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bowl of congee or rice porridge, garnished with scallions and cilantro

Easy Chicken Congee – Cháo Gà

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  • Author: Maria Do
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch
  • Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese

Description

An easy chicken congee recipe for those who want to make this classic Asian rice porridge at home. Made with rice, broth or water, chicken, ginger, and garnishes of scallions, cilantro, and fish sauce. 


Ingredients

Units Scale

Congee

  • 1 cup uncooked rice, such as jasmine
  • 4 scallions
  • 2 tsp cooking oil
  • 7 cups chicken broth or water, room temperature
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  • 2 tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste

Garnishes 

  • cilantro
  • scallions
  • fish sauce (optional)
  • chili oil (optional)
  • fried shallots (optional)

 


Instructions

  1. The day before: Rinse the uncooked rice 3-4 times until the water is no longer cloudy.  Drain, then transfer rice to a zip-loc bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze for at least 8 hours. 
  2. The day of: Chop cilantro and scallions, separating the white scallion parts from the green. Set garnishes aside. Then shred rotisserie chicken until you have 1 cup and set aside. 
  3. In a medium pot, add 2 tsp cooking oil and the white parts of the chopped scallion. Turn heat to medium and allow scallions to start sizzling, about 2 minutes, but do not brown. We only want to sizzle lightly to release the onion flavor. Then immediately add 7 cups of room temp chicken broth or water to the pot. Turn up the heat to high and bring broth to a boil, about 8-10 mins. 
  4. Add 1 cup of the frozen rice, and reduce heat to maintain a light simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Periodically stir the congee to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
  5. When rice has absorbed most of the liquid and broken up into smaller granules, add 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken and 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat. Add 1/4 tsp white pepper and 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste if needed. 
  6. Serve congee hot with the remaining chopped scallions, cilantro, and other garnishes like chili oil, fish sauce, and fried shallots. 

Notes

Make Ahead – Congee is best served the same day it’s cooked, but it can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight as well. The rice will swell more overnight, so reheat on the stove with ½ – 1 cup of extra water or broth. 

Storing and Freezing – Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, bring to a simmer on the stove with ½ – 1 cup of extra water or broth. Alternatively, microwave in single-serving bowls for 2 minutes covered.