This recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Congee is easy to prepare and full of flavor. It's a comforting dish to whip up using leftover turkey or turkey bones.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Turkey Farmers of Canada. All images and opinions expressed are solely my own.
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It's getting dark, rainy, and chilly over here. November is our rainy season and with the rain comes the cold.
Lately, I've been resorting to my Instant Pot to make easy one-pot meals, because getting dinner ready on weeknights can be crazy.
Especially when I'm chauffeuring my kids to TKD practice halfway across the city.
I've once again partnered with the Turkey Farmers of Canada to share my easiest congee recipe yet: Instant Pot Turkey Congee.
What is congee?
Congee is known as "jook" in Cantonese, and is rice cooked down with water until it reaches a porridge-like consistency.
Traditionally, congee is savory and paired with some type of meat.
Growing up, congee was my go-to whenever I felt sick or unwell.
There's something comforting about the hot, soupy, savory dish that would perk me up, even when I don't feel good.
Why you'll love this recipe
Why you'll love this recipeIt's easy to eat and digest, making it suitable for kids and the elderly.
I love that turkey is such a lean protein, but in this congee, the meat is smooth, moist and tender. The resulting dish is rich, flavourful and heart-warming.
But what I like about this recipe is that it comes all together in 1 hour.
Using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to cook the turkey/bones along with the rice -- is simple, efficient and saves time.
I tried it two ways:
1) using leftover cooked turkey meat and bones (eg. leftovers from Thanksgiving -- I freeze the extra turkey meat for later)
2) using raw turkey leg quarters
They are both straightforward and easy to make, depending on what type of turkey you have on hand.
Ingredients you'll need
- long-grained jasmine rice: don't use instant rice; you can use short-grain rice if you like for an even creamier, starchier congee
- turkey carcass/bones: or leftover turkey (from Thanksgiving)
- water: or turkey broth or turkey stock; for cooking the rice and turkey meat/bones
- fresh ginger: sliced
- fresh garlic: minced
- sea salt: for seasoning; you can also use soy sauce to flavor
- white pepper: or black pepper
How to make it
Place the turkey meat/bones into the Instant Pot.
Add 1 cup of rinsed rice and cover with water or vegetable broth.
Next, add in the sliced ginger and garlic.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place the lid on and set the sealing valve to SEAL.
Set the PORRIDGE function and HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes, letting the pressure manually release.
Carefully remove the turkey bones and meat from the Instant Pot.
Using tongs or two forks, remove the turkey meat from the bones, shred the meat and return shredded turkey meat to the pot.
How to serve & store
Serve turkey congee steaming hot.
Add a drizzle of sesame oil for aroma, and garnish with chopped green onions, and sliced Chinese donut.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can freeze congee in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Defrost the congee overnight in the fridge before reheating in a pot.
Variations
You can use a similar method to make Instant Pot chicken congee.
Expert tips
Bones from the turkey give lots of depth of flavor, so my tip is to save those turkey bones (especially after Thanksgiving)!
What I like to do is freeze the bones in a freezer-safe bag, and when I need to make a soup or congee, I've got them on hand.
Other delicious recipes you may like
Be sure to check out these recipes:
Grilled Lemongrass Turkey Banh Mi
Five-Spice Turkey Green Onion Pancake Rolls
Preserved Century Egg Pork Congee
Try out this easy recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Congee -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer and leave me a comment/rating below -- I'd love to see your creations!
Instant Pot Turkey Congee
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- leftover turkey meat/carcass/bones use whatever you have on hand, whether it be 1 or 2 drumsticks, etc
OR:
- 1 raw turkey leg quarter about 2 lbs
- 1 C long-grained white Jasmine rice rinsed
- 6 C water or vegetable broth or poultry broth
- 1 inch ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
Garnish:
- sesame oil
- green onions chopped
- Chinese long donut sliced
Instructions
- Place the cooked turkey carcass with the meat and bones (or raw turkey leg quarter) into the Instant Pot.
- Add in 1 cup of rice and cover with 6 cups water or vegetable broth.
- Add in the sliced ginger and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Give it a stir.
- Cover with the lid and ensure the steam valve is set to SEAL.
- Press the PORRIDGE function (or manually set to HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes). Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure without releasing the steam valve.
- When the steam float valve has dropped, you can open the lid.
- Carefully remove the turkey bones and meat from the Instant Pot. Using tongs or two forks, remove the turkey meat from the bones, shred the meat and return to the pot.
- Give the turkey congee a stir and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Tip: If the consistency is too thick, add a little water to thin it out. If the consistency is too thin, press the SAUTE function and let the congee boil for a few minutes, until to your desired consistency. Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with extra turkey meat, a drizzle of sesame oil, green onions and serve with Chinese long donut if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Kathy
Amazingly delicious and easily prepared. Never made porridge in the instant pot and so glad in turned out well. I have half a turkey left and will Definitely use it up to prepare another pot of this congee. So creamy and soft! Thanks, Michelle for sharing this recipe and I can’t wait to get back to baking and trying some of your other recipes.
Michelle
Awesome, thanks for the feedback, Kathy! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
2pots2cook
Beautiful and comforting. Pinned, of course !
Michelle
Thank you so much! 🙂
Marissa
Does this recipe freeze well? Excited to make!
Michelle
Hi Marissa, yes, this recipe freezes well. Gently reheat the frozen congee in a pot over low heat, stir occasionally, and add enough water to the consistency you desire. Enjoy!
Marissa
Thanks a lot! Made a batch today and it’s delicious!
Michelle
Awesome, thanks Marissa! 🙂
Yumi
Looks simple and amazing, your food always looks so good! 🙂
Michelle
Ahh thank you so much, Yumi! 🙂
Lisa Huff
Oh love that this can be made in the Instant Pot. So easy!
Jessie
This was perfect, quick, easy and so good. We have a new comfort food in my home! Thank you
Beth
This looks interesting, but so delicious! I can't wait to give this a try! So excited to give this a try! My hubby and daughter are going to love this!
Biana
What a great idea for using leftover turkey! Never made congee in the Instant Pot before, sounds like something I need to try.
Emily Flint
I'm always looking for ways to reduce waste and use all of the food we have in our house. I get to do that and use my Instant Pot! Love this recipe!!
Eliza from BENSA Bacon Lovers Society
I had never heard of Congee before, but this recipe is so good - pure comfort food! I love that you can make it in the Instant Pot!
Cathleen
Wow, what CAN'T the instant pot do?? I am definitely making this this weekend, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Seema Sriram
Congee is one of my favourite breakfasts. I have never made it in an instant pot. SO that is surely getting tried soon.
veenaazmanov
This Bowl is surely a meal by itself. Looks like a comforting Bowl of delicious and healthy Dinner option too.
Tavo
Very easy kongee recipe. I enjoyed every single bite!
Sylvia
Use this recipe with leftovers turkey but I'd like to try it with raw turkey legs this time. Do I need to remove the skin first?
Thanks!
Michelle
Hi Sylvia, you don't have to remove the skin first -- in fact, leaving it on will add more flavour to the congee. You can remove the skin after cooking. Hope that helps.
Quynh
I remember making this exact recipe last year using leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. So glad I found this again! Can't wait to make this again. My family really loved it.
Michelle
Thanks for the comment, Quynh! We love making this recipe every year after Thanksgiving too 🙂