Soup Name:  Chicken Herbal Soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 清雞 (qīng jī tāng)

Introduction:
One of the most basic Chinese chicken soups available.  It is usually recommended by your Chinese herbalist, with minimalistic herbs and a whole chicken, it’s a wonderfully delicious soup for children and adults.  It is actually designed to be the base for confinement soups, but with more herbs and can be double-boiled for extra strength.  This soup is ideal for the cool autumn and winter months. 

What Ingredients are required?

1 fresh whole chicken
1-2 fresh large abalones (or dried)

5-6 dried scallops (conpoys)
10 dried longans
1 handful of wolfberries
5 sticks of dried Chinese yam

2 litres of water


How do I prepare it?
 

  1. Prepare chicken (in quarters) by rinsing and blanching in a pot of hot water
  2. Wash and clean abalone
  3. Boil your soup water
  4. Wash and soak for 10 minutes all the dried herbs
  5. When your soup water is boiling, add all the ingredients together
  6. Boil on high heat for 30 minutes and reduce to low boil for another 2 hours.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

 Any benefits?

  • Excellent warming soup for cold days
  • Good to increase blood circulation and blood flow
  • It is considered to be of the “healing” categories of soup
  • If used for confinement, you can make the soup more concentrated (less water or more ingredients)

Any precautions?

  • As the whole chicken can be oily, be sure to remove all oil before serving
  • Minimize herbs when used for children (above sampling suggested)