Chicken Congee. A comforting savory rice porridge with chicken, scallions and ginger that brings warmth to the soul! This quick and easy chicken congee is ready in 30 minutes with a simple trick to reduce the cooking time.
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What is Chicken Congee?
Chicken Congee is a savory, smooth rice porridge featuring tender seasoned chicken with a hint of ginger. It's delicious main rice dish that is served at many Chinese restaurants with crunchy deep fried fritters to dip with!
There are also different toppings that can be added to congee, such as pork, duck, beef, eggs, century egg, taro, and more! There are many versions of Chinese dish but today I'm making the chicken version which is very popular.
Growing up, congee was comfort food. Whenever I got sick, my mom would make us a large pot of this comforting rice porridge and we'd eat it anytime of the day until we felt better. Now when my husband gets sick, this is what I make for him.
In Chinese culture, it's often eaten during the cold winter days as its a great way to warm your body up, thanks to the warming properties of the chicken, ginger and the porridge itself. However, you can eat this dish anytime of the year.
It's a humble one pot meal made with simple ingredients that most Asians would have in their household and every household has their own version of it.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements.
- Jasmine rice: is the best type of rice to use for congee. Or substitute with a white long grain rice or short-grain rice. I like using long grain jasmine rice as the rice grains are longer and thinner than short grain rice, so they quickly disintegrate. For a healthier alternative, you may use brown rice, but this will take 30 minutes or longer to cook through.
- Chicken: breast or boneless chicken thighs will work. You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked shredded chicken but add this at the end when the congee is cooked. If you have leftover chicken bones, add it to the water the same time you add the rice for extra flavor and remove the bones before whisking. Or substitute with pork or beef if you wish.
- Cold Water: or substitute with low-sodium chicken broth for extra flavor and if you don't mind a slightly brown chicken rice porridge. Feel free to use homemade stock or store-bought stock. If you don't have stock, water works just fine!
- Fresh ginger: to sharpen the flavor but don't add too much or it can distort the taste of the congee. This ingredient is optional if you don't like ginger.
- Green onions: separated into scallion greens and whites as they'll be added in at different phases of the cooking process.
- Salt: to season the congee
- Chicken bouillon powder: aka Chicken stock powder to give the congee more depth in flavor.
Chicken marinade
- Cornstarch: To help seal the moisture in the sliced chicken breasts or chicken meat making it very tender when you boil it in the congee.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- White pepper: Commonly used to season Congee as it's more floral in fragrance. Or substitute with black pepper.
Note: Your Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Rinse your rice. Wash your rice at least 3 times until the water runs clear to remove any residual starch which can cause for a very sticky and thick congee.
- Do not stir more than once. Once you add your rice to the boiling water, stir once to break the rice and do not stir again until you're ready to whisk it. If you stir it, the movement allows for the starch or sugar to release from the rice which causes it to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Use a whisk to help reduce cooking time. At the 22-minute mark, use a whisk and stir the congee rapidly to break down the rice. Otherwise, if you don't, it'll take another 20-30 minutes for the rice to disintegrate. You can also use an immersion blender to pulse blend, but don't over do it.
- Add chicken in batches. I recommend adding the chicken in a few pieces at a time to prevent the chicken from sticking to each other and giving it a stir. This also allows for it to cook evenly.
- Once congee is seasoned, remove off heat. The residual heat on the stove top burner can cause the congee to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- If you prefer a runnier congee, add more water and season with more salt to taste.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make chicken congee:
Slice chicken breast thinly into ¼-inch thick pieces against the grain on an angle. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Marinate sliced chicken with Marinade ingredients as listed above and set aside.
Rinse the rice grains at least 3 times until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Strain and set aside.
Add 5 cups cold water to a medium size pot. Bring to boil. Add in strained rice. Give it a stir. Then lower heat to medium heat. Do not stir the rice after this point as this causes the rice to stick to the bottom of pot. Boil for 22 minutes half covered with a lid to allow steam to escape. Do not cover fully.
At 22-minute mark, use a whisk and rapidly stir the rice until it breaks down, about 1-2 minutes. If you don't own a whisk, you can also use an immersion blender or allow this to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the rice breaks down on its own.
Add in the marinated chicken in small batches, followed by scallion whites and ginger. Give it a mix. Boil chicken until fully cooked and no longer pink throughout, about 2-4 minutes.
Season with salt and chicken powder. Remove off heat. If you like the congee more runny, mix in another ½ cup of water and season with more salt to taste if needed.
Serve and garnish with scallion greens. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Congee can be frozen in the freezer by letting it cool down completely and then dividing it into smaller portions to store in freezer-safe bags. Be cautious not to overfill the bags. Store them flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pot.
Pairing Suggestions
Chicken congee serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- deep fried Chinese dough fritters
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Soy Sauce Chicken, Char Siu, Chinese Roasted Pork Belly, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Start by mixing in ½ cup water to the cooked congee and give it a stir. See if it's to your liking and season with more salt to taste. If you like it thinner, add more a bit more water.
Yes, feel free to add chili oil, chili crisp, sesame oil, scallion ginger oil, century egg, more ginger, cilantro, or crispy shallots.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Chicken Congee
Ingredients
- ½ cup jasmine rice or white long grain rice
- 3.5 oz chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs
- 5 cups water cold
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and julienned
- 1 green onion whites separated from greens, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder aka chicken stock powder
Chicken marinade
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ½ tablespoon regular soy sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Instructions
- Slice chicken breast thinly into ¼-inch thick pieces against the grain on an angle. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Marinate sliced chicken with Marinade ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Rinse the rice grains at least 3 times until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Strain and set aside.
- Add 5 cups cold water to a medium size pot. Bring to boil. Add in strained rice. Give it a stir. Then lower heat to medium heat. Do not stir the rice after this point as this causes the rice to stick to the bottom of pot. Boil for 22 minutes half covered with a lid to allow steam to escape. Do not cover fully.
- At 22-minute mark, use a whisk and rapidly stir the rice until it breaks down, about 1-2 minutes. If you don't own a whisk, you can also use an immersion blender or allow this to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the rice breaks down on its own.
- Add in the marinated chicken in small batches, followed by scallion whites and ginger. Give it a mix. Boil chicken until fully cooked and no longer pink throughout, about 2-4 minutes.
- Season with salt and chicken powder. Remove off heat. If you like the congee more runny, mix in another ½ cup of water and season with more salt to taste if needed.
- Serve and garnish with scallion greens. Enjoy!
Raven
Made it this morning without the chicken and it’s still really good!!! I also added a tbsp of fish sauce for a little extra flavor 👌🏼
Christie Lai
Amazing! Glad it worked out well even without the chicken. Thanks for making my recipe, Raven!
Crazy Dave
My wife had a bad cold with a scratchy throat and was sleeping late, so I thought some rice congee would be a great breakfast for her. I had cooked rice in the fridge so I put together a cooked rice congee then went on the web to find a chicken congee recipe. I found another one, but it called for oyster sauce, which I didn't have. Then I found this one and used coconut secret instead of soy suace. I've been cooking Chinese food since the 1970's, so this came together for me very easily, and when I gave it a taste, I knew I had hit the nail on the head. My wife loved it and felt very cared for as she enjoyed it. This is truly comfort food. My dog Squeakers got a little bit and ate it with such enthusiasm that I knew he loved it too. 5 stars and easy enough for a beginner to make!
Christie Lai
Aw this comment made my day and I'm so happy to read that it was easy enough to make and she found it comforting. I hope your wife gets well soon and thank you for choosing my recipe to make!