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Cape Verdean · West African

Canja (Cabo Verdean chicken and rice soup)

Non-vegetarian

Canja

A gentle, thick chicken and rice soup with onion, garlic and bay. Served in Cabo Verde to the sick, to new mothers and late at night after festivities.

Canja (Cabo Verdean chicken and rice soup) is a Cape Verdean soup, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and long-grain white rice. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
1 h
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
447

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soften the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the olive oil (opens in a new tab) in a large pot, then add the chicken, bay leaves (opens in a new tab), water, salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Simmer gently, skimming, until the chicken is tender, about 35 minutes. Lift out the chicken, discard skin and bones and shred the meat.

    • 35 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C.

  3. Step 3

    Add the rice to the broth and simmer until very soft and the soup has thickened, 18–20 minutes. Return the chicken, adjust the salt and serve with lemon (opens in a new tab) and parsley (opens in a new tab).

    • 20 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedCanja is shared across the Portuguese-speaking world (Portugal, Brazil, Cabo Verde); this follows the Cabo Verdean home style, where it is often made thicker.Also popular in Cabo Verde, Portugal, Brazil
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
mild, savoury, garlicky
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Long-grain white rice · Onion · Garlic · Bay leaves
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

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

447 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 524 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 24%
  • Fat 51%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy447 kcal85 kcal
Protein27.3 g5.2 g
Carbohydrate26.5 g5.1 g
Net carbohydrate25.7 g4.9 g
Sugars0.8 g0.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.8 g0.2 g
Fat24.8 g4.7 g
Saturated fat6.4 g1.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol100 mg19 mg
Sodium880 mg168 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
323 mg
Calcium
66 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
43 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
55 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
128 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: lemon, parsley.
  • “—” 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

  • Skim the foam in the first 10 minutes of simmering for a clearer broth.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the rice too early — it disintegrates before the chicken is ready.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days; the rice keeps absorbing broth, so add water when reheating.

Reheating

  • Reheat with extra water until piping hot.

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.

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