Our chicken congee recipe gives you a simple and satisfying option for any meal. Asian cuisine prides itself on having hearty and homely dishes with fresh ingredients, and this congee showcases just that.
The versatility of congee comes into play in this recipe. Chicken, eggs, shallots, cilantro, and scallions make up the toppings for this fulfilling dish. It is a stacked and flavorful dish that you can add to your list of comfort food recipes.
What Is Congee?
Congee is a rice porridge originating from Asia. It is made by cooking rice in a large amount of water until it softens. This dish can be eaten plain or with numerous toppings like proteins, vegetables, or seasonings.
This dish is frequently served as breakfast or dinner, but it is suitable for any meal. Congee is easy to digest, thanks to the softened rice, so it is the go-to dish in most Asian households if someone is feeling under the weather.
Is Chicken Congee Healthy?
Yes, chicken congee is an excellent option for a healthy diet.
There are 503 calories in each serving, making this congee a fulfilling meal. With 29.9 g of lean protein from chicken breasts, this dish is suitable for a weight loss diet.
Adhering to our nutrition guidelines, we make sure to keep the amounts of saturated fat and sodium at a moderate level. They come out at 2.6 g and 573 mg, respectively.
Ingredients for Chicken Congee
- Congee
We use short-grain rice to make this congee. Short-grain rice is soft and tender, so the congee will be smooth and easy to eat. We cook the chicken in the water along with the rice, so the congee gets some flavor from the chicken breasts.
There are some versions of congee that have pandan leaves; try adding it to this dish for its unique fragrance. However, we want to keep it plain in this recipe.
- Chicken
Boiled skinless and boneless chicken breasts are decent options as the main protein, but we want to take it further.
Using the oil that we fried the shallots with, we caramelize garlic and ginger. Then we season the chicken with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and pepper.
Instead of adding seasoning to the congee, we stir-fried the chicken with them to make this congee even tastier.
- Toppings
Aside from the chicken, we added four more toppings to this dish.
Fried shallots are crispy and flavorsome. Soft-boiled eggs bring richness from the yolks. And lastly, cilantro and scallions add their herby tastes to this diverse bowl of congee.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
You can store chicken congee in the fridge for 2 to 4 days. This dish also freezes very well; it can last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Make sure to store the leftovers in airtight containers.
Reheat the congee with a microwave or on the stovetop. Cook the congee slowly until warm and add more water if needed.
What to Serve With Chicken Congee
We suggest serving chicken congee with a salad or stir-fried vegetables to add some leafy greens to your meal.
- Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli
- Thai Beef Salad
- Asian-Style Broccoli
- Sautéed Cauliflower
- Chinese Chicken Salad
Chicken Congee Recipe
This chicken congee recipe is the epitome of Asian comfort food, a versatile and heartwarming meal with rice and chicken.
- cook TIME 58 mins
- prep TIME 12 mins
- total TIME 1 hr 10 mins
- COURSE Main
- CUISINE Vietnamese
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 503 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cupuncooked short-grain rice
- 14 ozskinless boneless chicken breasts
- 8 cupswater
- 4 tbspcanola oil
- 2 ozshallots (sliced)
- 3 tbspgarlic (minced)
- 0.5 tspginger (minced)
- 3 tbspreduced-sodium soy sauce
- 0.5 tbspsesame oil
- 1 tsphoisin sauce
- 0.5 tspbrown sugar
- 0.5 tspground black pepper
- 2 medium eggs (boiled)
- 0.3 cupcilantro (finely chopped)
- 0.3 cupscallions (sliced)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Slice the shallots: Slice the shallots in half and peel the skin. Cut off the root and slice thinly.
Mince the garlic: Cut off the roots of the garlic cloves and peel the skin. Mince them with a knife or garlic mincer.
Cut the ginger: Separate the knobs and remove the skin. Slice the knob into thin slices. Stack the slices on top of each other and cut them into thin strips, then cut the strips into small cubes.
Boil the eggs: We start with cold eggs straight from the fridge. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the eggs. Set a timer for 6 minutes and immediately move the eggs to an ice bath to cool when the timer goes off.
Chop the cilantro: Bunch the cilantro together and chop finely.
Slice the scallions: Cut the scallions into diagonal slices.
Cook:
Toast the rice: Add 1 cup of uncooked short-grain rice to a pot over low heat. Stir the rice for 5 minutes to toast.
Add the water and chicken: Add 8 cups of water to the pot and mix well. Then turn up to medium heat. Add 14 oz chicken breasts to the pot and bring it to a boil.
Cook the chicken and rice: Turn down to low heat and cook for 20 minutes, then remove the chicken. Let the rice simmer for another 30 minutes.
Shred the chicken: Move the chicken breasts to a plate. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken into thin strands.
Fry the shallots: Prepare a pan over low heat. Add 4 tbsp canola oil and 2 oz shallots. Stir the shallots for 7 minutes.
Remove the shallots: As soon as they turn golden brown, remove them from the pan.
Caramelize the garlic and ginger: Into the same pan, add 3 tbsp garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then add 1/2 tsp ginger and stir for another 30 seconds.
Stir-fry the chicken: Add the shredded chicken to the pan. Season it with 3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp hoisin sauce, 1/2 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Stir the chicken over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add the toppings and serve: Serve the congee in a bowl. Add the stir-fried chicken, 2 medium soft-boiled eggs, 1/4 cup of cilantro, and 1/4 cup scallions to the congee. Enjoy.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Founder