Congee is a traditional dish eaten in China mainly for breakfast. There are many different varieties of this warm and delicious rice porridge. The texture can be thin, medium, or thick, while the flavor can be either savory or sweet. The toppings for this porridge can consist of different meats, vegetables, and herbs. The congee recipe here is of a medium consistency, similar to the texture of rice pudding. The flavor is savory and chicken broth is used to flavor the rice, while you can also use plain water if you prefer. This dish is topped with a salty duck egg, along with some sliced chicken and carrots to create a warm and savory breakfast.

To see how I make this homemade congee for one click here.

1/3 cup long grain white rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 salty eggs
2 carrots
2 pieces of grilled chicken breasts (any meat can be used here)

1. In a medium pot with a tight fitting lid add the rice and the chicken broth. I know 1/3 cup of rice seems like a small portion compared to the broth, but it will expand and soak up most of this liquid creating the pudding like texture for this dish. So just cover this and bring this to a boil.


2. Once it boils, turn the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for an hour and 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Now you want make sure to have a vent hole on your pot so that steam can escape. Some pots have this built into their lids. If your pot doesn’t have this you can simply crack the lid a bit.


3. While the rice is cooking prepare the toppings. Salty eggs are usually vacuumed sealed in plastic, so just cut this plastic off of the eggs and then just take a knife and slice each one right down the center. Then using a spoon just scoop out each side of the eggs and set them aside. Now they are ready to place on the bowls of congee. Salty eggs can be difficult to peel and I’ve found that this is the easiest way to get the egg out of the shell.


4. Next, peel the carrots and slice it into small round slices and then set them aside.


5. Then slice the chicken into thin slices and set them aside. I usually place about ½ a breast on top of each bowl of congee. You can use any type of meat for this topping. I find that this works great for leftovers.


6. Now once the rice is done cooking it should have a medium, pudding like texture. Then you can ladle it into 4 bowls and place ½ of a salty egg on each. Then place ½ sliced chicken breast next to the egg, and half of a carrot, sliced on each. Then it is ready to serve, this makes 4 servings.