Hawaiian-Style Chicken Long Rice Recipe

There are a zillion and six different things to make with leftover rotisserie chicken, but if you feel you've tried them all and are tired of chicken salad, chicken tacos, and chicken pot pie, here's a new idea: the popular Hawaiian comfort food known as chicken long rice. Spoiler alert: It isn't made with rice at all. Instead, the "long rice" is actually noodles. "This is one comforting bowl of chicken and noodles," as developer Patterson Watkins says of her recipe. "The noodles are fun and springy, and the slow-roasted chicken, in all its pre-seasoned glory, works really well in this Chinese-Hawaiian comfort food recipe." Unlike Hawaiian pizza (or its German predecessor, toast Hawaii), chicken long rice doesn't flaunt its Hawaiian credentials by using pineapple. Instead, it's a simple stir-fry flavored with garlic, ginger, scallions, sesame oil, and soy sauce. 

This dish is as economical as it is delicious, since it makes use of not just the meat, but the skin and bones of the rotisserie chicken. These are used to make a broth that Watkins describes as "rich and silky — peak umami, with pops of aromatic ginger, garlic, and scallion." The dish is hearty and satisfying exactly as it is, but you can dress it up with all manner of add-ins if you wish.

The main components of this dish are half a rotisserie chicken and bean thread noodles. (These are readily available at Asian groceries, although they might also be sold as glass or cellophane noodles or Chinese vermicelli.) The other ingredients you'll need are sesame oil, olive oil, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and sugar.

Remove the meat and skin from the rotisserie chicken bones. Pull the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces and reserve the bones and skin.

Heat the sesame oil and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Once hot, add the garlic, ginger, and scallion white parts to the pot and saute for 3 minutes.

Add the chicken bones and skin to the pot, stir to combine with the aromatic veggies, and continue to saute for 3 minutes more.

Add the water, soy sauce, and sugar to the pot, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the broth is cooking, soak the bean thread noodles according to the instructions on the packaging.

Once the broth has cooked, use a skimmer to remove the chicken bones and skin.

Place the shredded chicken into the pot.

Drain the soaked noodles and add them to the pot.

Stir the chicken and noodles together with the broth and cook for 5 minutes or until the noodles turn clear and the chicken has reheated.

Divide the chicken, noodles, and broth between bowls and sprinkle with the scallion green parts before serving.

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Even though this recipe is super-simple, you're still making your own homemade chicken stock. It's well worth it for the velvety texture and complex depth of flavor, but if you want to cut down on the cooking time, you can use either canned or boxed chicken broth. In fact, you might need to do so if you don't have any leftover rotisserie chicken, but will instead be making your chicken long rice with raw poultry.

To do so, heat the oils as per the directions, then season your chicken with salt and pepper and sear it on both sides. (Either breasts or thighs will work as long as they're boneless.) At this point, take the chicken out of the pot and fry the garlic, ginger, and scallions. Pour in the broth, along with the soy sauce and sugar, and return the chicken to the pot once the broth starts simmering. Turn the heat down to low and poach the chicken until it's cooked all the way through, then shred it and mix in the noodles.

If you do have rotisserie chicken or home-cooked chicken with the skin on, though, by all means make use of it. Watkins tells us, "The cooked skin enhances the overall flavor and adds a level of unctuousness that really can't be beat. The rotisserie chicken skin also contains all those roasty toasty seasoning notes. And, those locked-in collagen elements give this broth a thicker, richer mouthfeel."

This dish is simple, but hardly plain, as the aromatics, soy sauce, and sesame oil all add plenty of well-balanced flavor. Even so, you might still want to add a few touches of your own. Spice things up with chile oil, squirt in some sriracha, or swap out the soy sauce for citrusy ponzu.

If you don't have half a rotisserie chicken left (or even if you do), you might also want to supplement the meat with some vegetables. Sauteed bok choy, carrots, mushrooms, or onions would all work well in this dish, or you could even stir in some fresh or canned pineapple to add a little sweet and sour to the savory.

You can also go wild with the garnishes if green onions alone don't do it for you. Add some sliced fresh jalapeño or serrano chiles, or use chopped cilantro for some extra greenery. If you'd like a crunchy element to contrast with the smooth noodles, try topping this soup with toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or cashews.

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