Chicken and ginger congee
90 min · 34 g protein · 337 cals / serving
Silky, steaming rice porridge simmered with plenty of ginger, with tender shredded chicken and bok choy stirred through, then dressed the way congee should be: soy, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, white pepper, scallions, cilantro and sliced chili. Gentle and comforting, with a sharp, fresh finish.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sushi rice, short-grain or jasmine rice, rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 4 cups water
- 2-inch piece ginger, half sliced, half cut into fine matchsticks
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 lb 2 oz chicken breast
- a pinch salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 heads baby bok choy bok choy, sliced
To finish
- 4 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- a small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
Steps
- Put the rice, broth, water, the sliced ginger and the garlic in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and scraping the bottom so nothing sticks.
- Lower the whole chicken breasts into the pot and simmer gently for 15–18 minutes, until they reach 165°F in the thickest part. Lift them out, shred with two forks and fish out the ginger slices and garlic.
- By now the rice should have broken down into a thick, silky porridge; keep simmering and stirring a few minutes more if not, or add a splash of water if it is too thick. Season with white pepper and salt to taste (the broth and soy are already salty), stir in the bok choy and the shredded chicken and cook 2–3 minutes until the bok choy is just tender.
- Ladle into bowls and finish each with soy sauce, a few drops of sesame oil, the ginger matchsticks, scallions, cilantro and chili.
Good to know
Can I make it faster?
Use 2 cups (about 370 g) of cooked rice instead of the raw rice and simmer it in the broth for 20–25 minutes, whisking now and then; it breaks down nearly as well. A pressure cooker does the raw-rice version in 20 minutes on high.
Breast or thigh?
Breast poached gently in the congee stays tender and keeps the bowl light. Boneless thighs give a richer broth and stay juicy if you forget them, at about 79 instead of 83.
Does it keep?
Up to 4 days in the fridge. It thickens to a solid as it cools, so loosen each portion with a splash of water or broth while reheating.
Per
- Calories
- 56
- Protein
- (42%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (15%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (43%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- <1 g
- Fiber
- <1 g
- Sodium
- 221 mg
More breakfast
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1346 kcal goes into the pot and 3061 g of ingredients comes out as about 2400 g of food: 56 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.