Quick and easy chicken congee recipe, comforting Chinese savoury rice porridge loaded with chicken, ginger, and simple seasonings. One of the best Asian breakfast porridge that you can enjoy any time of the day!
It's easy to cook, affordable and needs minimum ingredients. If you have had enough noodles and fried rice recipes, now it's time to try this delicious hearty chicken rice soup. A bowl of silky, creamy rice porridge will warm up your soul and tummy!
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We love to have it as breakfast, lunch, or any time of the day. It’s one of our family’s favourite comfort foods. We love to add a variety of toppings, it’s super fillings and satisfying. You can either cook it over the stovetop, instant pot, or slow cooker.
What is Congee?
Congee is a classic Chinese rice porridge, basically made of 3 ingredients, rice, water, and salt. It is commonly known as Zhou or Jook in China and Asia. The texture of congee is thick, creamy, and velvety but the texture can be varied depending on the cook's rice and water ratio.
Chicken Congee is called ' Ji Zhou, 鷄粥 ', a slow-cooked chicken and rice soup, fragranced with fresh ginger, toasted sesame oil, and spring onions (scallions).
It’s a simple, comforting dish that is great for the days we are a bit off. It's also one of the best Asian rice soups and every Asian family has their own version of it. If you love hearty Asian soups Chinese Beef Noodle Soup and Wonton Noodle Soup are also a must-try!
How to Prepare Rice
High starch content rice like Thai jasmine rice, Chinese medium-grain or short-grain rice, or Japanese Japonica short-grain rice is ideal for making congee. These rice are best for creating the creamy, thick, porridge texture.
Do not recommend using basmati rice or long-grain brown rice for this recipe as these rice won't achieve the silky smooth Chinese congee result.
Rinse the rice with water 1-2 times but do not need to rinse until the water runs clear.
Ingredients You'll Need
You will need the following simple ingredients to make delicious chicken congee. Please scroll down to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
For Rice Congee
- Rice
- Water
- Salt
- Chicken Bouillon
- Sesame oil
- Ginger and Spring onions ( scallions )
For Chicken Marinade
- Chicken
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Sesame oil
- Freshly grated garlic and ginger
- White pepper
Garnish and Serving
- Soy sauce, ginger and spring onions.
How to Cook Chicken Congee
1. Marinate the Chicken
Cut the chicken into thin slices and marinate with soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, sesame oil, white pepper, and cornstarch.
2. Boil the Rice
Rinse the rice with water for 2-3 times. Drain the water out.
In a large pot, add water and bring it to a boil.
Add rice to the boiling water and stir it just one time. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes.
3. Cook Chicken and Congee Together
Then reduce the heat to low, close the lid and leave a 1-inch gap to release the steam. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until the porridge starts to thicken. ( Check occasionally and add warm water if needed. )
Once the congee reaches the desired consistency, bring the heat to medium heat. Add marinated chicken and chicken bouillon, stir well and cook the chicken in the congee for 2-3 minutes.
Finish with sesame oil, ginger strips, and chopped spring onions. Serve immediately while hot.
Expert Tips
1. Add Chicken Stock
- I used a chicken stock/broth alternative by using a chicken bouillon cube. It's a quick-cheat way to add extra umami flavour to your porridge.
- You can also use bone-in chicken pieces or whole chicken in making congee. You need the cook the bone-in chicken for at least 1 hour to get the full sweet flavour from the bones and chicken meat.
- You can use any of your favourite types of chicken stock cubes, stock powder, store-bought chicken broth or homemade chicken stock for a delicious savoury taste.
- Recommend Asian brand chicken stock that doesn't contain English or Italian herbs which can ruin the flavour of congee.
2. Use the Right Cookware
- Use a heavy-bottom pot or saucepan for even heat distribution and retention.
- Cast iron pot/saucepan, Dutch oven, heavy-bottom stainless steel stockpot, or ceramic pot are ideal for slow-cooking congee.
- You might want to reduce the water ratio if you use an instant pot, crockpot, or pressure cooker.
Classic Congee Toppings
Congee chicken tastes better with toppings. Personalize your congee bowl with your favourite toppings. Spring onions ( green onions ), ginger, crispy fried garlic, fried shallots, and coriander are simple quick choices.
Eggs: hard-boiled egg, salted duck egg, preserved century egg, ramen egg, or soft-boiled egg can also be added as a topping.
Pickle: Adding Chinese pickled vegetables, pickle mustard, fermented tofu, or Korean kimchi brings an additional salty and sour taste.
Drizzle some crispy chilli oil if you love a kick of heat. I love to have plain rice congee with Youtiao ( Chinese bread stick ) and roasted salted peanuts.
Storage and Reheating
How long does congee last in the fridge? Leftover chicken congee can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge and it usually last for 2-3 days.
How to reheat it? Reheat the congee in the microwave or stovetop by adding a splash of water. If the porridge texture is too thick you can add more water to your desired consistency. If it is watery, you can reheat it over the stove to reduce the water and cook until it becomes thick.
How to freshen up the leftover congee? Once you have reheated it, add freshly chopped, ginger, spring onions, or coriander as garnish. Drizzle more toasted sesame oil or garlic oil over the serving bowl.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Chicken Congee ( 鷄粥 )
Ingredients
- ½ cup Rice Jasmine rice or short grain rice ( About 100 grams )
- 6 cup Water About 1.4 Litre
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Chicken bouillon Chicken stock cube ( About 5 gram )
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 1 thumb Ginger Cut thin strips ( Adjust the amount to taste )
Chicken and Marinade
- 200 gram Chicken breast Boneless skinless chicken, ( About 0.5 lb )
- 1 tsp Soy sauce Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 1 tsp Grated garlic
- 1 tsp Grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch Or potato starch
- ½ tsp White pepper powder
Instructions
- In a large pot, add water and bring it to a boil. Rinse the rice with water for 1-2 times. Drain the water out. Add rice, to the boiling water and stir it just one time. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Then reduce the heat to low, close the lid and leave a 1-inch gap to release the steam. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until the congee starts to thicken. ( Check occasionally and add warm water if needed. )
- Meanwhile, the congee is cooking, prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken into thin slices and marinate with soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, sesame oil, white pepper, and cornstarch.
- Once the congee reaches the desired consistency, bring the heat to medium heat. Add marinated chicken, salt, and chicken bouillon, stir well and cook the chicken in the congee for 2-3 minutes.
- Finish with sesame oil, ginger strips, and chopped spring onions. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Thinly slice the chicken against the grain to get cooked quickly and evenly in the congee.
- Make sure to check the congee when it starts to get thick and adjust the consistency to your liking. If you prefer it thick, you can add chicken straight away. If you prefer a bit soupy texture you can add warm water to loosen it up a bit.
- It tastes best when freshly cooked because the congee texture can be changed the next day. It can be too thick or too watery the next day.
- You can reheat it over the stove until the congee reaches your desired consistency.
- This recipe can serve approximately 4 people. ( About 4 medium soup bowls Or 2 large ramen bowls )
- Chicken stock/broth can be used instead of water.
- Instead of chicken bouillon ( chicken stock cube ), you can add msg or chicken stock pot. If you are using chicken broth/stock you can omit chicken bouillon cube.
Danielle says
Delightful! In my bowl, I added a touch of chili paste at the end for a bit of a kick. I will definitely be making this again!
Khin says
Thanks, Danielle! Glad you enjoyed it.
Cecilia Stanlake says
simple and easy to cook. used chicken in bone for more flavour.
Khin says
Love it with bone-in chicken too. Glad that you enjoyed it, Cecilia.