[Leftover] Chicken Congee (Rice Porridge)

If you’re looking to stretch leftover roast chicken into a few more warming, comforting meals, then this recipe for chicken congee (rice porridge) is a great one to have on standby.

I decided to make this recipe earlier in the year probably after seeing my friend Lisa post one of her beautiful bowls of congee and wanting to have some of that comfort for myself. And after roasting a chicken I knew that I wanted to combine the two somehow, and thus, this leftover chicken congee was born.

What is Congee?

Rice porridge is eaten in countries around the world. As such, there are numerous names for it, but perhaps the most well-known are congee or juk. In its simplest form, congee is rice that has been cooked in a lot of liquid until it has broken down and thickened into a porridge consistency, similar to oatmeal, grits, or polenta. You can flavor it almost however you want according to your own tastes.

What Type of Rice to Use for Congee?

I’ve seen recipes that call for both short and long grain rice of all types to make congee. Rice porridge is very customizable, so I would say that it just depends on whatever you have available. However, it is important to note that short grain rice tends to have more starch than long grain rice, so that will lead to a thicker end product if you use it when making the dish. In this congee recipe, I use a long grain rice, like basmati or jasmine.

What Liquid to Use for Congee?

In its humblest form, you can certainly use water to make congee. But if you’re looking for flavor, then of course chicken, vegetable, or other flavored broth or stock is the way to go. (You could even use a combination of water and broth if you want.) The ratio of liquid to rice is also something to keep in mind when thinking about the desired consistency of congee. I used 8 cups liquid to 1 cup long grain rice in this instance, but you can always add more liquid if you prefer it thinner or cook it for longer if you prefer a thicker congee.

Stock with Leftover Roast Chicken

I made this dish precisely because I had leftover roast chicken that I wanted to make use of. One great use is to remove any remaining meat and turn the roasted chicken carcass into chicken stock. There are a few different ways to go about this. One is to make a “traditional” stock by simmering the carcass with a selection of vegetables and herbs in water with the leftover cooked chicken carcass replacing the typical raw bones. Another option is to simmer the leftover parts with store-bought stock to infuse it with extra chicken flavor.

The third route, which I did on this day, was a hybrid of the two by simmering the leftover carcass with chicken bouillon for a semi-homemade roast chicken stock. I used roughly 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon with 1 leftover chicken carcass and 2 (or so) quarts of water, but use whatever ratio feels right to you. (A few pieces of ginger or cloves of garlic could also be nice to flavor stock for congee.)

What to Serve with Chicken Congee?

Some shredded chicken is an obvious choice to serve with chicken congee. Chicken along with a drizzle of soy sauce on top seems to be the way they serve it late-night in Shanghai. A few red pepper flakes added a bit of spice, and this was also back when everyone was re-growing scallions, so I sliced a few to sprinkle on top as well. Lastly, for a not-so-traditional condiment, I sprinkled on some Everything but the Bagel Seasoning because . . . why not?