Chicken Soup (canja de galinha)

Chicken Soup (Canja de Galinha)

ingredients

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 8 pieces
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
1 bay leaf
black pepper to taste
8 cups water
1/2 cup long-grain rice
5 sprigs fresh mint

Directions:

1- wash the chicken pieces, pat them dry with a paper towel, and lay them in a large bowl. Add minced garlic and salt to the chicken pieces.Refrigerate for up to 2 hours to marinate.
2- Just before the chicken has finished marinating, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Wash and peel the carrot and set aside.
3- Remove the chicken form refrigerator. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to hold all the ingredients. A dutch oven or soup pot will work best. Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove the browned pieces to a clean platter, drain the fat from the pot. Leave the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, they will add additional flavor to the soup. Return the chicken to the pot along with the onion, carrot, bay leaf, black pepper, and the water and bring it to a boil over high heat (15-20 min). Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot leaving the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender. When chicken is done, remove chicken and carrot from broth and lay them in a plate to cool. Discard the onion.
4- Return the broth to a boil over high heat, then add rice, and salt to taste. As soon as the broth boils again, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 15 min. or until the rice is tender. In the meantime, slice the carrot and chicken into small cubes then, add them to the pan. Heat soup through for 5 min. Wash the mint, and tear the leaves in half. Serve the soup hot and garnish each bowl with a few of the mint leaves.