Another classic congee dish: the comforting Chicken Congee 生滾雞粥, a creamy rice porridge infused with delicious chicken flavor and dotted with deliciously tender chicken pieces.
Congee 粥 is a traditional Cantonese rice porridge, in which rice grains are cooked until deliciously thick and creamy before being served with different meats and flavorings. This congee is prepared using the 生滾 method, translated as “boiled raw” method. The raw ingredients are cooked directly into the congee itself, allowing the flavors of the raw ingredients to permeate the congee.
The first basic congee (made with scallops!) is the most exquisite with delicately nuanced flavors but takes longer to prepare. The second, made with the century egg, is the quickest to prepare and packed with umami, but requires a few days before preparation and a night in the freezer. The last one is the most basic of all, made simply with rice and water.
Choose your basic congee and make a big pot of it and then move on to the chicken!
While the chicken marinates, heat the pot of congee. Add a little water as the chicken needs time to cook and we don’t want the congee to get too thick and burn on the bottom. When the congee starts to boil, dip the chicken pieces and cook them.
All the goodness of the chicken is absorbed into the congee as the chicken cooks. It’s as if the congee base was injected with a big dose of chicken soup! Genius, amirite?!
While the chicken cooks, prepare the congee bowls. First add the final flavourings, thinly sliced flakes of ginger and spring onion, to the bottom of each bowl. These flavors will be cooked later when hot congee is poured over them, releasing their fresh flavors into the congee.
Once the chicken is cooked, place the chicken pieces on the herbs. Then the congee is poured into each bowl. Oooo…that sounds amazing! The final touch is to sprinkle a little more chopped fresh spring onion over everything, a final touch of fresh green.
That’s all. Your Chicken Congee 生滾雞粥 is ready, a big bowl of the warmest, most comforting chicken food, all ready to drink! I hope you enjoy this congee!
Raw chicken porridge
(for 4 bowls) Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes
Basic congee cooking time: 30 minutes – 1 1/2 hours (depends on the recipe used)
Ingredients:
- 4 Basic Congee bowls (see our links to basic congee recipes below)
- 11 oz, 300 g bone-in chicken tenders
- 5 slices of fresh ginger
- 1 sprig green onion, cut to 2 inches long
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, cut into very thin flakes
- 4 tablespoons of flaked spring onion
- 3 tablespoons spring onion, cut into slices
Prepare the congee: Use one of our basic congee recipes (links below) to prepare the congee base. Basic congee recipes differ in flavor and preparation time. Choose the one you like. The congee can be made a day in advance.
Marinade: Place the chicken pieces in the bowl. Add the ginger slices, spring onions, salt, white pepper and oil. Mix. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
Cook chicken congee: Add the basic congee and 1/2 cup water to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the congee boils.
Add the chicken pieces to the congee and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Be careful that the congee does not become too thick during cooking as it would burn on the bottom. In this case add water to dilute.
Once the chicken is cooked, adjust the final consistency of the congee to your liking. Add a little boiling water to thin the consistency. Or, if the congee is too watery, cook it for another minute or so to thicken it.
Prepare the congee bowls: Divide equal amounts of ginger and spring onion flakes into 4 empty bowls. Distribute the cooked chicken pieces equally in each bowl. Scoop the congee to fill the bowls. Sprinkle the spring onions over each bowl of congee. Serve hot and super comforting! Enjoy!
