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This chicken congee is the ultimate in comfort food - tasty spoonfuls of ultra boiled rice flavored with chicken stock, seasonings and a variety of condiments, if you've never had it before you may just fall in love.
Seriously, it's that good. Not too different from this claypot chicken rice, except for the texture.
Now, let's just get this out of the way...is congee beautiful? Not really. It looks like a bowl of gruel.
BUT, underneath it's gruel-like appearance is the most delectable, delicious, rib sticking meal you'll ever have.
Serve it with one of these sous vide soft boiled eggs or ramen eggs on top with some crispy crumbled sous vide bacon and you've got yourself a breakfast - or honestly any other type of meal you'd like.
Scroll down through the post to see some other serving options for this oh so incredible chicken congee.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- It's so easy to make for any cooking level.
- It is the ultimate in comfort food - it will warm your soul and the flavors are mild and umami at the same time.
- You can eat it for any meal and add any variety of toppings making it suitable for any time!
- It's just really, really, good guys. That's why it works.
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Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients and quantities used, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Any long grain white rice works great for this, as long as it is rinsed thoroughly.
Chicken thighs work great as they stay tender and moist, but you can also stir in shreds of this soy sauce chicken at the end if you prefer.
Fresh ginger is going to give you the best flavor, but the squeeze bottle ginger paste will work too.
I do use MSG in this recipe as a flavor enhancer and do recommend using it. However, if you prefer not to, you can leave it out. You may need to add additional salt to taste.
Like many of my recipes, I do suggest using a homemade chicken stock, but you can use store-bought as well.
Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine used commonly is Chinese cooking. If you're going to be cooking a lot of my recipes, I definitely suggest purchasing some. You can also substitute dry sherry.
Step By Step Instructions
Combine the chicken marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the sliced chicken, then mix to fully coat. Set aside while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the rice.
Boil for 25 minutes, partially covered.
After 25 minutes, use a whisk to to whisk the rice and break it up into a porridge-like substance.
Add the chicken slowly and bring back to a boil.
Add the remaining seasonings, adjust salt to taste and serve hot, garnished with fried garlic, green onions, cilantro and chili crisp (optional).
Serving Options
What I love about congee is the many different serving options. This recipe uses some basic items like sliced green onions, fried garlic and/or a drizzle of chili crisp. Here are some other ideas:
- Chopped up roasted duck, sous vide duck breast or sous vide pork belly
- Serve it with Japanese kakuni
- Pork floss (this used to be my all time favorite way to eat it)
- Fried shallots, fried oysters
- Fresh seafood like fish, shrimp or mussels
- Pickled mustard greens
- Place a sous vide poached egg on top
- Mix in some spam, canned sardines or other canned meat/fish
- Honestly, anything you can think of - there are so many options!!
Expert Tips
- Whisk the rice briskly as this is what will help it break apart and become a congee.
- If you use unsalted broth, you may need to add additional salt to taste.
- The MSG can be omitted, but you may need to add extra salt to taste if you omit it.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Congee can be stored in the fridge on a covered container for up to 5 days and reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. If it gets too thick, add extra chicken stock while reheating until it reaches desired consistency.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat according to the instructions above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Congee is a type of rice dish similar to porridge eaten often in Asian countries. Rice is whisked briskly until it falls apart into a porridge like consistency. It can be served with many different topping in different ways.
It can be healthy. While it does contain a lot of carbohydrates if you are looking to lose weight, it contains essential vitamins and minerals, as well as protein from the chicken.
Serve it with different adds in such as bacon, sausage, sesame seeds, chili sauce, green onions, fried garlic, etc. It is typically eaten with a spoon.
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Chicken Congee
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice rinsed well until water runs clear
- 12 ounces chicken thighs sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 green onions cut in 1" pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt use additional salt is using unsalted broth - taste first
- ½ teaspoon MSG
- Chopped green onions for serving
- fried garlic for serving
- Fresh cilantro for serving
- Chili crisp for serving
- 8 cups chicken stock
Chicken Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Instructions
- Combine the chicken marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the sliced chicken, then mix to fully coat. Set aside while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the rice.
- Boil for 25 minutes, partially covered.
- After 25 minutes, use a whisk to to whisk the rice and break it up into a porridge-like substance.
- Add the chicken slowly and bring back to a boil.
- Add the remaining seasonings, adjust salt to taste and serve garnished with fried garlic, green onions, cilantro and chili crisp (optional)
Expert Tips:
- Whisk the rice briskly as this is what will help it break apart and become a congee.
- If you use unsalted broth, you may need to add additional salt to taste.
- The MSG can be omitted, but you may need to add extra salt to taste if you omit it.
Nutrition
jon says
My new favorite recipe. So easy, and it was like you said, ultra comfort in a bowl. It was great leftover too.
Danielle says
Thanks! This is definitely one of our all time favorite recipes 🙂