Cracked Wheat Congee

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

This is a mashup of two dishes: keshkeg, an Armenian wheat berry chicken porridge, and congee (or jook), the rice porridge beloved as a breakfast food throughout East Asia. While keshkeg is normally made with pearled wheat, to speed up cooking, I use bulgur wheat in its place and a teaspoon of gelatin to replicate the consistency of a long-cooked bone broth or stock.

Do not trim the fat from the chicken thighs; it contributes to the flavor and texture of the chicken. You can use any grade of bulgur wheat here, though “fine” will yield the smoothest consistency. The list of toppings here is just a starting point; other traditional possibilities include soft- or mediumcooked boiled eggs, dried shrimp, preserved radish, pork floss, crisp-fried shallots or garlic, and youtiao, aka Chinese crullers.

Serves 4–6

1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
salt and pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved crosswise
5 ounces (1 cup) bulgur wheat
5 cups water
pinch baking soda
scallions, sliced thin on bias
ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
fresh cilantro leaf
dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
chili oil
soy sauce
Chinese black vinegar

Bring broth, gelatin and salt to boil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken and return to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is easily shredded with a fork, about 25 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a medium bowl and set aside. Rinse bulgur, drain well and transfer to Dutch oven. Add water and baking soda and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened and glossy, 45 to 50 minutes.

Using two forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and add to congee. Season lightly with additional salt to taste. Serve congee in bowls, passing scallions, ginger, cilantro, peanuts, oil, soy sauce and vinegar separately. Garnish with additional toppings if you like.

This recipe appeared in the Spring 2022 issue as part of a larger story on Wheaty, Warming, Savory Porridges.