Black Chicken Soup
This Chinese black chicken soup is made with silkie chicken, which has long been thought to have medicinal properties by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It's also delicious—this soup has a clear broth with a pure, rich chicken flavor.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr 15 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 40 g dried Chinese yam ((淮山 - huáishān))
- 20 g dried Codonopsis pilosula ((党参 - dǎngshēn))
- 15 g dried goji berries ((枸杞 - gǒuqǐ))
- 10 g dried Astragalus propinquus ((黄芪 - huángqí))
- 10 g dried Polygonatum odoratum ((玉竹 - yù zhú))
- 3 large slices ginger
- 13 cups water
- 2.5 pound whole black silkie chicken
- salt ((to taste))
Instructions
- 1
Add the dried ingredients, ginger, and water to a thick-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Lower the chicken into the pot, feet side down.
- 2
Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Adjust the heat as necessary so the soup is simmering slowly. This slow cooking will give you a clear, consommé-like broth, and will prevent you from cooking off too much liquid.
- 3
Skim any fat off the surface of the soup, and ladle the broth into bowls. Season the soup with salt to taste, right before enjoying.