Chicken-herbal Soup Recipe
Chicken soup cooked with a variety of herbs such as ginseng, ginger, black mushrooms, wolfberry fruits, dried dates.
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Ingredients
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Soup base & poultry
Herbs & aromatics
Garnish & finishing
Method
Soup base & poultry
- 1
Prepare chicken
Rinse the chicken pieces under cold water. If using a whole chicken, remove excess fat and cut into serving pieces. Blanch the chicken in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes to remove impurities: add chicken to boiling water, boil 2 minutes, then transfer chicken to a bowl and discard the blanching water.
- 2
Start the stock
In a clean 4–5 L pot, add 3 liters of fresh cold water and the blanched chicken pieces. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to a low simmer.
Herbs & aromatics
- 3
Prepare herbs
Soak the dried shiitake/black mushrooms in warm water for 20–30 minutes until softened; reserve soaking liquid (strain to remove grit). Rinse ginseng briefly. Peel and smash the ginger with the side of a knife and cut into 4–6 mm slices. Rinse red dates and wolfberries.
- 4
Add herbs to pot
When the stock is at a gentle simmer (after adding chicken), add the soaked mushrooms and their soaking liquid (avoid the last dark sediment), ginseng slices, ginger slices, red dates, and rock sugar (if using). Keep the pot at a gentle simmer — do not boil vigorously — to keep the broth clear. Simmer for 1 hour.
- 5
Add delicate wolfberries
After 1 hour, add the wolfberry (goji) berries and continue to simmer for another 15–20 minutes. Wolfberries are delicate and will disintegrate if cooked too long.
Finish & serve
- 6
Season and rest
Turn off the heat and let the soup rest for 5 minutes. Taste the broth and season with 1½ teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (adjust to taste). If the broth tastes too bitter from ginseng, add a bit more rock sugar or reduce salt slightly and simmer 2–3 minutes more.
- 7
Garnish and serve
Ladle chicken and herbs into bowls, spoon clear broth over them. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and optional cilantro. Serve hot.
