Soup Name: Chicken and Veggies – Soup for Beginners
Traditional Chinese Name: 雞菜湯 (jī cài tāng)
Introduction:
We often hear that, although people enjoy drinking Chinese soups, they would never make it by themselves because it’s “too hard”. Here is a super simple soup that takes the “scariness” out of chinese-soup making because it demonstrates how easy chinese-style soups can be. The style is similar to how we make most chinese soups, but it contains no chinese-specific ingredients! To make it more “chinese”, simply add chinese mushrooms to your veggie mix.
I recently made this soup for my toddler who, being so young, is definitely a beginner to soups. She loved the bite-sized vegetables which were soft and easy to munch. The clear broth was also good for her suspicious mind since she could clearly see everything she was eating.
What Ingredients are required?
Chicken – any chicken (whole, thighs, wings, feet, etc…)
Veggies – any veggies (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, chinese mushrooms, etc…)
How do I prepare it?
- Boil 2 – 3 L of water
- Wash and chop all vegetables (bite-sized pieces are great for children who are more likely to eat the pieces which fit in their mouth)
- Put in the chicken
- Put in the vegetables
- Cover and boil for one hour (or more for softer veggies)
- Serve and enjoy!
Any benefits?
- Easy and delicious
- A neutral soup; suitable for everyone
- Can be high in fiber (simply add more veggies!)
Thank you for keeping it simple! I love your site and am a regular reader. Glad that there is this information available!!
Hi there,
Ive never made soup before and am going to attempt this one …but it doesnt say how much chicken or veg or seasoning. Please help, i would be using chicken breasts no bones.
Kind regards
Hi Noddy,
Try this one: http://www.thechinesesouplady.com/whole-chicken-and-vegetable-soup/ – it’s more specific and very similar.
We usually don’t use seasoning, salt, or MSG to our soups just to try to keep it natural – but some people to add some salt, which in moderation is a personal taste preference. Chicken breasts are also OK. Hope this helps.
Lisa
Hi Soup Lady,
This site is awesome. I’ve learned quite a lot about some of the herbs and their benefits. I make soups, but now I’m seriously making Chinese soups and teas, 1)for taste, 2)variety, and 3)to really pump up my immune system. This may be the dumb bunny question of the day, I see several of the recipes have chicken or some kind of meat. Since I’m not a big meat eater, what if any nutritional goodies would I miss by not adding the meat?
Thank you in advance.