Chicken Congee: Immune Boosting Comfort in a Bowl

Chicken congee is a well-known immune boosting dish in Chinese medicine. This is the one recipe I’d recommend to almost everyone during “sick season.” It’s delicious, comforting, and deeply healing, both boosting the immune system and supporting digestive health. Whether you’re coming down with a cold, want to nourish your digestive system, or simply craving a warm, soup-like dish for the colder months, congee is an excellent choice.

Base Ingredients:

Rice, Chicken, Ginger, Scallions

Together, this combo is internally grounding, warming and nurturing, and outwardly protective, defensive and dispersing.

Rice forms the foundation of the congee. As a neutral grain in this broken down form, it is gentle on the stomach and easy to digest, offering steady, supportive energy without taxing the system. From a Chinese medicine standpoint, in this congee form it builds qi in the Spleen and Stomach, strengthening digestion when the appetite and energy levels are low.

Chicken thighs provide protein to rebuild strength, along with collagen, gelatin, and minerals that nourish the body at a deep level, tonifying qi and blood to restore vitality. Opting for bone-in chicken thighs means an extraction of more collagen and minerals into the broth, making it both mineral-rich and flavorful. If you do not eat meat, opt for a variety of mushrooms instead of chicken!

Ginger is naturally warming and aromatic. It supports digestion, stimulates circulation, and helps disperse cold from the body. From a Chinese medicine perspective, ginger warms the center (which soothes nausea), enhances digestive metabolism, and can even help release early signs of cold or chills by expelling exterior pathogens.

Scallions bring a light, slightly warming quality that supports the lungs, opens the sinuses, promotes circulation in the chest, strengthens immunity, dispels pathogens, and gently stimulates the appetite with its pungent, aromatic nature. Together, ginger and scallions make the congee more warming, strengthening, and overall supportive for recovery.

Chicken Congee Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup short grain rice (white or brown), rinsed (3 times for best results)
• 8 cups of water or low sodium chicken stock
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, or 2.5 cups of a variety of mushrooms for meatless
• One 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into very thin strips
• 4 scallions, diced
• pinch of salt (fine sea salt or Redmond real salt is recommended)
• Optional additions: a small piece of kombu or shiitake mushrooms (during cooking), cilantro or a small scoop of ghee (after cooking).

Stove Top Method: Traditional

1. Bring 8 cups of water or low sodium chicken stock to a boil (no rice yet)
2. Once the water is boiling, add the rice, half of the ginger slices, raw chicken thighs, optional shiitake mushrooms or kombu, and gently stir it around a bit.
3. Cover the pot and wait for it to boil (due to starch gelatinization, avoid stirring the pot once it is boiling again with the rice, as this can actually make rice more likely to stick to the bottom of the pot).
4. Once the pot reaches a gentle boil after adding the rice and ingredients, partially cover it and simmer over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. Gently stir the congee every 10–15 minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom. Depending on your stove and rice type, you may need to cook it a bit longer, until the porridge is thick and creamy and the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Pierce one of the chicken thighs to check for doneness.
6. When done, remove the chicken thighs and shred using two forks. If you used kombu, remove it as well.
7. Optional step while the chicken is removed: vigorously whisk the rice for 2-3 minutes for a fluffier, creamier texture. If the congee is too thick, add a small amount of warm stock or water.
8. Add the shredded chicken back into the congee.
9. Turn off the heat.
10. Stir in remaining ginger slices, scallions, and salt to taste. Serve like this, or with optional cilantro, or a teaspoon of ghee.

Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Method: Easiest

1. Rinse rice and set aside.
2. Place the water or low sodium chicken stock in the slow cooker. If using optional kombu or shiitake mushrooms, add now.
3. Add the rice, bone-in chicken thighs, and half of the ginger slices into the slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or on HIGH for 3–4 hours. LOW setting extracts more collagen and gives an ultra-creamy texture.
5. Shred the chicken with two forks, and remove the bones from the pot (chicken will easily fall off the bone).
6. Stir in the remaining ginger slices, scallions, and salt to taste. Serve like this, or with optional cilantro, or a teaspoon of ghee.

Instant Pot Method: Fastest

1. Rinse rice and set aside.
2. Place the water or low sodium chicken stock in the instant pot. If using kombu or shiitake mushrooms, add now.
3. Add the rice, bone-in chicken thighs, and half of the ginger slices into the instant pot.
4. Close the lid of the instant pot and set to high pressure for 25 minutes.
5. Allow a natural pressure release (NPR) for 10–15 minutes (natural release keeps the congee from splattering and allows for further softening of the rice).
6. Carefully release any remaining pressure.
7. Remove the chicken thighs (and kombu, if used). Shred the chicken thighs with two forks.
8. Optional step while the chicken is removed: vigorously whisk the rice for 2-3 minutes for a fluffier, creamier texture. If the congee is too thick, add a small amount of warm stock or water.
9. Add the shredded chicken back into the congee.
10. Stir in the remaining ginger slices, scallions, and salt to taste. Serve like this, or with optional cilantro, or a teaspoon of ghee.