How to Make Chicken Congee (鸡粥)

An easy and simple, creamy chicken congee recipe that is comforting any time of the year as an everyday meal or when you're feeling under the weather.

What is Congee? (aka Jook)

Congee is essentially an Asian porridge made with rice, I like to think of it as a thick rice soup.  It's comforting, easy to make, warm, and it is the ultimate Asian comfort food, which is why many of us turn to this wonderful dish whenever we're not feeling well. At its core, congee is just rice and water boiled down to a thick and creamy consistency and served with many different types of proteins and toppings.

One of the many reasons why Asians usually have congee when they are sick is because it's a simple dish. It doesn't have a lot of ingredients in it, is easy to digest, has a lot of water in it to hydrate the body, and has a bit of protein in it as well if it is being made with a bit of meat. It is especially good when you don't have the appetite or energy to eat a full meal or when you can't hold your food down.

Although congee is something that is commonly eaten when people are sick, it is also eaten as a meal for breakfast or lunch as well which makes this a highly versatile dish! As a meal, it can be commonly cooked with any type of meat and seafood and it can be loaded with different kinds of flavorful congee toppings and condiments like chili oil!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Rice - I like to use Japanese medium grain rice (Calrose) to make my rice porridge because I find it comes out the creamiest. I go into more detail in the section below about other types of rice you can use as well.
• Water - You can use either water or chicken broth to make congee.
• Meat - When it comes to congee, you can use any kind of meat or seafood as your protein. For this recipe, we use chicken. The easiest and most convenient type of meat to use is ground meat (ground chicken, beef, or pork). Ground meat also tends to cook faster as well.

Different Types of Rice and Cooking Time

• Japanese medium grain rice (calrose) - Congee can be cooked with many different kinds of rice but my favorite way to make it is by using Japanese medium grain (Calrose) rice. I prefer this type of rice because I find it gives me a good balance of creamy mixed with a bit of heartiness - I also find it makes the thickest type of congee as well. Everyone will have a different preference, so experiment until you find your perfect blend. When you are using this type of rice to make congee, it will take less time to thicken and you will need to stir it constantly because of how thick it will be, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
• Jasmine Rice - Alternatively, you can use jasmine rice to make congee as well. Jasmine rice will produce a lighter and silkier congee.
• Basmati Rice - Although not a traditional rice used in congee, I will still occasionally use this type of rice mixed in with my congee to give it a bit more substance. I find using basmati rice gives a heartier texture to congee.

How to Make Chicken Congee

Marinade the Chicken

1. Thinly slice the chicken so it cooks quickly (¼ inch or less) and place it in a bowl. If you are using ground chicken or pork then place that in a bowl.
2. Add in the soy sauce, water and oil, and corn starch to the chicken and mix well. Set it aside for later.

Cooking the Congee

1. Rinse the rice in cold water a few times over the sink and drain it.
2. Set the stove to high heat and add water and ginger slices to the pot and wait for it to boil.
3. Once the water has started to boil, add in the rice. It's important the water is boiling before you add in the rice so that it doesn't settle on the bottom and stick.
4. Once the congee has boiled for about 5 minutes, turn down the heat to medium low heat and let it simmer with no lid on. Please do not use a lid while it is simmering. It will cause the starchy congee to overflow out of the pot.
5. It will take about 30 minutes to cook. Stir it every 10-15 minutes so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. (If you used basmati rice, you will need to add 15-20 minutes to the cooking time)
6. Once the congee is done, turn off the heat and put a lid on it and let it 'steam' for 20 minutes. This will thicken the congee a bit more.
   After 20 minutes, whisk the congee with a whisk or chopsticks quickly for 3-4 minutes to break up the rice grains so that the congee will be more creamy, and silky. At this point, adjust the congee to the texture you like. If you like it thinner, add more water/chicken stock to it, 2 tablespoons at a time until you get the right consistency. If you like it thick and creamy, leave it as is.

Cooking the Chicken

1. Turn the heat back to medium heat and keep stirring until the congee is hot and starts to bubble.
2. Once the congee starts to bubble, add in the chicken slices or ground meat and stir well so that the hot congee fully covers the meat.
3. Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes or until it is cooked.
4. Salt is very important for congee to taste good. Don't be shy with it. Add salt to taste.
5. Garnish with finely chopped green onions or additional toppings and enjoy!

Congee Toppings

If you are having jook because you are sick, keep the toppings simple and not add too many toppings that may irritate your throat.

If you are having jook as a meal or you're looking for what to put in congee, then I highly suggest you go crazy on the toppings and experiment with it until you find a combination you like! It's fun, and tasty and it can give chicken congee a bit more variety!

Here are a few ideas that I like to use to jazz up my chicken congee!

If you're looking for ideas and ways to top your congee, I also have a more extensive congee topping ideas post here as well.

• Raw egg or fried egg
• Green Onions
• Pork Floss
• Chinese Chili Oil
• Crispy Fried Garlic
• Store-bought furikake (or Homemade furikake)
• Crispy fried onions/shallots
• Cooked salted duck egg
• Cilantro
• Crushed roasted peanuts
• Fermented bean curd
• Preserved sweet radish (the sweet kind)
• Pickled mustard greens
• Shiitake mushrooms braised in sweet soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Fish sauce or soy sauce
• Crispy pan-fried spam or Chinese sausage (lap cheong)
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Chinese Donuts (You Tiao)
• Roasted Seaweed Snacks

The choices are endless! 🙂

More Asian Comfort Foods You May Like

• Tomato and Egg Stir Fry (Chinese Style)
• Miso Corn Egg Drop Soup Recipe
• Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
• Chinese Hot Pot Recipe Guide
• Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
• Spicy Soondubu Tofu Stew (Soondubu Jjigae)

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Recipe Card

How to Make Chicken Congee (鸡粥)

A recipe for a simple, comforting and creamy chicken congee, that is easy to make, and super comforting for days when you're feeling ill and need something nourishing to eat or when you're just craving it!

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Course: Main, Soup

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

3 Servings

5 from 17 votes

Recipe Notes

• If you are using Japanese Calrose Rice for this recipe, the congee will turn out very creamy and thick. If you like your congee soupier, add more water or chicken stock, 2 tablespoons at a time until it is the right consistency for you at the end before you cook the chicken.
• If you are making a big batch of congee, it may not be as thick and creamy the next day. If you'd like to thicken it, you can mix in a potato starch slurry (1 tablespoon of potato starch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water) while it is boiling to re-thicken it again.
• If you are making a larger batch of this recipe (like making a double batch by doubling the ingredients), you may need to increase both the 'cooking time' and 'steaming time' by 15 minutes, for a total of an extra 30 minutes.

Ingredients

 

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• ▢ ½ cup Japanese medium grain rice (calrose)
• ▢ 7 cups water (or chicken stock)
• ▢ 2 slices ginger (optional, but highly recommended)
• ▢ salt (to taste)

Chicken Marinade

• ▢ 1 chicken breast or ¼ lb of ground chicken
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon corn starch

Toppings (Optional)

• ▢ Green Onions (Thinly sliced. Highly Recommended)
• ▢ Pork Floss (Highly recommended)
• ▢ Crispy Deep Fried Garlic or Fried Onions (Highly Recommended, You can make this at home as well.)
• ▢ Furikake ( or make a batch, Homemade Furikake)
• ▢ raw egg yolk
• ▢ Salted Duck Egg (Cooked)
• ▢ Toasted Sesame Seeds
• ▢ chili oil
• ▢ Sesame Oil

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Instructions

 

Marinade the Chicken

• Thinly slice the chicken so it cooks quickly (¼ inch or less) and place it in a bowl. If you are using ground chicken or pork then place that in a bowl.
• Add in the soy sauce, water and oil, and corn starch to the chicken and mix well. Set it aside for later.

Cooking the Congee

• Set the stove to high heat and add water and ginger slices to the pot and wait for it to boil.
• Once the water has started to boil, add in the rice and stir it for a few minutes. We don't want the rice to settle at the bottom and stick to the pot.
• Once the congee has boiled for about 5 minutes, turn down the heat to medium low heat and let it simmer with no lid on.

  Please do not use a lid while it is simmering. It will cause the starchy congee to overflow out of the pot.
• It will take about 30 minutes to cook. Stir it every 10-15 minutes so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. (If you used basmati rice, you will need to add 15-20 minutes to the cooking time)
• Once the congee is done, turn off the heat and put a lid on it and let it 'steam' for 20 minutes. This will thicken the congee a bit more.
• After 20 minutes, whisk the congee with a whisk or chopsticks quickly for 3-4 minutes to break up the rice grains so that the congee will be more creamy, and silky.

  At this point, adjust the congee to the texture you like. If you like it thinner, add more water/chicken stock to it, 2 tablespoons at a time until you get the right consistency. If you like it thick and creamy, leave it as is.

Cooking the Chicken

• Turn the heat back to medium heat and keep stirring until the congee is hot and starts to bubble.
• Once the congee starts to bubble, add in the chicken slices or ground meat and stir well so that the hot congee fully covers the meat.
• Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes or until it is cooked.
• Salt is very important for congee to taste good. Don't be shy with it. Add salt to taste.
• Garnish with finely chopped green onions or additional toppings and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

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Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

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