Vietnamese Chicken and Long-Grain Rice Congee

Congee is a much overlooked soup and a comfort food of a lot of Asian peoples. This recipe is flavorful, light, and goes down real easy when you are feeling a little out of the weather. It looks harder than it actually is. I usually just throw things together, go away, and wander into the kitchen later to see if it's done.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 2 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 643 Calories

Ingredients

• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 stalk lemon grass, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 (2.5 pound) whole chicken
• ⅛ cup uncooked jasmine rice
• 3 (2 inch) pieces fresh ginger root
• ⅛ cup chopped fresh chives

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place chicken in a stock pot. Pour in enough water to cover chicken. Add ginger, lemon grass, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and gently simmer for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

Step 2

Strain broth, and return broth to stock pot. Let chicken cool, then remove bones and skin, and tear into bite-size pieces; set aside.

Step 3

Stir rice into broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, adjust with water or additional salt. The congee is done, but can be left to cook an additional 45 minutes for better consistency.

Step 4

Ladle congee into bowls, and top with chicken, cilantro, chives, and pepper. Squeeze lime juice to taste.