CHICKEN AND RICE CONGEE • Family & Budget Friendly • Chicken and rice - name a better combo?! It’s served in sooo many ways around the world, but for our family it’s hard to beat served as a creamy congee that is spiked with gentle spices, like cinnamon and star anise, aromatics like ginger and coriander, and seasoned with plenty of fish sauce. It’s my Southeast Asian / Vietnamese interpretation that I have been making for so many years, and this recipe never fails at any time of year. Even in the heat of summer! So, you might to want to save this recipe because it is one of my family staples, my kids absolutely love it and I think you’ll love it too! Chicken & Rice Congee Ingredients 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 1 brown onion, roughly diced 1 tablespoon chopped ginger 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 cinnamon stick 3 star anise 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 bunch coriander stalks and roots, washed thoroughly A few dried chillies (optional – I add chilli to mine at the end to keep it kid friendly) 1 large free-range chicken 1.5 -n 2 litres water (enough to almost cover the chicken) 1 1⁄2 cup jasmine or long grain rice Method Place a large stockpot over medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil, when hot add onions and sauté them for about 5 minutes slowly, then add your ginger and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. I like to get a bit of colour on this mixture towards the end of cooking them as you get a nice flavour from doing this. Add spices - cinnamon, star anise, pepper and dried chillies (if using) and coriander stalks, sauté for a minute or so then add chicken to the pan and cover chicken with water, the breasts should sit just out of the water. Bring to simmering point and simmer gently for about 20 - 30 minutes, skimming the surface for any impurities. Turn off heat and flip the chicken over and place a lid on the pot and allow chicken to sit for a further 45 – 60 minutes. Remove the chicken and strain the stock, reserving the liquid. Shred the chicken of its meat when it’s cool enough to handle. Continued in comments...