In our family, Turkey Chuk was a post-holiday tradition, made from the leftover turkey bones from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  I anticipated this dish even more than the roast turkey with trimmings, as it was the comfort food of my youth – and still continues to be one of my favorites.

Lacking a turkey carcass in the middle of October, I decided to try making this dish using what I had on hand: chicken breasts.  I knew that it wouldn’t yield the best results, as it is the bones that makes the broth flavorful but I gave it a try.  Here’s what I did:

Boil 1 chicken breast in water for an hour.  When cooked, shred chicken into small pieces.  Add minced vegetables of your choice (carrots, zucchini, celery, etc.), heat to boiling, and a few scoops of cooked white rice. (You can use uncooked, washed rice but the simmering time will be longer.)  Simmer until rice begins to melt, stirring occasionally to prevent rice from burning on the bottom.

This also works great in a crockpot.

If you’re making this for the adult palate, you should add Hawaiian salt (to taste) during the cooking process.   I added some Wakame Chazuke furikake to it and had it for dinner.  You can also use table salt and black pepper for a little zest.  For added flavor, you can reduce the amount of water and use chicken broth because preparing it as directed above, the soup will be somewhat bland.

When making this for your baby, I recommend starting simple first: chicken and rice. As your baby grows accustomed to the new flavors and textures, you can try different vegetables (round onions, daikon, celery, carrots) and experiment with different types of meat (hamhock, beef, fish).