What is Arroz Caldo?
Arroz caldo is a Filipino comfort food that resembles Chinese congee or rice porridge. Despite its Spanish name, which translates to “hot rice” or “rice broth,” this dish was introduced by Chinese immigrants in the Philippines. While many families serve the meal on overcast days or as a comforting remedy for colds and stomach aches, it’s also a staple for breakfast, a midday snack, or a light dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil: Sear the chicken and saute the vegetables in oil.
- Chicken: I make Instant Pot arroz caldo with bone-in chicken thighs and legs, but you can make it with whole chicken or chicken wings if you prefer smaller pieces. Use boneless chicken thighs if that is what you have, but I recommend including chicken Better than Bouillon or a bouillon cube for additional flavor.
- Onion: Use white or yellow onions.
- Scallions (Green Onions): I use the white parts of the scallions to flavor the broth and the greens for a peppery garnish.
- Garlic: Use a ton of fresh garlic cloves to flavor the dish.
- Ginger: I recommend using fresh ginger for the best flavor.
- Jasmine Rice: If you can get your hands on glutinous rice like sticky rice or malagkit rice, use one of those. I often use jasmine rice since I always have it in my pantry. You can also use calrose, long-grained white rice, brown rice, or basmati rice.
- Chicken Broth: Use homemade broth or store-bought chicken broth. You can also use water with Chicken Better than Bouillon. I recommend 6-8 cups of chicken broth or chicken stock, depending on whether you like a thick porridge texture or a looser soup.
- Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is made from salty fermented fish and adds a flavorful boost to the chicken and rice.
- Spices: Taste and season the Instant Pot arroz caldo with salt and black pepper as you go.
Additions and Substitutions
- Include diced vegetables like celery, carrots, zucchini, or mushrooms.
- Use leftover chicken breasts and rotisserie chicken for a quick weeknight meal or tofu and mushrooms for a vegetarian option.
- Add pork and chicken bones, or try bone broth like yakhni and mutton soup for additional flavor.
How to Make Instant Pot Arroz Caldo
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm the oil in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and add it to the pot skin-side down in a single layer to brown for 2-3 minutes per side.
Tip: Avoid overcrowding the pan—cook in batches as needed.
Step 2: Remove the chicken and set the pieces aside. Add the diced onion and cook until they become translucent and soften. Then, stir in the scallions, six cloves of minced garlic, and ginger. Cook for another minute.
Step 3: Deglaze the Instant Pot with chicken broth, scraping up any stuck-on bits from the bottom. Nestle the chicken pieces into the broth and add the rice. Secure the lid and set the pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Meanwhile, warm two tablespoons of oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add six thinly sliced garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic turns light golden brown. Transfer the garlic to a plate lined with paper towels.
Step 5: Remove the the inner pot from heat and stir in the fish sauce. Spoon the rice and chicken into serving bowls and garnish with scallion greens and the fried garlic to serve.
Expert Tips
- Searing the chicken enhances the flavor, but skip this step if you’re short on time.
- Use the chicken broth to deglaze the Instant Pot by scraping up any browned bits from browning the chicken; this adds extra flavor and helps avoid triggering a burn notification.
- For crispy garlic to garnish the dish, sauté them on medium heat, keeping a close eye to prevent them from burning. You want the garlic to be golden and crispy but not charred.
If you enjoy the rice dish, try one of these Filipino recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Using an Instant Pot cuts the cooking time in half, and the chicken and rice are ready in about an hour!
Arroz caldo in the Instant Pot is everything you need in one pot, and it is perfect for meal prep. However, it’s the trimmings that take the dish up a notch.
After serving the rice and chicken into bowls, I like to top mine with fried garlic, scallions, and hard-boiled eggs. And get creative with your favorite toppings, like chili crisp, chicharrones, cilantro leaves, lemon wedges, calamansi, or sautéed veggies like bok choy or spinach.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover arroz caldo in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the dish cool and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Instant Pot arroz caldo will freeze for 4-6 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the chicken and rice in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: The dish will thicken as it cools in the refrigerator, so I recommend adding a little water to loosen it up before reheating it on the stovetop or microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between lugaw and arroz caldo?
They are similar, but the main difference is the prominent ginger flavor and chicken pieces in arroz caldo.
Is arroz caldo a porridge?
Instant Pot arroz caldo has a porridge texture, but you can include more chicken broth if you prefer a soup-like consistency.
Can you make arroz caldo with cooked rice?
Yes, you can make the dish with cooked rice, although traditional arroz caldo recipes start with uncooked rice, allowing the rice to absorb the broth, chicken, and aromatics.
I recommend adding cooked or leftover rice to the Instant Pot when you stir in fish sauce.
More Instant Pot Recipes:
Instant Pot Arroz Caldo
- 2-3 tablespoons oil, divided
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds chicken pieces, bone-in
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 scallions finely sliced, white & green parts separated
- 12 garlic cloves, divided
- 1-2 inches ginger, minced
- 1½ cups jasmine rice, washed and rinsed
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Warm the oil in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and add it to the pot skin-side down in a single layer to brown for 2-3 minutes per side.Tip: Avoid overcrowding the pan—cook in batches as needed.
- Remove the chicken and set the pieces aside. Add the diced onion and cook until they become translucent and soften. Then, stir in the scallions, six cloves of minced garlic, and ginger. Cook for another minute.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot with chicken broth, scraping up any stuck-on bits from the bottom. Nestle the chicken pieces into the broth and add the rice. Secure the lid and set the pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Optional: Remove the chicken from the pot, debone it, and cut it into smaller pieces. Then, return the chicken to the pot and stir to combine.
- Remove the the inner pot from heat and stir in the fish sauce. Spoon the rice and chicken into serving bowls and garnish with scallion greens and the fried garlic to serve.
- Searing the chicken enhances the flavor, but skip this step if you’re short on time.
- Use the chicken broth to deglaze the Instant Pot by scraping up any browned bits from browning the chicken; this adds extra flavor and helps avoid triggering a burn notification.
- For crispy garlic to garnish the dish, sauté them on medium heat, keeping a close eye to prevent them from burning. You want the garlic to be golden and crispy but not charred.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.