Congee is a savory porridge eaten in many parts of the world. You can think of it sort of like a thick chicken soup. It’s really easy to make in a slow-cooker because you basically just combine all the ingredients and let it cook overnight. If you don’t have a slow-cooker, you can cook it on the stovetop – just cook it over low heat, covered, and make sure to watch it so it doesn’t burn!
I really like eating mine for breakfast, but you can eat it for any meal. Because it’s cooked a long time over low heat, it is really easy to digest which makes it perfect if you are feeling under the weather at all, or if you just want to give your digestive track a break.
Slow-Cooker Congee
• 1 lb chicken (I prefer thighs but breasts work just as well)
• 1 cup rice (any kind of rice, even a mixture of different types such as ½ wild rice and ½ brown rice will work)
• 64 oz liquid (I like to do a mixture of chicken stock and vegetable stock, but you could use all chicken, all vegetable, or a combination of those plus water)
• 1 tsp salt (or less, depending on the stock you use)
• Spices to taste. In this recipe I used ¼ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp 5-spice. You can also add minced ginger, garlic, or mushrooms!
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir, cover with the lid, and cook on low for 12 hours. I usually start this before I go to bed and it is ready when I get up in the morning.
Once cooked, shred the chicken either in the pot, or on a plate and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir and serve either plain or with your favorite toppings. My favorites include:
• Chopped herbs such as cilantro or parsley
• Scallions or chives
• Mushrooms
• Nuts and seeds
• Minced ginger
• Sautéed spinach
• An egg
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil