Recipe: Silky Chicken Tonic Soup

Posted on 12.7.10
Chinese, Chinese, Recipes
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There’s nothing better than a big bowl of soup on a cold winter day. Instead of making your regular chicken noodle, opt for a Chinese tradition: herbal chicken soup. Spices like dragon eyes and Chinese ginseng make this comforting soup extra nutritious. Try this recipe from the Lees at Bo Bo Poultry Market.

Silky Chicken Tonic Soup

Yields 5 Servings

1 silky fowl
5 dried yam, slices (wai san)
5 dried dragon eyes
2 korean ginseng, whole
5 dried red dates
6 slices of chinese ginseng
35 wolfberries
2 slices of bok kay

Immerse chinese herbs in cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse the herbs in cold water.
Remove any fat pockets from the chicken. Discard the fat. Rub the salt all over the chicken, including the insides. Rinse the chicken under cold water.
Detach the head and the tips of the toes including the nails. Discard the head and toes. Cut the chicken into quarters with kitchen scissors or carefully with a knife. For a low-fat version, remove the skin of the chicken. Otherwise you can leave the skin on, and skim the fat on the top of the soup with a skimmer as it cooks.
Boil 14 cups or 3.5 quarts of water in a large stockpot. When the water boils, place the chicken carefully into the pot with tongs. Then place the items from the pouch into the pot.
Bring to a boil again and then reduce the flame to a simmer. Simmer for at least 3 hours, up to 6 hours. Serve hot.

Ingredients available at:

Bo Bo Poultry Market retail locations vary // Hong Kong Supermarket 6013 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-432-2288 // Hung Lee Co. 78 Bayard Street, New York // Chiang Jiang Market 4141 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY.

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