Recipes

Chicken Congee (Chinese rice porridge)

Serves 4-6

| Prep Time: 10 mins

| Cook Time: 3 hours

| Total Time: 3 hours 10 min

You may need: Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper

Discover The Recipe

Chicken Congee (Chinese rice porridge) is a quintessential comfort food with many regional and flavor variations across China. You'll find seafood variations using squid, shrimp, or scallop and meat variations with pork, beef, or chicken, or combinations of ingredients. The common thread is that you’ll cook the rice until it breaks down into a thick, creamy porridge. Eaten any time of day, congee is meant to soothe the soul and warm the belly. In this variation, the chicken is simmered with the rice until it falls off the bone, imbuing a lovely flavor.

We season this dish with our proprietary Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper blend, which combines sea salt with freshly ground white pepper and Sichuan pepper. Sichuan pepper is the husk of fruit of an aromatic Chinese shrub. Not related to peppercorns or chili peppers, it's a member of the citrus family. With a slight lemony taste, its primary action on the taste bud is a tingling sensation that may be new to the Western palate. Sichuan pepper is an essential ingredient that provides a flavor and feel typical of many Chinese dishes. White pepper comes from the same berry as black pepper but is prepared differently to remove the husk, eliciting slightly brighter and more herbaceous notes. Top Chicken Congee (Chinese rice porridge) with your favorite garnishes.

Ingredients

2 cups jasmine rice
14 cups water or chicken broth or stock
2 tsp ginger, sliced
6 chicken drumsticks
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Salt & 2 Pepper
Green onions, sliced (optional)
Chili oil (optional) for garnish
Sesame oil (optional) for garnish

Notes

We like to stir every 30 minutes to help prevent the rice on the bottom from burning (or you can use a heat diffuser). Stirring also helps to mash the swelled rice.

If the chicken congee (Chinese rice porridge) is too thick to stir easily, add additional water.

Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.

Instructions

Rinse jasmine rice with water until water runs clear. Pick out any discolored rice pieces.

In a large pot, add rice, water, ginger and chicken. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer on low for 3 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in Piquant Post Salt & 2 Pepper. Pick off any meat remaining on chicken bones then discard bones.

Serve hot, topped with green onions, chili oil and sesame oil.

Alternatives & Substitutions

Substitute chicken drumsticks for chicken thighs, duck or ham. We recommend sticking with a fattier meat to prevent it from drying out.
For vegan/vegetarian, use shiitake mushrooms, as in this Vegan Congee recipe. Or, try our Vegan Dan Dan Noodles, or our 2 Pepper Tofu recipes!
For seafood recipes using our Salt & 2 Pepper spice blend, try our Salt & 2 Pepper Shrimp, Hong Kong Scallops, or Ginger Scallion Fish.
There are many variations on this dish such as those that include sliced fish, egg, century egg, and hot chilies. Make it your own!
Or try this spice to make Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken, Chinese Salt & Pepper Ribs, or Beef Sichuan Noodles.
The Salt & 2 Pepper is a finishing salt, so you can experiment with it anywhere you add a splash of unique seasoning: roasted vegetables, meats like steak, pork, and chicken, and stir frys.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!