How to make Vietnamese chicken congee with poached chicken salad at home

Vietnamese home cooking is all about bringing people together, and today’s dish is made for sharing.

Duncan Lu is joined The Morning Show to us how to make a comforting chicken congee with poached chicken salad, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

1. Place Chicken in a large stock pot and add remaining ingredients except rice, anchovy salt and fish sauce. Bring to the boil, simmer on low for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from heat and cover for 25 minutes.

2. In the meantime, in a large pan add rice and toast on medium heat until rice grains are lightly golden then reserve 2 tablespoons of toasted rice for the chicken salad.

3. Duncan’s tip: Toasting the rice makes it more fragrant and reduces its starch levels leading to a congee that is looser in consistency.

4. Remove cooked chicken and place into a large bowl of cold water for 5-7 minutes to stop the cooking process. Shred chicken, set aside for the salad and reserve bones.

5. Return chicken bones to stock pot and bring back to the boil, simmer for 20 minutes then strain well and return to a simmer

6. Add larger amount of toasted rice to the broth. Cook rice on low-medium heat, occasionally stirring for 15 minutes or until rice grains begin to break down. Season with fish sauce, anchovy salt, sea salt and MSG then remove from heat and set aside.

1. Soak onions in cold water for 60 minutes, then strain well and set aside.

3. In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients and mix well until sugar dissolves

4. In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, onions, ground toasted rice, half the dressing and remaining chicken salad ingredients, toss well then serve immediately on a large plate.

5. Duncan’s tip: Only dress salad that is going to be consumed to keep salad crisp when serving.

1. Ladle congee into a bowl and garnish with spring onions, coriander and cracked white pepper.

2. Serve with Vietnamese chicken salad, with extra dipping sauce on the side for the chicken. Add Chinese donuts alongside the congee — perfect for dipping and helping to refresh the palate.