This is the base Chinese Chicken Soup stock that I make for any of my Chinese soups. It’s simple, straight-forward, and delicious on its own. It does take some preparation in that you need to blanch all the meats, soak the conpoys for at least 10 minutes, quarter the chicken, and then add everything together. And then patience, for a few hours to let it all simmer together. This is perfect for freezing for usage with soups later on, so I do suggest to make more! Perfect for the whole family and any condition.

The benefits:

• Perfect for any soup base. You can simply add your favourite vegetables or even Chinese herbs.
• This soup is perfect for cooler days as it’s slightly warming
• Perfect for confinement, postpartum, and post period
• Ideal for the whole family, including children
• These ingredients are readily available in most Chinese supermarkets around the world, all you need is just a chicken!
• Be sure to to consult your (Chinese) doctor first if you’re unsure of consumption or suitability
• You can store this soup base in a plastic container (or jar with a wide mouth so it’s easier to use back later) for up to 6 months in the freezer

Ingredients

• 1 fresh whole chicken, quartered, organs removed
• 2 medium-sized pork shanks
• 5-6 dried scallops (conpoys)
• 3-4 L of water
  

Cooking Instructions

1. Optional step the night before is to salt the pork shanks and chicken overnight and wrap and store in the fridge to let it sit.  This will allow the flavors to marinate and soften the meat.
2. Begin to boil a separate pot for blanching the meat
3. Soak the dried conpoys in warm water for 10 minutes
4. Prepare your chicken and cutting it into quarters (or any size you prefer)
5. When your blanching water boils, add in the pork and chicken and boil on high heat for 5 minutes. Make sure the water is boiling and you should see residue, fat, grim, and even foam come to the surface.
6. Begin to boil your soup water
7. Once your soup water boils, remove the meat from the blanching pot and shake off any excess and slowly lower into your soup water
8. Add in dried conpoys
9. Boil on medium heat for 30 minutes
10. Reduce heat to the lowest and cover and let it simmer like that for another 2-3 hours (or use a thermal pot). The soup should now be a rich, golden color after boiling for so long. Be sure to scoop out any oil, fat bits, or skin from the top with an oil scooper

For video on “7 Basic Chinese Soup Pantry Ingredients”, visit us on YouTube.

Here are some examples of other soups using a chicken soup base:

The chicken soup base is a great soup to start with for so many dishes and soups!  Here are a few to get you started!

Chicken soup base (for double-boiling soups)

This soup is using the base chicken soup recipe that is perfect for double-boiling.  For example, the only additional ingredient added here is the ginseng on top of the soup base.