Spicy chicken congee
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
There’s something so warm and comforting about one-pot dishes that bubble away as you sit on the sofa knowing that you will have a heart-warming bowl of goodness shortly. Congee reminds me of home, of Hong Kong and of my family. I make a big batch and stick it in the fridge for whenever I need it. Think of it like a Hong Kong chicken soup!
Each serving provides 981 kcal, 57.6g protein, 62.8g carbohydrate (of which 2.9g sugars), 55.1g fat (of which 12.1g saturates), 1.7g fibre and 2.9g salt.
By Justin Tsang
Ingredients
For the congee
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 chicken thighs, boneless and skin removed
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- thumb-size piece root ginger, smashed with the side of a knife
- 1 spring onion
- 600ml/20fl oz chicken stock
- 1 chicken stock cube
- pinch MSG
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 150g/5½oz jasmine rice
- salt
For the toppings
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 tbsp chilli oil
- 2 tbsp shop-bought crispy fried shallots or onions
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
For the garnish
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
- handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 10g fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks
Method
To make the congee, heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat for 2–3 minutes. Season the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt on both sides. Fry the chicken in the pan for 3–4 minutes on each side until cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer. Remove the chicken thighs and leave to rest.
Add the garlic, ginger and whole spring onion to the pan and fry for 30 seconds without browning. Pour the stock in and add the chicken stock cube, MSG, light soy sauce, fish sauce, white pepper, pinch of salt (or to taste) and jasmine rice. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to high and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the toppings, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Place the eggs gently into the water and cook for 6 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water and set aside.
Carefully remove the spring onion from the congee and discard. Grab a whisk and whisk the congee quite vigorously until the rice grains start to break down. Place the lid back on and cook for 15 minutes, repeating the whisking process every 5 minutes. Turn the heat off.
For the garnish, place the spring onion, coriander and ginger in a bowl and toss to mix.
Peel the eggs and cut each in half. Slice the chicken thighs into strips.
Ladle the congee into two bowls. Top the congee with the chicken and then add the soft-boiled egg halves and the coriander garnish.
To serve, drizzle the congee with the chilli oil and sprinkle over the fried shallots. Finally sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.
