Martha Stewart Chicken And Mushroom Congee Recipe

The first time someone described congee to me as rice porridge I was confused. Then I ate a bowl and understood immediately. Martha Stewart’s Chicken and Mushroom Congee is made with bone-in chicken thighs, short-grain rice, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and scallions, all simmered until the rice breaks down into a thick, creamy porridge in about an hour.

This dinner recipe changed how I think about rice on a cold winter night. It is not a soup and it is not a stew, it is somewhere in between, and the sesame oil and sambal oelek on top make every bowl taste different depending on how heavy you go with the toppings.

Try More Dinner Recipes:

• Chicken Soup With Rice
• Asian Chicken Salad
• Almond Chicken Soup

Why You Will Love This Chicken Mushroom Congee:

• The rice becomes the sauce: You cook short-grain rice until it completely breaks apart and turns into a thick, silky porridge. There is no draining, no fluffing. The rice dissolves into the broth and becomes something entirely different. I was not expecting that texture the first time.
• Bone-in thighs flavour the whole pot: Martha simmers the thighs right in the broth with the skin on, pulls them out, shreds the meat, and stirs it back in. The skin and bones give the congee body that boneless chicken never could. You throw them away but they did their job.
• The toppings make each bowl yours: Sliced scallion tops, raw ginger matchsticks, sesame oil, and chili sauce go on at the end. I go heavy on the sambal and light on the sesame. Someone else at the table does the opposite. Same pot, different bowl every time.

Chicken And Mushroom Congee Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 5)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup short-grain white rice, such as arborio
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 4 scallions, white and light-green parts separated from dark-green tops
• Kosher salt
• 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• Sesame oil and chili sauce, such as sambal oelek, for serving

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken And Mushroom Congee

1. Start the congee: Put the chicken thighs, broth, rice, half of the ginger, the white and light-green scallion parts, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 4 cups of water into a pot. Bring everything to a boil.
2. Simmer the chicken: Turn the heat down to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and simmer, stirring a few times, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Take the chicken out and put it on a plate.
3. Cook the mushrooms and break down the rice: Turn the heat up to medium and stir in the shiitake mushrooms. Let it boil uncovered, stirring now and then, until the rice breaks apart and the mixture turns creamy, about 20 more minutes.
4. Shred the chicken: While the rice cooks, pull the skin and bones off the chicken and throw them away. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
5. Finish the congee: Pull out the ginger and scallion pieces from the pot and throw them away. Thinly slice the scallion tops. Cut the remaining ginger half into thin matchstick-size pieces.
6. Serve: Stir the shredded chicken and any juices from the plate back into the congee. Serve in bowls topped with the sliced scallion tops, ginger matchsticks, a drizzle of sesame oil, and chili sauce.

Recipe Tips

• Use short-grain rice: Martha says arborio or another short-grain variety for a reason. Short-grain rice has more starch and breaks down into that creamy porridge texture. Long-grain rice like basmati or jasmine will give you a thinner, looser congee that does not feel the same.
• Do not rush the second simmer: The rice needs those 20 minutes uncovered to fully break apart. If you cover it or pull it too early, you get soupy rice instead of porridge. I stir every few minutes and watch it thicken.
• Keep the skin on while cooking: I know you throw it away after but the chicken skin adds fat to the broth while it simmers. That fat is what makes the congee taste rich and full instead of watery.

How The Ginger Does Double Duty

Martha splits the ginger in half. One piece simmers in the pot and flavours the broth from the inside. The other half gets sliced into raw matchsticks and goes on top as a garnish. Cooked ginger is mellow. Raw ginger is sharp. You get both in every bowl.

I do the same thing with the scallions. The white parts cook, the green tops go on raw. It is a small detail that makes the whole dish feel layered.

What Goes Well With This Congee

Congee is a full meal on its own but I sometimes add a hard boiled egg sliced in half on top. It is a classic pairing and the yolk melts into the hot porridge.

A cold cucumber salad on the side gives you something cool and crunchy against the warm, soft congee. I keep sides minimal here because the bowl is already doing a lot.

How To Store Leftovers

The congee thickens into a solid block in the fridge overnight. Totally normal. Stir in water or broth when you reheat on the stove and it loosens right back up. Fridge for 3 days.

I would not freeze this because the texture never comes back the same. Leftover congee reheated with a little extra broth and a fresh drizzle of sesame oil is one of my favourite breakfasts.

FAQs

• What is congee? A savoury rice porridge popular across many Asian countries. You cook rice in a lot of liquid until it completely breaks down into a thick, creamy consistency. Martha adds chicken thighs and shiitake mushrooms to make it a full dinner.
• Can I use boneless chicken thighs? You can but the congee will not be as flavourful. The bones and skin add fat and body to the broth while it simmers. If you go boneless, I would add an extra cup of broth to make up for it.
• Can I use jasmine or basmati rice? Martha says short-grain rice for a reason. Long-grain rice does not break down the same way and the congee will be thinner and less creamy. Arborio works best because of the high starch content.
• What is sambal oelek? A chunky chili paste made from ground red chillies. It is spicy and bright and you can find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. You control the heat by how much you add to your bowl. I start with half a teaspoon and add more from there.

More Dinner Recipes:

• Chicken Soup
• Baked Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Noodle Soup

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 380
• Total Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 3.5g
• Cholesterol: 140mg
• Sodium: 780mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 32g
• Protein: 30g