Leftover rotisserie chicken congee, or Chinese rice porridge, is one of the most comforting meals you can make from the remaining bits of poultry meat and bones. It works perfectly for Thanksgiving turkey leftovers as well!
This recipe wastes nothing — we use all the chicken bones, the remaining meat and juices, as well as the chicken skin to add flavor to the congee. Combine it with some aromatics like ginger, scallions, and shallots, and you get a savory, aromatic congee that will warm you right up during this cold season.
Of course, we can’t forget our favorite congee toppings! I like a bit of soy sauce, chili oil, Chinese fried donut (youtiao), and fresh scallions and ginger on mine, but you can add whatever you like.
If you’re looking for a more traditional Chinese congee, check out my pork and century egg congee!
You may also like these other recipes:
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Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Congee
Ingredients
- rotisserie chicken bones or turkey bones
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken meat or turkey meat
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 6 cups water or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 knob of ginger sliced into very thin strips
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 stalks scallions sliced
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon skip if using chicken broth
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste
Additional Toppings:
- soft boiled egg
- soy sauce
- chili oil
- Chinese fried donut
Instructions
Prepare the aromatics and chicken
- Peel and slice the ginger into very thin strips.1 knob of ginger
- Mince the shallot. Slice the scallions, making sure to separate the white and green parts.1 shallot, 2 stalks scallions
- Peel off all the remaining chicken skin, and slice it into small pieces or strips.rotisserie chicken bones
- Tear off most of the meat from the rotisserie chicken bones, but make sure to leave some on to help flavor the congee. I like to remove the breast meat and leave some dark meat (legs, thighs) on the bones as dark meat can be cooked longer without becoming tough.1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken meat
Make the congee
- Heat up a large pot on medium heat. Add neutral oil, sliced chicken skin, the white parts of the sliced scallions, and minced shallots. Reserve the green parts of the scallions to top the congee at the end.1 tbsp neutral oil
- Stir fry together for 2-3 minutes or until the aromatics get a little color on them.
- Add the rotisserie chicken bones, cooked rice, sliced ginger, and water (or low sodium chicken broth) to the pot. Season with chicken bouillon powder (skip if using chicken broth already) and mix to dissolve.2 cups cooked jasmine rice, 6 cups water, 2 tsp chicken bouillon, rotisserie chicken bones
- Bring everything up to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Let it simmer for 40 minutes. Check it periodically and adjust the heat to make sure it doesn’t boil over.
- In the meantime, tear up the meat that you removed from the bones into bite-sized pieces. Prepare any other toppings you want, like the soft-boiled egg and Chinese donut.soft boiled egg, Chinese fried donut
Finish the congee
- After the congee has simmered for 40 minutes, remove all the bones. Give it a whisk or thorough mix to break up the starch and thicken the congee. (Credits to Made with Lau for this whisking tip!)
- Carefully remove any remaining meat from the bones, and put it back into the congee.
- Season with salt and white pepper to taste. If you prefer a thinner congee, you can add a little more water, and if you like a thicker one, you can simmer it for a bit longer.salt to taste, white pepper to taste
- Top each bowl of congee with the shredded meat, scallion greens, and any other toppings you like!soy sauce, chili oil, 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken meat
Hi, I think you accidentally omitted adding the chicken carcass from the making the congee section! I had to reread a few times to make sure I wasn’t missing it, but from watching your instagram video, I pieced it together. Thanks!
Wow – thank you so much for the catch! Just fixed it on the recipe card so should be good to go :)