Chicken Zosui (Japanese Rice Soup)
This Ultimate Chicken Zosui is a comforting rice soup made with tender chicken thighs and fresh vegetables served in a flavorful soy-based soup. It's perfect for those days when you're feeling under the weather or craving comfort.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 150 g boneless chicken thigh (skin-on)
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 400 ml dashi stock
- 1 tbsp sake
- 200 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- ¼ Japanese leek (naganegi) (white part diagonally sliced)
- ½ carrot (julienned)
- 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms (thinly sliced)
- 100 g enoki mushrooms (roots removed)
- 15 g ginger root (grated, approx 1-2 tbsp)
- 3 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu) (see note for how to use dark soy sauce)
- 2 eggs
- finely chopped green onions
- kizami nori (shredded nori)
- Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi)
- toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- 1
Peel the skin off of 150 g boneless chicken thigh, cut the meat into small pieces and the skin into bitesize pieces.
- 2
Add 1 tsp cooking oil to a cold pan. Stretch out the chicken skin and place it flat on the oil. Heat on low/medium-low and slowly render out the fat. Once golden, flip and fry until crispy on both sides.
- 3
Remove the crispy skin from the pan and place it on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Set aside for later.
- 4
Add the rendered chicken fat, 400 ml dashi stock and 1 tbsp sake to a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and add the chicken thigh.
- 5
Place 200 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice in a bowl and fill it with fresh cold water. Swish it around with your hand to gently remove the excess starch and then pour it through a sieve or colander to drain.
- 6
When the chicken pieces are no longer pink, add the rice, ½ carrot, ¼ Japanese leek (naganegi), 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, 100 g enoki mushrooms, 15 g ginger root and 3 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu).
- 7
Once the carrots are slightly softened, set a timer for 5 minutes. During this time, crack 2 eggs into a small bowl and whisk.
- 8
After 5 minutes, pour the whisked egg around the pot and set a timer for 30 seconds. When 30 seconds are up, turn off the heat and dish up.
- 9
Garnish with crushed chicken skin, finely chopped green onions, kizami nori (shredded nori) and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) and a dash of toasted sesame oil. Enjoy!