While we are deep into social distancing protocols these days, we thought featuring a comforting dish that is equally delicious, easy to prepare, and reliant on ingredients that are generally pantry staples would be a help to our readers. There is enough to worry about right now – what you will be cooking for dinner doesn’t have to be one of them! So, no extra trips to the grocery store required – welcome Chicken Congee.
While we have featured Congee, a luscious rice porridge, a couple of times on the blog (a Spicy Pork version and a Chicken Liver variation), this iteration of Chicken Congee is the most stripped-down of all three recipes – but it certainly doesn’t strip it of any of the flavor! It is also a highly adaptable recipe, so you can you can make a one-pot bowl of comfort food with whatever ingredients you may have on hand.
Kyle made a few adjusts to the recipe based on what was available in his own pantry. He had no chicken broth (vegetable broth worked just fine), white rice (brown rice was just as good), or fresh ginger (freeze-dried sliced ginger was on hand). If you don’t have scallions, don’t fear – diced onions work great too! In reality, if all you have is a bag of rice, this recipe will work out for you. Once you simmer the rice in water and you have a creamy pot of blank-canvas congee, you can flavor it with what you have on the shelves – so, get creative with the supplies you have right in your own cabinets!
The chicken thighs were browned in a pot, then the rice, broth, and flavoring ingredients were added. In the case of this batch of congee, whole scallions, garlic and dried slices of ginger root were used. It was allowed to simmer on the stove for about an hour, then the scallions and ginger were removed. The chicken thighs got shredded up before they went back in the pot. There you have it – all done! A delicious and hearty meal is all ready and there was really very little active prep. The next step is the fun part!
Time to garnish the congee! There are many possible combinations, allowing you to have three or four nights’ worth of very different dinners with the same batch of congee. For this batch, sliced scallions and torn cilantro leaves were added. These fresh ingredients lend a very bright and herbal flavor to the dish – they add a taste of Spring to the dish and they complement the creaminess of the congee.
A great way to add a pop of flavor is to include a glug or two of sesame oil, fish oil, or sriracha. An old favorite in our kitchen is adding a poached egg to finish off the dish. The broken egg yolk adds extra richness that brings the comfort food level of the dish over the top. Kyle also adds some crushed peanuts to his bowl of congee; this increases the flavor with nutty accents and lends a nice crunch for a contrast in texture in the overall dish. Now, if you want to go next, NEXT level with the recipe, reserve the skins from your chicken thighs and crisp them up in your skillet or air fryer with a generous sprinkling of salt. The crispy, fatty fried skins are reminiscent of bacon, but without the smokiness. Granted, it is an extra step, but we all have a bit more time on our hands lately, so go for it – it is totally worth the effort!
There is no wrong way to garnish your congee, which really lends to the versatility of the recipe. These days we need all the help we can get – even while we prepare easy (yet delicious) dinner dishes with a gourmet flare!
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds bone-in chicken legs or thighs, and trimmed of excess fat
- 1 cup long-grain white rice or brown rice
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth this time, as it was all I had on hand)
- 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, skin on and sliced into 4 pieces
- 3-4 scallion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- Pinch freshly ground white pepper, plus more as needed
- For garnish: sesame oil, chili sauce, coarsely chopped fresh cilantro,thinly sliced scallions, soft-boiled eggs, toasted peanuts (really the world is your oyster!)
- Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs, skin sides down, and cook until golden-brown on each side, about 5 minutes, per side. Remove the chicken from the pot and reserve.
- Add the rice to the pot and give it a good stir. Then, add the water, broth, ginger, scallion, garlic, soy sauce and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice has broken down and the mixture is creamy, about 1 hour.
- Turn off the heat and discard the scallions and ginger pieces. Remove the chicken to a cutting board. When it’s cool enough to handle, remove the skin and shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin, cartilage and bones. (If you’re feeling really adventurous, reserve the skin, crisp it up in a frying pan, and serve as a garnish!) Return the shredded to the pot. Stir to combine, taste, and season with additional soy sauce and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with your choice of garnishes.
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