Let’s make this delicious recipe!
Chicken congee or cháo gà in Vietnamese, is a super comforting rice porridge. Anytime I’m not feeling well, this is always the first thing I want to eat. It’s warm, soothing, and like a hug in a bowl.
What is Congee?
Congee is a rice porridge that is commonly eaten in many different Asian cultures. In Vietnamese, it is called cháo and often eaten for breakfast.
Growing up, anytime I was sick my parents would make me a big pot of congee. Now as an adult, this is all I want when I am not feeling well.
There are so many different ways you can make it but the recipe I am sharing here is for a chicken congee or cháo gà.
Chicken congee is light, soothing, and like a hug in bowl. It’s easy to eat when you have a sore throat or uneasy stomach. The texture is soft, luscious, and velvety. I think for a lot of Asian people, it’s the equivalent to chicken noodle soup, and the ultimate comfort food.
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Seasonings
Chicken congee is meant to be light so I don’t add too many seasonings. I start with aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger. Ginger has great health benefits and helps with nausea. There is usually enough sodium in the chicken broth to flavor the congee but you can add more based on your taste.
Types of Rice
Congee is made with white rice. It’s great with long-grain, medium-grain, or short-grain rice, whatever you have on hand. My favorite to use is long-grain jasmine rice.
I also like to toast the rice with the aromatics and oil. Doing this adds another subtle layer of flavor. It makes it toasty, a little nutty, and more fragrant.
Toasting rice also effects the consistency of congee. It makes the grain more individualized when cooked and not stick together as much. Both consistencies are great, it just depends what you are in the mood for.
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How to Make Chicken Congee
Chicken congee is a really easy and low effort meal to make. It’s perfect for when you’re under the weather and don’t feel like doing much. You’re basically just making a mushy, soupy rice. It’s really hard to mess up.
The main ingredients are rice and chicken broth. I always have store bought chicken broth on hand for easy meals like this. You can also make your own chicken broth or substitute for water and chicken bouillon.
First I sauté aromatics until they are fragrant and then toast the rice. Next, add in the chicken broth and simmer uncovered. Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The rice porridge is done when it is super soft, kind of like an oatmeal or grits consistency.
The thickness of congee is really up to personal preference. I like mine right in the middle, not too thick but not too soupy. If you want it thicker and softer, cook it longer. If you want it more loose and soupy, add more water or chicken broth.
Lastly, serve it in a bowl, add toppings to your liking, and enjoy!
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Chicken Congee Toppings
The topping options are endless. For Vietnamese-style chicken congee or cháo gà, I recommend shredded chicken, a soft boiled or jammy egg, fried shallots, green onions, cilantro, and black pepper. If you’re in the mood for a little zest, add a squeeze of lime.
How to Store & Reheat
Congee keeps well in the fridge for about 4 or so days. Store in a sealed container. To reheat you can either put it in a pot on the stove on low heat or put it in the microwave.
The rice may soak up the liquid more or the liquid may evaporate as you store or reheat. The congee may become thicker as a result but it is an easy fix. Add additional chicken broth or water to get it back to your desired consistency.
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Chicken Congee (Vietnamese Cháo Gà)
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
Congee:
- 1 cup jasmine rice, washed
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ¼ yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inch ginger, smashed
- drizzle oil
Toppings:
- 1 chicken breast, shredded
- 4 soft boiled or jammy boiled eggs
- 2 green onions, sliced
- fried shallots
- handful cilantro
- black pepper
- lime juice (optional)
Instructions
In a pot on medium heat with a drizzle of oil, cook onions, garlic, and ginger until softened (about 2 minutes).
Add rice and toast for about 3 minutes.
Add chicken broth and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until rice is super soft and to the consistency of your liking. Add more chicken broth or water as needed.
Prepare toppings while congee is simmering (cook eggs, fry shallots, shred chicken, etc.)
Serve with toppings to your liking and enjoy!
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FAQs
Considered as a "light" dish, “chao gao” (congee) is served with salt and braised fish. Rice is sometime cooked together with sticky rice, skinned mung beans and sweet potato, bringing the dish a distinctive flavor.
What's the difference between porridge and congee? ›
The simplest and biggest difference to tell apart what is a congee and a porridge, is the texture of the rice. The rice in congee is utterly cook to the point it dissolved into a glue-ly / starchy texture. Porridge on the other hand, the rice still retain mostly its shape and have clearly soup / water base.
What is chicken congee made of? ›
Simple ingredients for authentic Chinese chicken congee. The recipe I'm sharing today is one of the most widely enjoyed types of congee. It features a meltingly smooth concentrated chicken broth, tender chicken meat, and the delightfully aromatic ginger, green onion, and sesame oil.
What is the secret to silky congee? ›
The mark of a good bowl of Cantonese-style congee is the silky-smooth texture of the porridge. Beancurd skin is the secret ingredient to ensuring the texture of each bowl of congee comes out right. Adding the beancurd skin helps to make the rice grains mushy, and thus easier to cook down to a smooth consistency.
What is the difference between Chinese congee and Vietnamese congee? ›
Inspired by the Chinese congee, the Vietnamese cháo gà chicken congee is a sumptuous winter warmer. Rather than cooking its rice and chicken ingredients separately, cháo gà uses the chicken stock, leftover from cooking the chicken, as a base to cook the rice in.
Why do Asians eat congee when sick? ›
Congee has a history as a famine food — rice stretched to last with the addition of extra water — and, more commonly nowadays, the ideal sick dish. Low-effort and gentle on the stomach, it's embraced as a go-to for belly aches, colds, or days of general discomfort.
Why is congee so healthy? ›
The benefits of congee and looser porridge result from long, slow cooking with lots of water, transforming food into a meal that hydrates, supports digestion & soothes the stomach. Congee improves digestion by soothing and balancing the entire digestive tract and every organ of digestion.
Is it OK to eat congee every day? ›
Rich in flavour and filled with the goodness of nutrients, rice congee is the perfect dish to have daily for anyone, especially children who are picky eaters. Introduce your fussy baby to a warm bowl of rice congee topped with the things they love. The delicious dish is also beneficial for your overall well-being.
What is the healthiest congee? ›
For a healthier version, I frequently recommend using brown rice, or even barley or millet. Simmer on very low heat for 1-2 hours or until rice is quite broken down.
Is congee just overcooked rice? ›
Congee or Rice Porridge
Here's how to make congee, the savory Chinese rice porridge, out of overcooked rice: Bring a couple of inches of water to a boil in a sauce pan and start adding the mushy rice, a couple of spoonful's at a time. Break them up with a whisk, as you add them to the water.
Chicken stock or bone broth, which is the second key ingredient for congee, is also hydrating and provides a rich source of collagen. This protein is required to repair and heal the lining of the GI tract, which can be damaged due to diet and lifestyle stressors.
How long does congee last in the fridge? ›
Storage: The congee can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Is congee healthier than rice? ›
Still, if you dig deeper into its nutritional facts, the filling dish has a surprisingly low-calorie content. The more water you add to the dish, the lower the carbohydrates, allowing you to derive 30 calories for every 100 grams of rice porridge compared to the 100 calories you would get in plain rice.
How do you fix a bland congee? ›
To give additional flavor to the soup, incorporate scallions, sh*take mushrooms, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Adding any vegetables you might have in the fridge boosts the nutritional value significantly, since congee itself is not vitamin-packed.
What pairs well with congee? ›
The range of sides that goes with congee is endless. Lovers of preserved will be spoilt for choice with options such as pickled cucumber, wheat gluten, pickled turnip, pickled white gourd, fermented bean curd, dried bamboo shoot, salted clam, salted duck egg, meat floss and all sorts of fried bean sticks.
How do you make porridge with water taste better? ›
I eat oatmeal and water almost every morning. I add in some pb2 powder for flavor, and a few shakes of salt, stir it up and microwave it. Sometimes I add regular peanut butter and some honey if I want something a little less healthy but tastier.
Why is congee bland? ›
Congee is made of just rice and water and by itself is formidably bland. Bowls can act like sinkholes of flavor into which sauces and seasonings are absorbed and vanish.
