This simple pressure cooker recipe yields a fragrant broth in about an hour. It’s loosely based on the stovetop broth component of this chicken and celery rice recipe by Andrea Nguyen: https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2015/04/chicken-back-and-celery-rice-recipe-com-ga.html.
First, place 3 large (or 4 small) skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and 1 skinless boneless chicken breast (see Note 2 below) in the bottom of a large pressure cooker. Add 1 medium onion (peeled and quartered), 3 inches of ginger (peeled, sliced into 1-inch thick penny slices, and gently smashed – see Note 1 below), 2 tsp kosher salt, and 12 cups water.
Second, cover and lock lid, then bring to high pressure (this will take about 20 mins). Maintain at high pressure (the heat can be lowered to medium as long as pressure is maintained) for 30 mins, then move the pressure cooker off the burner for natural release (10 mins).
Third, remove the solids from the broth. Discard the ginger pieces, chicken bone/cartilage, and chicken skin. Shred the chicken and return to the pot. Season the broth with 2 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and a dash of sugar as needed for balance. You can serve the soup at this stage or you can make congee.
How to make congee: in a separate, smaller pot, bring about 4 cups broth (add an extra 1/2 cup if you prefer a brothier congee) to a boil. Add 1/3 cup uncooked white jasmine rice, cover and lower heat to a medium boil, then cook until rice is tender, about 13 mins. Garnish with chopped scallion (if desired) and serve with fresh lime wedges. (Mar. 2023)
Note 1: Andrea Nguyen recommends gently smashing each ginger piece with the bottom of a chef’s knife.
Note 2: We often reserve chicken skin and fat from other meal preps and freeze them in a small ziploc bag. We toss these fatty bits in with the meat before starting the pressure cooker. Doing so yields a richer, more flavorful broth.
Cooking Adventures 