The bones go in early and the meat goes in late. That split is what gives this congee its body: the frame simmers into the rice for half an hour while the sliced thigh sits in oyster sauce and starch, so it stays silky when it finally meets the heat.
Cantonese · Breakfast
Clay Pot Chicken Congee With Ginger and Coriander
Rice simmers with ginger and the chicken bones for the base, while the sliced meat marinates in oyster sauce and starch, going in only at the very end.
- Prep15 min
- Cook40 min
- Serves2
- LevelEasy
Ingredients
| 400 g | chicken , on the bone, cut into pieces |
| 1 cup | jasmine rice , about 180 g |
| 3 | ginger slices |
| 1 tbsp | oyster sauce , for the marinade |
| 1 tbsp | light soy sauce , for the marinade |
| 1 tbsp | cornstarch , for the marinade |
| 1 tbsp | cooking oil , for the marinade |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1 | spring onion , sliced |
| 1 small handful | coriander , chopped |
| 2200 ml | water |
Method
- Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear, then put it in a clay pot with the water and the ginger slices. Bring to a boil over high heat with the lid on.
- While the rice heats, wash the chicken in hot water, then cut the meat away from the bones and slice it thin across the grain.
- Stir the oyster sauce, soy, cornstarch and salt into the sliced chicken, then add the oil and mix again so each slice is sealed. Leave for 10 minutes.
- When the rice has been boiling about 10 minutes, turn the heat to low, add the bones and set the lid half on so the pot cannot boil over.
- Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring the bottom every few minutes, until the grains have burst and the liquid has thickened but still flows.
- Turn the heat up, add the marinated chicken and stir so the slices separate.
- As soon as the pot comes back to a boil, taste for salt and scatter the spring onion and coriander over the top. Turn off the heat and serve.
Notes
- Stir the bottom of the pot. Rice settles and catches long before the surface looks ready.
- The chicken needs one minute of hard heat, not ten. Left longer, the starch coating washes off and the slices turn chalky.
- Congee thickens as it stands, so keep the pot a little looser than you want on the plate.
Ratios and technique checked against 小池子快乐 on Douguo (暖冬首选-砂锅鸡粥). The method here is written by Stellaok; the photograph is the source kitchen's, credited on the image above and linked back to the page it came from. No recipe text is reproduced.