This Chinese ginger chicken soup simmers a whole chicken with ginger, jujubes, wood ear mushrooms, and raw peanuts in water finished with rice wine. One pot makes 4 servings and takes 70 minutes total. Serve the broth on its own or with steamed rice alongside.
Blanching the chicken in boiling water for 2 minutes before it enters the soup pot is the step that keeps this broth clear. Impurities that would cloud the broth during the simmer leave with the blanching water instead. A quick cold-water bath stops the cooking before the chicken enters the pot.
The rice wine goes in during the last minute, not at the start of the simmer. Alcohol is volatile, and a long boil drives off the floral, warming notes that make rice wine different from plain water. One minute of heat is enough to cook out any harsh edge while keeping the flavor intact.
Chinese Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe
Course: SoupsCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
50
minutes541
kcalChinese Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe: whole chicken, ginger, rice wine, jujubes, and wood ear mushrooms in a clear healing broth. Serves 4 in 70 minutes
Ingredients
5 oz raw peanuts
1 oz dried wood ear mushroom
10 dried jujubes (red dates)
1 oz dried daylily (golden needles)
2 oz fresh ginger, sliced thinly
1 whole chicken, skin removed and cut into serving pieces
1 teaspoon neutral oil
8 cups water
½ cup drinking rice wine (such as Shaoxing or Michiu)
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
- Place the peanuts, wood ear mushroom, and daylilies in separate bowls. Cover each with warm water and soak: mushrooms for 5 minutes, daylilies for 2 to 3 minutes, peanuts until needed. Halve and pit the jujubes. Drain and tear the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Drain the daylilies and trim off the tough ends.
- Blanch the chicken: bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the chicken pieces, and cook for 2 minutes until the surface pales. Transfer to cold water for 20 to 30 seconds, then set aside.
- Heat a large pot over high heat. Add the oil and sliced ginger and stir-fry for about 50 seconds until fragrant. Add the drained peanuts and stir-fry for 20 seconds.
- Add 8 cups of water and the drained wood ear mushroom. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the peanuts are soft.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the blanched chicken, jujubes, and drained daylilies. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes. Add the rice wine and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the salt and serve.
FAQs
Where can I find wood ear mushrooms, jujubes, and dried daylilies?
All three are staples of Chinese cooking and are sold dried at Asian grocery stores in most mid-size cities. Online retailers stock them as well, often in larger quantities at lower prices than the small bags sold in stores. They keep for months in a sealed container in a cool, dry place, so one purchase covers several batches.
Can I use bone-in chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken?
A whole chicken yields the richest broth in this recipe but breaking it down from scratch adds significant prep time. Bone-in thighs and drumsticks work well as a substitute and need the same 2-minute blanch before going into the pot. Using pieces instead of a whole bird means less collagen, so the broth will be slightly lighter in body.
How do I know when the peanuts are soft enough to add the chicken?
The peanut should crush between two fingers with moderate pressure, similar to a cooked lentil or a soft potato cube. At 20 minutes they are usually tender enough, but thicker peanuts from some brands can take the full 30 minutes. Test one before adding the chicken so the final texture of the soup is not affected by undercooked peanuts.
What lighter chicken soup pairs well with this in a weekly meal plan?
Rich with peanuts and protein, this soup pairs well with a lighter companion later in the same week. A citrus-forward broth with pasta and greens sits at the opposite end of the flavor spectrum. A lemon chicken orzo soup with kale on Emily Chicken brings fresh lemon and tender orzo for a completely different bowl.
What heartier chicken soup covers the other end of a weekly soup rotation?
Two soups a week pair well when one is clear and delicate and the other leans on a heartier profile. A sausage-based build with grains and greens covers that spot without repeating the Chinese flavor profile from this recipe. A chicken sausage couscous kale soup on Emily Chicken brings pearl couscous, sausage, and kale in a savory 40-minute broth.