a delicious soup.
A typical lunch will often consist of soup with a savoury pastry, toast or toastie. Here it’s pretty common to have soup all year round, even when it’s absolutely roasting outside, and even big fast-food chains have soup on their menus! In the typical pastelarias they are often part of a lunch combo, and for each day of the week, there will be a different soup. For some reason, our local café served Canja de Galinha every Thursday, and it’s needless to say it became one of our favourite days to stop by for a quick lunch.
What Exactly is Canja de Galinha?
Canja de Galinha is a chicken soup that consists of cooking chicken – either the whole bird or just the breast – in plenty of liquid alongside some carrots, garlic, onions, and some herbs. The chicken is then roughly shredded, and the broth used to cook small pasta or rice.
Everything is combined at the end for a warming and nourishing meal that according to popular belief can help strengthen the health of the indisposed. In fact, in certain areas of Portugal is traditional to serve it to women during postpartum recovery. You can also find local variations and different takes on the traditional canja which uses sea food, salt cod, and even mushrooms, instead of chicken.
The Origins of Canja de Galinha
Canja de Galinha is believed to be a Portuguese adaptation of congee – a savoury rice porridge that’s popular in many Asian countries. Similar to the Portuguese dish, it’s also served to those who are feeling under the weather and in need of a comforting meal. Its origin can be traced back to 1,000 B.C. during the Zhou Dynasty in modern day China.
Although how exactly congee turned out to be canja is uncertain, there are two main theories. The first proposes that congee was brought to Portugal by Portuguese navigators returning from China due to its medicinal properties, where it gained the addition of local ingredients.
The second one is based on a mention to canje – derived from the Malayalam kenji, in a 16th century book by Portuguese physician Garcia da Orta ‘Colóquio dos simples e drogas e coisas medicinais da Índia’. Da Orta who was stationed in Goa, wrote about canje which consisted of rice cooked in water, seasoned with cumin and chili pepper. And how it was used to treat cholera. On both accounts, the chicken addition is credited to the Portuguese.
The soup was introduced to Portugal’s colonies later on, being slightly modified according to the ingredients available, and local taste. In Brazil it’s still made with rice, that’s cooked for longer than usual, as to ease digestion. In Portugal, pasta is preferred over rice, and it’s served with fresh mint leaves.
About our Portuguese Chicken and Mint Soup Recipe
Like most Portuguese recipes, Canja de Galinha is very simple to prepare, and it calls for basic ingredients that you probably have at home. The star of the soup is, the chicken, while we are using chicken breast for the practicality of it, you can use whole chicken, chicken legs or thighs. As for the veg, we used carrots, onions and garlic, and potatoes. You can add any other veg you like, such as green beans, celery, or leeks.
For the pasta, you can use any mini past shapes such as stars, macaroni, or alphabet. Orzo also works very well. The cherry on the cake is fresh mint leaves, that you add to the soup pot just a couple of minutes before you plate up. The mint infuses, adding some freshness to the salty broth, taking the soup to the next level.
How to Make Canja de Galinha
Canja de Galinha – Portuguese Chicken and Mint Soup
6
servings5
minutes50
minutes333
kcalCanja de Galinha is a delicious, fresh and hearty soup made with chicken and mint from Portuguese cuisine.
Ingredients
600 g Chicken Breast
2 Medium Carrots
2 Medium Onions
1 Medium Potato
3 Garlic Cloves
3 tbsp Olive Oil
250 g Mini Macaroni
2 Bay Leaves
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1/3 cup Fresh Mint Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Directions
- Place a tall pot over medium heat, once hot, add 2tbsp olive oil and place you whole chicken breast inside. Fry it on both sides till golden.
- Remove the chicken, lower the heat to low, then add diced onions and the remaining olive oil. Fry for about 3 minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Place the chicken breasts back in the pot, add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Cover with water, then season it with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat again, letting it simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a chopping board, then shred it. Replace it in the stock pan. Add the carrots and potatoes, simmer until fork tender. Adjust the salt, then add more boiling water if needed.
- Add in the pasta, letting it cook in the broth as per pack instructions, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, stir in the whole mint leaves, wait for a minute or two before serving. Serve with a few more mint leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- This recipe yields approximately 6 generous portions, so if you are making it for two people, try dividing the broth in 3, you can keep it for up to 3 days in the fridge. And whenever you want the soup, all you need to do is bring it to a boil again and cook the pasta. This will prevent the pasta from getting too soggy overnight.
Recipe makes 6 hearty portions
Ingredients
- 600g chicken breast
- 2 medium onions (approx. 280g) – diced
- 2 medium carrots (approx. 130g) – cut into small cubes
- 1 medium potato (approx. 100g) – cut into small cubes
- 3 garlic cloves – minced
- 3tbsp olive oil
- 250g mini macaroni or any small pasta shape
- 2 bay leaves
- A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/3 cup of fresh mint leaves (approx. 10g)
- Salt and Pepper
Preparation
- Place a tall pot over medium heat, once hot, add 2tbsp olive oil and place you whole chicken breast inside. Fry it on both sides till golden.
- Remove the chicken, lower the heat to low, then add diced onions and the remaining olive oil. Fry for about 3 minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Place the chicken breasts back in the pot, add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Cover with water, then season it with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat again, letting it simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a chopping board, then shred it. Replace it in the stock pan. Add the carrots and potatoes, simmer until fork tender. Adjust the salt, then add more boiling water if needed.
- Add in the pasta, letting it cook in the broth as per pack instructions, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, stir in the whole mint leaves, wait for a minute or two before serving. Serve with a few more mint leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tips: This recipe yields approximately 6 generous portions, so if you are making it for two people, try dividing the broth in 3, you can keep it for up to 3 days in the fridge. And whenever you want the soup, all you need to do is bring it to a boil again and cook the pasta. This will prevent the pasta from getting too soggy overnight.
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know in the comments!
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