Chicken Congee with Soy Sauce Mushrooms
Believe it or not I found another bag of rice in my closet which calls for, you guessed it, another easy pre-pesach recipe with ingredients you may or probably do not have. The great news is, that you can also make it after pesach, which despite what it feels like right at this very moment, makes up 357 of the other days of the year. Good news for these Jews!
So about this recipe. It’s called congee (Khun- Gee) and its basically the Chinese version of porridge. It’s basically made by taking that teeny tiny bit of rice you have left in the bag (because companies like to send you uneven amounts just to give themselves a extra little spring in their step- sadistic beasts) and boiling it with an insane amount of stock- which lets face it- we all have leftover from Shabbos anyway- and letting it simmer low and slow until its basically a delicious silky porridgey consistency. And then you top it with an egg to make all the more breakfastey and silky. Yes, the Asians just know how to make everything better.
(Unless of course you want to argue that the best rice dish is risotto, a similar concept but revolutionary in that it adds an obscene amount of butter.)
So do you have to eat this for breakfast? Um, no! There are no rules! Especially this time of year when lately my kids wonder what dinner used to look like before eggs and frozen pizza. This is a dish for whenever you have just a second to add everything to a pot and forget about it for a nice long while. Okay, not really forget completely. The greatest part about this dish is the more you stir the more it breaks down the rice and the more silky your congee will become but if you only have a minute or two every once in a while it’ll still come out great. That’s the power of low and slow my friends.
I give some basic options for toppings here but feel free to go crazy. My kids decided sprinkles and maple syrup was the way to go and though I’m not suggesting that be your first choice of topping, feel free to try it out. Or better yet, Google Image some photos of congee for real creative inspo or just some drool worthy pics when you reach the end of your Instagram feed
This is kind of a one pot meal going on here cause you are set on carbs, got some protein running through there from the chicken and egg, and vegetable toppings are totally up to you. So one pot meal with a cup of rice and about 3-4 other ingredients is a definite win in my book. (I’ve even included a link to a slow cooker version just in case it’s the only pot you have out right now)
Thank you Seasons for sponsoring this post.
Congee:
4- 6 chicken thighs you can use boneless and skinless thighs for a shortcut
6 c chicken broth
3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings:
Sliced Scallions
Poached/ Soft Boiled Egg
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Fresh Ginger
Sriracha
Soy sauce mushrooms (recipe below)
Adapted from @thekitchn
Place the rice in a colander and rinse the rice until the water runs clear or slightly milky. Drain.
In a large pot add the rice, chicken stock, ginger and chicken thighs. Bring the contents to a boil stirring to ensure the rice does not stick to the bottom
Reduce the heat to a simmer and partiallycover the pot. The congee will get creamier the more you stir it but it's not necessary to stir more than 2-3 times just to prevent sticking.
Cook the rice for about 1 1/2 hours or until it resembles a thick porridge with most of the liquid absorbed. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it before returning it to the pot. Discard any bones, skin or cartilage.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and top with desired toppings.
Recipe can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored tightly sealed in the refrigerator. You may need to add more stock when heating it up.
For a slow cooker version add 2 cups of stock and use the directions here:
Soy sauce mushrooms:
7 oz shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stir until they begin to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir the mushrooms until they brown and the salt sauce is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and use on top of the congee.
