Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Portuguese

Canja de galinha

Non-vegetarian

Portugal's comforting chicken and rice soup: a clear, lemony broth with tender shredded chicken, soft rice and fresh mint — the classic food for convalescents.

Canja de galinha is a Portuguese soup from Portugal, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, long-grain white rice and mint. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of canja, Portuguese chicken broth with rice
Photo: ZhengZhou / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 25 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
315

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the chicken, water, onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab), bay and salt in a pot. Bring slowly to the boil, skim, then simmer gently until the chicken is very tender.

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Lift out the chicken and discard the onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab) and bay. Shred the meat, discarding skin and bones.

    • 10 min

  3. Step 3

    Bring the broth back to the boil, add the rice and simmer until very soft, about 15 minutes. Return the chicken and heat through.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Reheat the chicken until piping hot.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab), taste for salt and serve with mint (opens in a new tab) leaves in each bowl.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Portugal · Commonly attributedEaten throughout the Portuguese-speaking world. The name is often linked to the rice gruels (kanji) Portuguese sailors met in India, but that link is not certain.Also popular in Brazil, Cabo VerdeMore food from Portugal
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Soups
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Poached, Boiled
    Taste
    mild, savoury, fresh, citrusy
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly · Freezer-friendly
    Cook more with
    Chicken pieces, skin-on · Long-grain white rice · Mint · Onion · Bay leaves · Lemon juice
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Poaching

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    315 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 487 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 28%
    • Carbohydrate 23%
    • Fat 48%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy315 kcal65 kcal
    Protein21.8 g4.5 g
    Carbohydrate18.1 g3.7 g
    Net carbohydrate17.5 g3.6 g
    Sugars0.9 g0.2 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre0.6 g0.1 g
    Fat16.5 g3.4 g
    Saturated fat4.7 g1 g
    Trans fat0.1 g0 g
    Cholesterol81 mg17 mg
    Sodium861 mg177 mg
    Salt equivalent2.2 g0.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    261 mg
    Calcium
    56 mg
    Iron
    1.9 mg
    Magnesium
    36 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    45 µg
    Vitamin C
    5 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.2 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.3 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    89 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: carrot, black pepper.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Some cooks also cook the chicken giblets in the broth for extra depth.

    Common mistakes

    • Adding the mint to the pot to simmer — it turns dark and loses its freshness; put the leaves in the bowls.

    Serve with

    • A light starter before a Portuguese Sunday lunch, or a meal in itself when someone is unwell.

    Storage

    • Keeps 3 days chilled; freezes well.

    Reheating

    • The rice keeps absorbing broth — add water when reheating.

    Variations

    • Brazilian canja (Brazil): Often thicker, with diced carrot, potato and parsley or spring onion.
    • Cabo Verdean canja (Cabo Verde): Made with rice and often a little more richness for festive occasions.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 3

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like