Easy 1-2-3 Chicken Congee
Soup Name:
Easy 1-2-3 Chicken Congee (using frozen chicken thighs)
Traditional Chinese Name: 雞粥 (jī zhōu)
Taste: Savory and sweet
Nature: Slightly warm
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My daughter… one morning told me she wasn’t feeling well, particularly in the stomach and really wanted congee. This is why I always keep a few chicken thighs (and other various meats) frozen in my freezer. It’s for these days where I could use them for a quick 1-2-3 chicken congee, ready in about 2 hours (or more depending on how much notice or time you have).
OH THE TOPPINGS!
The amazing thing about plain congee is how you can have a host of toppings available for any taste, condition, discerning critic (or congee food taster)!
Here are some of the interesting ones I’m using today:
- Preserved sweet and sour cucumbers (these come in jars which you can purchase in the supermarket). They are slightly sweet and slightly tart and super appetizing with rice or congee!
- Dried seaweed. Adds a bit of savory crunch!
- Kimchi. I know, it’s not very Chinese of me, but I couldn’t help myself! It was calling to me!
- Preserved savory olives. This is a very Chiu Chou-styled topping and is commonly served with plain white congee. It’s part of my Chiu Chou background that I have jars and jars of these in my pantry!
- Fresh green onions. A staple topping that provides a fresh twist!
What’s involved?
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 60 mins+
Total time: 65 mins+
Serves: 8 bowls
Ingredients
2 cups of white rice (my kids like using sushi rice for congee sometimes or I blend long grain and sushi rice)
2.5 L of water
2-3 frozen chicken thighs
- Your fine selection of congee toppings (I have many in my pantry and fridge just because that’s how I roll)
Cooking Instructions
- Take out your frozen chicken thighs from the freezer. No defrost needed.
- In your congee or soup pot, add in the rice, frozen chicken thighs, dried conpoys, and water
- Boil on high heat for about 20 minutes, or until the water begins to dance with bubbles
- Gently stir the pot to ensure that the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot
- At this point, you can reduce the boil to a medium boil (so the water doesn’t spill over) and boil for another 1-2 hours depending on how much time you have.
- Stir occasionally to prevent sticking
- Serve, top with your favourite toppings, enjoy!
CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR CONGEE RECIPES
EQUIPMENT USED
To answer your questions on what equipment I'm using, I've built a section here where you can find and explore what I'm using to make soups. Ingredients are a little harder, but I will do my best as I source them around. However, you can always message me on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Facebook, and I will reply and try to point you in some direction!
A great help for fish or small bones in soups, including small ingredients such as barley, fox nuts, spices just to keep everything together.
A MUST HAVE in the kitchen! Energy saving, cost effective, and perfect for busy chefs! Check out my article here that explains it.
Another MUST HAVE in the kitchen for soups! It's so fine that it will scoop off the top oil and foam layer when using meats in your soup!
I use these types of stove top safe tea pots to make most of my herbal teas!
