Healthy and warm Chinese chicken congee 鸡肉粥.
Congee or porridge culture is one of the most outstanding features of Chinese cuisine, compared with western culture. We are eating congee along the entire year. They may appear differently in different seasons or places. For example, in hot summer days, we make congee usually with clear water and sometimes corns and mung beans. Congee is served cold along with cold noodles. In cold winter days, broth is widely used for cooking a savory and warm congee. This is a very basic homemade chicken congee directly from rice. You can use chicken broth and leftover rice to make a leftover rice stew, which is known as 汤饭 in Chinese.
My favorite match with congee is pickles and Chinese Youtiao, Chinese pancake etc. Following are some recommendations from Elaine.
In China, both plain rice and sticky rice are used for porridge and congee. Lots of ingredients are great partners with congee. If you love a sweet version with beans and dried fruits, check mixed congee.
- 2/3 cup rice , either long grain or short grain
- 3 Liter water
- pinch of salt
- dash of pepper , optional
- 3-4 green onion
- 1 thumb ginger
- small bunch of coriander , optional
- 2 chicken thighs + 1 cup chicken chunk
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Wash the rice and then soak with clean water for around 30 minutes.
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Place chicken in a pot with cold water and add 1 green onion and several slices of ginger. Bring to boil.
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After 3-4 minutes, add soaked rice, bring to boil again.
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Transfer the chicken thighs out when you can easily insert a chopstick. Soak in clean water to cool down and then shred by hand or you can mince them.
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Simmer the congee for 1 hour over slowest fire. Serve with your favorite side ingredients.
Recipe Video
Use a larger pot to avoid overflowing
This dish looks wonderful and I am going to try my hand at it in the very near future. I recently discovered your website and I think I am going to use it often as a reference material for my own kitchen adventures. Your pictures really compliment your food making you hungry by just looking at them.
I already made a list of some recipes found on your site I really want to try as well such as the sweet and sour ribs – Tang Cu Pai Gu and the Dan Dan Noodles. They look absolute yummy!
Thanks for all the kind words. Happy cooking.
Looks like a perfect comfort breakfast for a cold winter morning. Nice!
I totally agree. It really warms up in the chilled like morning.
I just found your page. I will mark to come back and try some recipes. I just came back from a month in China and the food was awesome there. I’m eager to make some of the authentic items I ate there.
Congee is a favorite of mine and I have been making it for over a year. Great comfort food!
I love Congee! I use the rice from last night’s dinner and simmer it in chicken stock until it’s very soft. The thing I like about it is that it is nourishing and you can add any condiments to it. Want meat, add meat, want veggies, add them, want spicy, go for it! Fried scallions/some soy sauce/ sesame oil/ black bean sauce/ etc… it’s the perfect blank canvas for really good, hearty food!
Left-over congee has a lovely name in Chinese–烫饭. You can add meat, vegetables and all kinds of homemade chili sauce etc. It is so yummy and quick.
My favorite combination is tomato, egg, Bok choy and mushrooms.
I remember having this in Beijjing when we went through the adoption of our granddaughter. Such happy memories and such wonderful food! I love your web site and it is my go to to find Chinese recipes. thank you so much for sharing your cooking.
I love “Jook”! My mother use to make that every week! My parents are from Canton and they used pork instead of chicken and smoked ham to give the rice more flavor! I made it once when I was living in NY but now I’m in NC and it’s hard to get the same ingredients than up in Queens or Manhattan!
I love your website! I am hosting a Chinese family this week, and I know the wife loves congee. I have one question: if I make it ahead and refrigerate it overnight will it become thick and mushy?
Yes, it will. Anna. Congee is not a ideal food for cooking ahead.
Loved it! Added a bit more ginger and served it with finely diced green and red chili de-seeded in soy sauce to garnish as desired with fresh chopped spring onion. My go-to congee recipe now!!!! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
Love it! I love how you can throw the chicken drumsticks, rice and ginger in the IP and then set it and forget it. I am curious to know how well it turns out with a shorter cooking time like say 20 minutes cooked on high pressure and then about 20-30 minutes natural release time. Anyone try a shorter cook and release time? If so, what times work?
I’m curious to know if this recipe could be used with oxtails. Anyone try this? How’d it turn out?
Oxtail can be good too. But oxtails should be pre-cooked with boiling water.
I think this recipe is supposed to say 2-3 cups of rice, not 2/3 of a cup. Made this with 2/3 cup of rice as stated and there was far too much water. Have added another 1.5 cups into the water now. Besides that great recipe. 🙂