Healthiest Congee Recipe (Anti-inflammatory, GF, 6 Ingredients, 1-Pot)

up close photo of healthiest congee in bowl topped with chicken and cilantro

Healthiest Congee Recipe (Anti-inflammatory, GF, 6 Ingredients, 1-Pot)

To make this 1-Pot Healthiest Congee Recipe, we create an anti-inflammatory version of the recipe, without eggs or other optional ingredients that can be inflammatory, and with chicken. The recipe ends up delicious, nourishing and very comforting in flavor and texture. Instead of garnishing with green onions, we garnish with optional fresh cilantro.

Optional also: Personally, I like to use white corn as one traditional veggie add-in. You may omit or choose another veggie if corn does not agree with you. (I give some examples of alternatives in the main article.)

We end up with an amazingly healthy and satisfying breakfast, (lunch or dinner), borrowed from other cultures' knowledge and tradition that a savory breakfast with all the macronutrients is the best way to start the day (or end it).

This recipe can be made on the Stove top, or in an Instant Pot. It's Gluten-free, Ancestral and VAD (LVA).

Course Breakfast, breakfast for dinner, DInner

Cuisine Cantonese, Chinese

Keyword 1-pot, anti-inflammatory, Congee, gluten-free, healthy, low vitamin A, recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 280kcal

Author Megan

Cost $12

Equipment

medium size soup pot or Instant Pot

Ingredients

¾ cup brown rice (preferably short grain) rinsed briefly (Okay to use 1-¼ cups white rice if it agrees with you better.)
5 cups water -- We don't use stock or broth because the chicken cooked in lightly salted water creates stock. This also saves money.
2 lbs chicken boneless skinless thighs, or use any cuts, with bones or without -- whatever you prefer; just increase the overall pounds to account for the bones' weight if you use bone-in
2 teaspoons good salt plus 1 more teaspoon salt, to taste
1 nub ginger peeled and sliced thinly
2 to 5 Tablespoons rice flour white or brown, amount of flour depends on how thick you want it
Optional: 1 cup corn frozen white
Optional: ½ cup cilantro roughly chopped, serve on top, or stir it in
Optional for garnish: ¼ cup flavorful concentrated drippings leftover from cooking chicken or similar This looks and tastes like concentrated broth, and it often gels when chilled. If you keep yours after roasting chicken, put a spoonful on top of your hot served congee (it will melt), then top with fresh cilantro, if using.

Instructions

Stove Top

Place water, rice, ginger and 2 teaspoons salt into large stock pot or heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, but immediately turn heat to lowest setting that still allows a slow simmer when covered, and cover. Set timer for 35 minutes.
(If your mixture is boiling, not slow simmering, water will evaporate, and you'll need to add more. This can happen with older stoves that don't have a low setting, and/or with pot lids that let out too much steam.)
When timer sounds, stir rice, then add chicken to simmering pot. Turn the heat to High just briefly as you stir it in: Make sure all the chicken is covered or mostly covered, and that all the rice is fully in the water. Cover again, and return heat to prior lowest setting. Set timer for 15 minutes.
When timer sounds, remove lid, and whisk the stock on one side of the cooking pot -- as you fan the rice flour in: over and through the whisk. (Choose more or less flour based on how thick you want your finished congee.) Turn up heat to bring stock to a simmer, and stir gently. Simmer just 1 to 2 minutes, during which time the base will thicken.
Remove pot from heat, add and stir in frozen corn if using, and allow to sit covered 20 minutes, undisturbed. Ideally, move it to a burner with the Warm setting on.
Carefully remove pot lid, then use tongs to transfer chicken to cutting board. Cut into bite-size pieces. Return chicken to pot, and give it all a good stir. Taste, and add additional 1 teaspoon salt if desired.
Serve, topped with optional fresh cilantro. (The longer congee sits, the thicker it will get.)

Instant Pot:

Place water, chicken, rice, ginger and 2 teaspoons salt into insert. Attach lid. Choose Multigrain or High Pressure Manual Setting, and adjust setting to 23 minutes. When timer sounds, allow a 20-minute Natural Pressure Release, then do a QPR. (Photo shows pot before cooking.)
Use tongs to transfer chicken to cutting board. Press Sauté button. Whisk stock while you fan in the rice flour over the whisk, so it stirs in evenly. As stock begins to simmer, continue to whisk. When it's fully simmering, press the Cancel button. The heat under the insert will cause the rice and stock to simmer an additional few minutes. Cover until it's done simmering.
Add frozen corn (or other veggie), if using, and stir it in. Press Keep Warm button, and cover. Let it sit for 20 minutes to thicken.
While Congee thickens, cut chicken into bite-size pieces, or use two forks to shred into longer pieces, whichever you prefer. Return chicken to pot, and give it all a good stir. Taste, and add additional 1 teaspoon salt if desired.
Serve, topped with optional fresh cilantro. (The longer congee sits, the thicker it will get.)
Shown here in reheated congee leftovers: You may also stir as much chopped fresh cilantro as you like into the soup before serving, which I do, and my family loves it. You can really taste it, (as you taste the bites with sliced ginger). And it's pretty.

Notes

How to store and reheat Congee

Healthiest Congee keeps well in the fridge, covered, for 3 days.

To reheat, warm gently over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Nutrition