Chinese Chicken Soup

Chinese Chicken Soup is a type of chicken soup that I really enjoy. Its preparation involves simmering chicken with various Chinese herbs and seasonings to achieve a rich flavor and nutritional value. This Chinese Chicken Soup has a delicious taste, and drinking it feels warm and comforting, making it especially suitable for consumption during cold weather or as a nourishing tonic.

5 Reviews
5 Comments
POSTED:11/06/2024
Level:Medium
Yield:3-5 servings
Total:1 hr 10 min
(includes chilling time)
Active:10 min

Today, this Chinese Chicken Soup I'm going to make is definitely worth trying because it's not only flavorful, but it's also rich in proteins, fats, vitamins, and nutrients such as calcium and iron. It is good for your health when consumed in moderation. Now, let's get started together. Before we begin, I would like to let you know a little bit about the history of Chinese chicken soup.


1. What is Chinese Chicken Soup?

Chicken soup is a popular dish among Chinese people. Chinese culture emphasizes health, and chicken meat is rich in proteins, fats, vitamins, and various minerals that are beneficial for the human body. Drinking chicken soup in moderation during the appropriate seasons, such as autumn and winter, can effectively alleviate cold symptoms and boost the immune system. The preparation method is relatively simple, mainly involving chicken, water, and seasonings. However, people often like to add Chinese herbs to enhance the nutritional value of the chicken soup.


2. What are the nutritional values of Chinese Chicken Soup?

Chinese Chicken Soup is rich in protein and amino acids. Consuming it in moderation can provide the body with energy. Additionally, it is suitable for women to consume as it has the effect of warming the body and invigorating qi. It can help alleviate symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, and postpartum insufficient lactation. In China, chicken soup is a common food for pregnant women after giving birth.


3. What kind of chicken is best for making chicken soup?

Based on my years of experience in making chicken soup, I recommend using old hen, black-boned chicken, or young chicken:

Old Hen: When stewing chicken soup, using locally raised old hens is the best choice. Free-range chickens, due to their natural breeding environment and firm meat texture, contain rich proteins and trace elements. The chicken soup stewed from old hens is delicious and highly nutritious. It has the effects of invigorating qi, nourishing blood, strengthening the spleen, and replenishing deficiency.

Black-boned Chicken: Black-boned chicken is the best choice for stewing chicken soup. Its meat is tender and juicy, making it particularly suitable for making soups. High-quality varieties of black-boned chicken include white-feather black-bone chicken and yellow-skin black-heart chicken. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," black-boned chicken has the effects of nourishing the body, treating various diseases, and is an ideal food for postpartum women and weak individuals.

Young Chicken: Young chicken is a better choice for simmering chicken soup. It contains more protein, and its connective tissue is less elastic, making its meat more easily absorbed by the body. It is suitable for people with weak bodies or those recovering from serious illnesses.


4. Who should not eat chicken soup?

Chicken soup is a highly nutritious food that most people can consume. However, if you are allergic to chicken meat, it is not recommended to eat it to avoid discomfort. Additionally, when making chicken soup, do not add foods that you are allergic to.

In some cases, such as after surgery when anesthesia drugs have not been completely metabolized and the patient's consciousness has not fully recovered, eating chicken soup may cause reflux of the soup, leading to a risk of aspiration and lung damage. Therefore, it is not suitable for such individuals to consume chicken soup until they have fully recovered.


5. What Chinese herbs can be added to Chinese Chicken Soup?

Chinese Chicken Soup can be enhanced with herbs such as American ginseng, astragalus, Chinese dates, and Chinese yam, which can help replenish qi and blood and regulate irregular menstruation.

You can also add red ginseng and deer antler, which are suitable for auxiliary treatment of symptoms such as severe illness or deficiency after bleeding, and are beneficial to overall health.

Finally, adding wolfberries, poria cocos, and lily to the chicken soup can have health benefits such as nourishing the heart and calming the mind, as well as combating fatigue.


6. How to store leftover chicken soup?

If you only need to store it for a few hours, you can refrigerate the chicken soup. However, it is not recommended to keep it overnight in the refrigerator.

If you want to store the chicken soup for a longer period, you can package it well and store it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. When you need to eat it, just take it out and reheat it. This method can keep the chicken soup for about a week.


I'm sure everyone has a good understanding of what Chinese Chicken Soup is and its benefits. Now, let's try making this delicious and nutritious chicken soup together!

INGREDIENTS

MAIN INGREDIENTS

  • 500g black-boned chicken

ACCESSORIES

  • 150g Chinese yam
  • 150g lotus root
  • 10g ginger
  • 10g green onion

SEASONINGS

  • 2 tablespoons cooking wine
  • 2g chicken bouillon
  • 2g salt

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Prepare all ingredients in advance. Clean and cut the black-boned chicken into pieces for later use.

Tip:

You can purchase black-boned chicken from Chinese grocery stores. If regular supermarkets don't have ingredients like Chinese yam and lotus root, you can find them at Chinese grocery stores.

Prepare ingredients in advance; clean and cut black-boned chicken for use. Tips for purchasing ingredients from Chinese grocery stores.

STEP 2

Place the black-boned chicken in a pot of cold water. Add ginger, green onion, and cooking wine. Blanch the chicken to remove any odor. Remove and rinse thoroughly for later use.

Tip:

Black-boned chicken has a distinct odor. It's essential to blanch it before cooking soup to improve the taste of the chicken soup.

Blanch black-boned chicken with ginger, green onion, and cooking wine to remove odor and improve soup taste.

STEP 3

After blanching, wash the black-boned chicken thoroughly and place it in the pressure cooker. Add lotus root, ginger slices, and green onion segments to the pressure cooker. Add an appropriate amount of water. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes after the pressure cooker has reached pressure.

Tip:

If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can use a rice cooker to cook the chicken soup. The cooking time will be longer when using a rice cooker, approximately 1-2 hours for cooking soup mode.

Cook black-boned chicken soup in a pressure cooker with lotus root, ginger, and green onion. Use rice cooker if needed.

STEP 4

Add Chinese yam and continue simmering until the Chinese yam is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes.

Simmer Chinese yam for 20 minutes until cooked through.

STEP 5

Once the chicken soup is cooked, season with an appropriate amount of salt and chicken bouillon.

Season cooked chicken soup with salt and chicken bouillon.

STEP 6

Serve the soup in bowls and enjoy.

Instruction to serve soup in bowls and enjoy.

Recipe analyzer

  • Recipes: Chinese Chicken Soup
  • Main Ingredients:5
  • Servings per recipe:1
  • Servings size:820 g
Nutritional Summary of Recipe
Amount per 820 g= 1 serving(s)
  • Energy (calories):854 kcal
    39%
  • Protein:108.11 g
    198%
  • Fat:13.99 g Why gray?
    29%
  • Carbohydrates:70.2 g
    29%
Calorie breakdown
  • Protein: 53%
    452 kcal
  • Fat: 15%
    126 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 32%
    278 kcal
The chart shows the percentage of calories intake (energy) coming from the respective macronutrients (fats, protein and carbohydrates).
Omega 6 : Omega 3
1:1
20:1
8:1
Both fatty acids are essential, but nowadays the majority of western diets include excessive amounts of Omega 6 acid.

The ratio shows whether the proportion of both fatty acids in your diet is optimal. Red color means too much of Omega 6 or too little of Omega 3. The data are rounded off and approximate.

5 REVIEWS

Review
Your rating:
SebastianOctober 02, 2024

I'm cooking chicken soup and the chicken is a little bit woodsy, how can I improve it?
reply:
October 05, 2024
It may have been cooked for too long or the heat was too high. It is recommended to turn down the heat and keep the soup slightly open, do not overcook it. Also, choosing more tender chicken parts, such as thighs, can enhance the flavor.
NatalieSeptember 18, 2024

I think the chicken soup is a bit bland in flavor, any suggestions to add flavor?
reply:
September 20, 2024
Try adding some sliced ginger or scallions, they enhance the flavor of the soup. If you prefer a stronger flavor, consider adding some chicken extract or seafood sauce.
EmilyJuly 19, 2024

Tasty and warming, it's perfect for the whole family to enjoy.
lisaJune 11, 2024

Chicken soup with Chinese herbs not only tastes delicious, but also has the effect of health care. It is especially suitable for the fall and winter seasons, making you feel warm and satisfied.
isaJune 11, 2024

This Chinese Chicken Soup recipe is simple and easy to make, yet the flavors are memorable. Families love this soup and it gets rave reviews every time I make it.
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