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Herbal Chicken Soup (药膳鸡汤)

October 9, 2017 12 Comments

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Soups are quite important and necessary to normal Chinese autumn and winter days. We believe that it is quite dry in those two seasons and thus soups with various herbals are employed to moisten our lung and remove body heat. Those ingredients, which are believed to beneficial to our body, are used most frequently in Cantonese cuisine. Some Cantonese drinks the liquid only. But the meats are quite nourishing too.

herbal chicken soup| chinasicihuanfood

herbal chicken soup| chinasichuanfood.com

Some of the most popular Chinese herbals

Wolfberries (Gǒu Qǐ |枸杞) are dried from ripe fruit of Lycium barbarum L. Wolfberries can nourish the liver, promotes vision and invigorates the kidneys. In daily cooking, we blew dried wolfberries with flower teas like chrysanthemum tea.

Chinese wild yam (Huái Shān|淮山), the root of Dioscorea opposita Thunb has multiple efforts on spleen, lung and kidney. It can boost energy and alleviate bodily weakness.

Astragalus Root (Huáng Qí|黄芪), nourish the kidney, improve resistance and boost the immune system and is believed to be a tonic, diuretic and pectoral medicine.

Red dates (Hóng Zǎo|红枣) can improve cell mutation, clam nervous system, protect the liver and moisten our lung.

Codonopsis Root ( Dǎng Shēn|党参) can release stress, anti-aging, adrenal fatigue and digestive problems and combats tiredness.

Angelica Sinensis (Dāng Guī|当归), a warming Chinese herb nourishes the blood and invigorates blood circulation. It has been used in Traditional Chinese Medical for a quite long history for women’s healthy, including relieving symptoms of gynecological conditions such as menopause, menstruation pain, recovery from childbirth.

Soloman’s Seal –(Yù Zhú|玉竹),the slivers of curly herb are yellowish in color and is believed to treat ailments related to the lungs and throat. It helps with dry cough, sore throat and thirst.

Honey dates (Mì Zǎo|蜜枣), nourishes the spleen, boosts the immune system.

herbal chicken soup|chinasichuanfood.com

Chinese herbal soup| chinasichuanfood.com

Note:

  1. If you ever tried Chinese herbal soup before, you may not like the smell when purchasing your herbal mix even the smell during the simmer process. But be brave and try it. The final soup will comfort you with a unique sweet taste.
  2. You can make this soup with regular pot, clay pot or high pressure pot. For high pressure pot, you can slightly reduce the water added as there is less water evaporated during the cooking.
  3. The longer you simmer the soup, the stronger and darker the soup will be.

herbal chicken soup| chinasicihuanfood.com

herbal chicken soup| chinasicihuanfood.com

5 from 2 votes
Print
Herbal Chicken Soup (药膳鸡汤)
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 
Chinese herbal chickens soup
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Cantonese
Keyword: chicken, Herbal
Servings: 4
Calories: 823 kcal
Author: Elaine
Ingredients
  • 1 organic chicken ,either plain chicken or black bone chicken
  • 3 L water
  • 1 small thumb ginger
  • salt to taste
Herbal mixes
  • 2 tbsp. goji berries
  • 3 red dates
  • 2 honey dates
  • 5 pieces codonopsis ,20g
  • 3 slices Chinese wild yam ,20g
  • 2 tbsp. Astragalus root or 4 pieces ,20g
  • 3 pieces Chinese Angelica root ,10g
  • 3 pieces Soloman’s seal ,10g
Instructions
  1. Soak all the herbals except red dates, goji berries and honey dates in a large bowl with enough water. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  2. Cut chicken into pieces and blanch in a pot of boiling water with 3-4 slices of ginger. This process helps to remove the dirt and blood water from the bones. Pick the chicken pieces out and transfer them to a soup pot.
  3. Add enough water and the soaked herbal. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 t 40 minutes. Add red dates, goji berries and honey dates, continue simmering another 30 minutes.
  4. Season with salt before serving.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts
Herbal Chicken Soup (药膳鸡汤)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 823 Calories from Fat 504
% Daily Value*
Fat 56g86%
Saturated Fat 16g100%
Cholesterol 281mg94%
Sodium 300mg13%
Potassium 760mg22%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Protein 69g138%
Vitamin A 525IU11%
Vitamin C 7.1mg9%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 3.4mg19%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

herbal chicken soup| chinasicihuanfood.com

Filed Under: chicken and poultry, Recipes, Soup, video

« Salt Baked Chicken
An Introduction to Chinese Herbal Soup Ingredients »

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  1. Hyopei says

    October 25, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    5 stars
    awesome recipe xie xie

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      October 26, 2017 at 8:34 am

      This is a very healthy and yummy chicken soup in autumn and winter. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Kim says

    November 6, 2017 at 9:00 am

    H there,

    Do you put the water from the soaked herbs? And can I soak it for more than one day?

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      November 7, 2017 at 6:36 pm

      No, discard the water and add the herbs only.

      Reply
  3. Andreas says

    January 23, 2019 at 7:41 am

    5 stars
    Hi Elaine,

    almost all my colleagues at work have a cold, not to speak of those that sit next to me in the bus on my way to and from there. But I feel my stamina building up with each spoon of this delicious soup.

    There’s a German proverb which says that medication must taste bitter. This recipe however proves it all wrong 🙂

    Thank you very much, I can only recommend this to anyone.

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      January 23, 2019 at 9:44 am

      Andreas,
      Haha, Medication really tastes bitter but herbals not. They prevent a very unique aromatic sweet flavor. Glad you find the new taste.

      Reply
  4. Chelsea says

    June 2, 2019 at 4:53 am

    Hey there, can you eat the herbs after they are cooked? Or is it better to just eat the chicken and the broth? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      June 2, 2019 at 8:24 am

      Yes, herbs can be eaten too. It is more nourishing to eat both chicken and broth.

      Reply
  5. Chris says

    June 12, 2019 at 5:11 am

    Can I use fresh chinese yam?

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      June 12, 2019 at 8:06 am

      Yes, fresh yam works fine with this soup. But the flavor is slightly different from dried version.

      Reply
  6. Frankie says

    June 13, 2019 at 11:53 am

    My broth came out red cloudy looking and not milky like yours. Any idea what might have caused the broth to taint? I used black silkie chicken. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      June 14, 2019 at 7:10 am

      I guess the red color is brought by red dates. Change your red dates to better quality or add it later.

      Reply

Hi, Welcome!

Please not be limited by site name, as Elaine shares Chinese recipes beyond Sichuan dishes. Know me more from About Page

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