Chicken Long Rice with Bok Choy

I was craving simple comfort food. Solution, chicken long rice!

Chicken long rice can be found at Hawaiian luaus, Japanese okazuyas, and on the dinner table in local households in Hawaii. It’s like a chicken soup without too much broth and using a different type of noodle.

This recipe is made healthier by using white meat chicken instead of chicken thighs. I also use a low sodium chicken broth to cut back some of the sodium. Finally, I added bok choy to get some vegetables in there and lots of ginger for good measure.

INGREDIENTS
4 to 5 pieces chicken tenderloin or 2 pieces chicken breast
4 oz. long rice (also known as bean threads, rice noodles, etc.)
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 bunch bok choy
1 stalk green onion
2 to 3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. fresh ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the chicken in a medium sized pot of water until cooked through.
2. Cut bok choy into 1/2 to 1 inch wide strips.
3. Finely slice the green onions and mince the ginger.
4. Drain the chicken saving 2 cups of the water.
5. After rinsing out the pot, fill it with the 2 cups of saved water and 1 can of low sodium chicken broth on medium heat.
6. Add in the noodles, ginger, soy sauce, and thick pieces of bok choy (the parts cut near the bottom of the leaf).
7. As the noodles start to absorb the liquid, add in the second can of low sodium chicken broth until it is a soupy consistency.
8. Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.
9. When the noodles and bok choy are tender (this won’t take long), add in the chicken and green onions.

NOTES
The amount of liquid you add depends on the noodles you choose. From what I’ve experienced some brands suck up a lot more liquid than others, and you don’t want to be left with a big wad of noodles at the bottom of your pot. So just make sure there is enough broth to allow the noodles to easily stir around.

When I make this again I’ll probably use a mustard cabbage like kai choy. I was actually going to do that this time but the bok choy looked fresher at the market. If you use a mustard cabbage, consider blanching it first in a separate pot to lessen some of the bitterness. It’s not necessary though, especially if you like that bitter bite that a lot of people I know like.

Oh and one last thing, whatever you do…this is important…do not over cook the noodles or it will turn into mush. Trust me (translation = I’ve learned from experience), you don’t want to do that.