Canja de galinha is Portugal’s chicken soup — and Portugal’s answer to nearly everything: illness, heartbreak, cold weather, new babies, late nights. A clear, golden broth from a good hen, tiny pasta, shredded chicken and the quiet genius touch of fresh mint.
The old-fashioned canja was made from a free-range hen and served with the tiny unlaid eggs found inside, a delicacy older generations remember and today’s supermarkets have made nearly impossible to find. This version borrows a clever, practical stand-in: hard-boiled quail eggs.
It is gentle, restorative cooking — one pot, mostly simmering time — and the mint at the end is not optional. That is the taste of a Portuguese childhood.
Canja de Galinha Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 to 2½ pounds free-range chicken (or stewing hen), halved
- 1 medium carrot, peeled
- 1 small onion, peeled
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (whole sprigs)
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 6 cups water, or enough to cover
- 1 cup small pasta (orzo or pastina)
- 8 to 12 quail eggs
- 1 or 2 sprigs fresh mint
Instructions
- Put the chicken, carrot, onion, parsley and salt in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer about 1 hour, until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables, strain the broth, and skim excess fat.
- Return the broth to a boil, add the pasta and the unpeeled quail eggs, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the eggs hard-boiled.
- Peel the quail eggs and return them to the pot.
- Shred 1 to 1½ cups of the chicken, mash the carrot with a fork, and add both to the soup.
- Add the mint, simmer 1 minute more, and serve hot.
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