Chicken and Rice Soup with Green Chiles and Ginger

 

One-dish supper that won't leave you with a clogged sink. This is really a chicken soup that will stick to your ribs. Decrease the cookcooking time by 10 minutes if you want a soup with a lighter consistency.

 

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, cut into very thin matchsticks

¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

6 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

3 small shallots, halved

4 garlic cloves

¾ cup jasmine rice, rinsed

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1tablespoon  fish sauce

Kosher salt to taste

3 Thai green chiles, thinly sliced crosswise

2 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise

3 tablespoons crushed roasted, unsalted peanuts

 

In a small dish, combine sugar and 12 cups boiling water, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Allow ginger to cool before draining and setting aside.

In a large skillet, bring the chicken, stock, shallots, and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20–25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked throughout. Allow the chicken and garlic to cool on a chopping board; eliminate the shallots. Using the side of a chef's knife, pound the garlic into a paste, return to the pot and stir to mix. Set aside the shredded chicken.

 

Raise the stock mixture to a boil, then add the rice. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring periodically, for 30–40 minutes, or until rice is soft and broken. Toss in the lime juice, fish sauce, and reserved chicken; season with additional fish sauce and salt to taste.

Dish the soup in dishes, topped with the saved ginger, chilies, scallions, and peanuts.