Roasted Chicken Congee

A comfort dish that needs to be on rotation.

It amazes me how risotto has become so mainstream, yet congee isn’t featured on more menus. This Roasted Chicken Congee is the dish to make during the colder months: sushi rice cooked in a flavorful, aromatic chicken broth, and topped with cilantro, chili crisp, juicy roasted chicken, and of course crispy chicken skin. It’s a hug in a bowl, a dish that warms the soul and is ridiculously easy to make.

WHAT IS CONGEE?

Congee is a traditional Chinese dish made by boiling rice in a large amount of water or broth until it reaches a porridge-like consistency. While it’s not the same, think of it as similar to risotto: creamy in texture and a blank canvas for a multitude of flavors. This is a humble dish, and it tastes that way. There’s truly nothing like sitting down with a hot bowl of congee on a cold day.

For this recipe, we use aromatics like garlic, ginger, and scallions to infuse the chicken broth with savory depth, then cook sushi rice until it’s plump and slightly broken. The result is a comforting dish you’ll want to make again and again, with endless topping possibilities.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Humble ingredients for a humble dish that will warm you to your core. Americans have their chicken noodle soup, Italians have their “Italian penicillin,” and across Asia, there’s savory congee. This recipe takes about 35 minutes to make and is the perfect dish for colder months or whenever you’re not feeling your best. It’s simple by nature and completely customizable. And while reheating rice dishes is often a pain, this one is relatively easy to warm up and enjoy the next day (but if you’re anti–reheated rice, I get it).

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR ROASTED CHICKEN CONGEE

• Rice – Any short-medium grain rice works for this recipe, however I do recommend sushi rice. If you’ve made any of my risottos then you know different types of rice have different starch levels and with its high starch content overcooking sushi rice gives the congee a super creamy consistency.
• Chicken Thighs – Bone-in, skin on, however we’re going to butcher the bone out. I will never understand why skin-on, bone-out is not an option to buy at mainstream supermarkets. If you have a butcher for chicken they can de-bone it for you, but if you have an extremely sharp knife you can easily do it yourself.
• Chicken Broth – My recommendation: make this with homemade broth. I know, I know, it’s a pain and time-consuming, but if you already have some, you’ll need 8 cups. My second recommendation is to use bone broth or Better Than Bouillon. With Better Than Bouillon, you can control the intensity of the broth (and I always make mine just a bit stronger). At the bottom of the list is boxed chicken broth. It just tastes thin in comparison.
• Garlic – Fresh only!
• Ginger – Fresh only!
• Chili Crisp – Choose your favorite, but I tend to go for a garlic and onion chili crisp without Sichuan chili peppers, like a Momofuku.
• Scallions or Green Onions
• Cilantro

TOOLS NEEDED

• Dutch Oven / Deep Pot – This recipe calls for 8 cups of broth to 1 cup of rice, pick a pot that’s large enough to hold it.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED CHICKEN CONGEE

Prep and Roast the Chicken – Cooking chicken thighs takes much less time when you remove the bone. Place the chicken skin-side down on a sturdy cutting board. Locate the bone, and using a sharp knife, cut along one side of it, making sure to work around any cartilage bits. Be careful not to cut through the other side of the chicken! Instead, curve the knife beneath the bone and carefully cut it out.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the deboned chicken on a sheet pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat thoroughly, then roast for 25–30 minutes, until the skin turns golden brown and crispy. If the skin isn’t crisping fast enough, feel free to hit it with the broiler at the end.

Set the chicken aside for later. What I like to do is remove the crispy skin, chop it into small pieces, and use it as a crunchy topping for my bowl of roasted chicken congee. That way you get a bit of salty chicken in every bite.

Cook the Congee – Before cooking, rinse the rice until the water runs clear (about 5–6 times for sushi rice). In a large pot over medium heat, add the rinsed rice, 8 cups of chicken broth, garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the scallions. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove the lid and reduce the heat. Simmer for 25–30 minutes, until it reaches your desired consistency, similar to porridge. If the congee reduces too much, add a splash of broth to loosen it up.

Top the Congee – Add desired amount to a bowl. Top with the scallion greens, a generous amount of cilantro, sliced chicken and broken chicken skin, and chili crisp.

STORING/REHEATING

Roasted chicken congee is best served immediately, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to reheat, place the congee in a saucepan with a splash of broth — the amount will depend on how much you’re reheating. Add enough broth to loosen the texture, then heat gently over low until warmed through.