Chicken Long Rice
intro
A comforting Hawaiian local noodle dish with tender poached chicken, slippery glass noodles, and ginger-scented light broth, simple yet deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep all ingredients
First, place dried long rice noodles in a bowl of room-temperature cold water to soak for 15 minutes until pliable, then drain and set aside. Slice ginger into 3mm (1/8-inch) thick coins, lightly crush garlic cloves, and separate green onions: cut white parts into 2.5cm (1-inch) segments, and thinly slice green tops for garnish. Pat chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels.
Simmer aromatic broth
Pour 1200ml chicken broth into a large heavy-bottomed pot, add sliced ginger, crushed garlic, green onion white segments, and 30ml light soy sauce. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat (about 6-7 minutes), then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the broth with warm ginger and allium flavor.
Poach the chicken
Gently lower the 450g of pat-dried chicken thighs into the simmering broth, ensuring they are fully submerged. Maintain a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 12 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74C (165F) and is tender enough to shred easily.
Shred cooked chicken
Use tongs to remove cooked chicken thighs from the broth and transfer to a clean cutting board. Let chicken rest for 3 minutes until cool enough to handle, then shred into 2.5cm (1-inch) wide strips using two forks, discarding any excess fatty bits if desired. Keep the broth at a low simmer while shredding.
Cook the long rice
Add drained, pre-soaked long rice noodles to the simmering broth, increase heat to medium to bring the broth back to a low boil, and cook noodles for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, until noodles are completely translucent and tender with a slight springy bite, not mushy.
Season and combine
Return shredded chicken to the pot with noodles and broth, stir in 5ml toasted sesame oil, 3g sea salt, and 1g ground black pepper. Stir gently over medium-low heat for 2 minutes until all ingredients are evenly heated through and coated in broth. Taste and add extra salt if desired.
Garnish and serve
Ladle equal portions of chicken, noodles, and broth into 4 warm serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of reserved sliced green onion tops. Serve immediately while hot, with extra light soy sauce on the side for diners to adjust seasoning to taste.
Tips
2.Use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast for this recipe; dark meat stays juicy during gentle poaching and adds rich savoriness to the light broth, rather than turning dry and tough.
3.For an extra traditional umami boost, add 2 rehydrated, sliced dried shiitake mushrooms to the broth when simmering the aromatics, a common home cook variation across Hawaii.
Made this for my family’s Sunday dinner last night and everyone raved! It’s so cozy and flavorful, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to throw together. I used leftover rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge to cut down on prep time even more, and it worked perfectly. 10/10, will make again!
Quick question before I make this for my potluck this weekend! Can I substitute regular thin rice noodles if I can’t find the traditional chicken long rice noodles? I don’t want to mess up the texture but my store is totally sold out right now.
Total game changer for my weekly meal prep! I made a big batch on Sunday and portioned it out for lunches all week, and it held up so much better than I thought it would. The broth is so savory and comforting, even after reheating in the office microwave. My coworkers kept stopping by my desk asking what I was eating it smelled so good lmao
OMG my Hawaiian grandma used to make this all the time when I was a kid, and this recipe tastes exactly like hers! I was so worried I’d never get the ginger and broth ratio right, but this is spot on. I added a little extra bok choy like she did and it was perfect. Brought back so many good memories 🥹
Super easy weeknight meal, even for a guy who barely knows how to boil water. Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect first try. My roommate ate half the pot before I even got a second serving, so I guess that means it’s good lmao. Only thing I’ll do different next time is double the recipe.
Wait, how spicy is this if I add the optional white pepper? I have super young kids who can’t handle any heat at all, so I’m trying to figure out if I should leave it out entirely.
Brought this to my office potluck and it was the first dish gone! People were coming back for thirds and asking for the recipe before I even finished my own plate. I added a little squeeze of lime on top before serving and it was chef’s kiss. 10/10, will be making this for every gathering from now on.
I’ve been making chicken long rice for over 40 years, and I have to say this recipe is even easier than my old go-to! The trick of searing the ginger first before adding the broth is a total game changer, it adds so much more flavor. My grandkids went crazy for it, they kept saying it’s better than my usual version (don’t tell my old recipe book I said that 😉)
SO good! I was worried 35 minutes was too quick to get that deep, slow-simmered broth flavor, but wow, this delivered. I added a handful of shiitake mushrooms because I had them in the fridge, and they were such a good add. Perfect cozy meal for a cold rainy night.