Arisa — Armenian Chicken and Oat Porridge

Countries across the East lay claim to this dish. Learn it and make it your own! Quick to fix and full of flavor.

Recipe author

Servings:

Cinnamon

0.5

Chicken

125

Wheat groats

Butter (clarified)

Onion

Salt

Chicken (boiled)

250

Broth (up to 3 l)

2.5

Oats (up to 230 g)

170

Vegetable oil (up to 50 ml)

Onion

Table salt

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 31 % 5 g

Fats 31 % 5 g

Carbohydrates 38 % 6 g

82 kcal

GI: 0 / 67 / 33

Cooking method

Traditional Armenian arisa: Boil a whole chicken, pull the meat off the bones, and cut it into pieces. Stir pre-soaked coarse wheat groats into the boiling broth, add the chicken, and keep simmering over low heat. As soon as the porridge thickens, beat it with a blender or a wooden spurtle and keep cooking until everything comes together into one smooth, stretchy mass. Then season with salt. Serve butter-fried onions or plain clarified butter on the side, spooning some over each portion. Add cinnamon if you like. Arisa is a delicious porridge, but the traditional version cooks for a very long time (5–6 hours), and you have to stir it constantly so it doesn't scorch. These days most of us don't want to spend that long at the stove (our dear grandmothers had more patience than we do). So here's my shortcut version: Boil the chicken and cut it into pieces. Add the chicken to strained, boiling broth and pour in rolled oats. Once the porridge comes together, simmer it 15–25 minutes over low heat. Serve the same way — topped with fried onions, clarified butter, or just a pat of butter.