Serves: 8
Total Calories: 905

1 fat chicken, cut up
2 tablespoons cooking oils
1 onion sliced
2 tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sweet basil
5 sprigs cilantro
1 cup rice
cooked ham

Fry the chicken in hot cooking oil. Add sliced onion. Cover with water, add other listed ingredients, except the rice and the ham. Let cook until the chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken from the bones and skin and strain the broth. There should be about 3 quarts of broth. If necessary, add water to make that amount. Cut chicken meat into small pieces. Return the broth to the stove and add 1 cup rice to the broth and cook until the rice is nearly tender. Add the cut up chicken and 1/2 cup cook ham cut into small pieces. Continue cooking until the rice loses its shape.

Serve very hot.

NOTE: This is a heavy soup that would be eaten in the evening if you had your main meal at noon.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 8
Total Calories: 905
Calories from Fat: 38

More Recipes from the A Taste of Brazil Cookbook:
Chicken Rice Soup (Canja)
Cream of Heart of Palm Soup (Sopa de palmito)