Chinese herbal chicken soup

Chinese herbal chicken soup is one of the soups I remember most from my childhood. It’s savory from the chicken, and the Chinese herbs add an earthiness and sweetness. The soup is simmered gently until the chicken falls apart, and it feels like a full meal in a bowl. My parents would make this regularly, and sometimes with delicious black silky chicken.

To make this recipe a little less intimidating and more accessible, I chose to use chicken leg quarters instead of a whole chicken, which is the traditional way my parents would make this soup.

Not only is this soup delicious, it’s packed with nutrients and immune-boosting benefits from the Chinese herbal ingredients.

What ingredients do I need to make Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup? (pictures included)

Every family will have their own version of Chinese herbal chicken soup, some with more ingredients and some with fewer. These are the ingredients my parents used to make their version!

Ingredients for Chinese herbal chicken soup:

Chicken

My parents always make this soup using a whole chicken, but to make this recipe less intimidating, I use chicken leg quarters instead. You can also use a combination of dark meat pieces, like wings, thighs, and drumsticks. I do recommend using dark meat as it’s more flavorful and tender!
We also regularly make this soup with black silky chicken (which is very flavorful and packed with vitamins)!

Pork bones or lean meat

Another thing I learned from my parents is to add a few pork bones or lean pork meat to this soup. It adds more depth and savory flavor to the soup, and you only need a few pieces. However, you can leave it out if you don’t eat pork or don’t want to add it.

Ginger

As with most other Chinese dishes that include chicken, we add ginger!

Chinese dried wild yam

Chinese name: huáishān (淮山); waai4 saan1 (Cantonese)
Scientific name: dioscorea radix (it’s sometimes labeled with its scientific name on packaging)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese wild yams are believed to be immunity-boosting and nourishing for the spleen and stomach, among multiple other benefits.

Astralagus Root

Chinese name: huáng qí (黄旗) or běi qí (北芪); wong4 kei4 or bak1 kei4 (Cantonese)
Scientific name: radix astralagi (it’s sometimes labeled with its scientific name on packaging)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, astralagus root is believed to be immunity-boosting, great for respiratory illnesses, and anti-inflammatory, among other benefits.

Codonopsis Root

Chinese name: dǎng shēn (党参); dong2 sam1 (Cantonese)
Scientific name: codonopsis pilosula (it’s sometimes labeled with its scientific name on packaging)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, codonopsis root is believed to be immune-boosting, and great for digestion and energy, among other benefits.

Dried Longan

Chinese name: guìyǎn (桂圓) or yuánròu (圓肉); jyun4 juk6 (Cantonese)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, dried longan are believed to be good for blood circulation and energy, among other benefits.

Dried Jujube, Chinese Date, or Red Date

Chinese name: hóng zǎo (红枣); hong2 zao3 (Cantonese)
You can usually buy these pre-pitted or halved.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, jujubes are believed to be good for your blood, digestive health, and sleep, among other benefits.

Goji Berryor Wolfberry

Chinese name: gǒuqǐ (枸杞); gau2 gei2 (Cantonese)
Scientific name: fructus lycii (it’s sometimes labeled with its scientific name on packaging)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, goji berries are believed to be anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants, good for digestive health and liver, among other benefits.

For my parents, the most essential out of these ingredients for this soup are the Chinese dried wild yam, dried longan, dried jujube, and goji berries.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have an autoimmune disease, it’s advised to consult your doctor or an expert before consuming certain Chinese herbal ingredients.

Where can I buy the ingredients to make Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup?

You can usually find Chinese herbal ingredients at most Chinese supermarkets. I get mine at either 99 Ranch Market or in Chinatown.

Nowadays, they are also sold online! Just be sure to read the ingredients on the package to ensure their quality.

Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

A comforting, savory, and earthy soup that's full of flavor and immune-boosting nutrients from various Chinese herbs.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 3

Course Soup

Cuisine Chinese

Servings

Ingredients

2large chicken leg quarters(or 1 whole chicken)
3pork neck bonesor 3 oz of lean pork or pork ribs
5slicesginger
5slicesChinese dried wild yam
4long piecesastralagus root
4long piecescodonopsis root
6-8dried longan
6-8dried jujube
1-2tbspgoji berry
10-12cupswater
salt to taste

Instructions

Blanch the chicken and pork

Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the chicken leg quarters and pork bones or meat.
2 large chicken leg quarters, 3 pork neck bones
Blanch for 3-5 minutes. You should see a lot of proteins and scum float to the surface. Drain the water.

Make the soup

To a large clean pot, add the blanched chicken, pork bones, and sliced ginger. Give all the herbal ingredients a quick rinse, then add them to the pot (except for goji berries, which we will add at the end).
5 slices ginger, 5 slices Chinese dried wild yam, 4 long pieces astralagus root, 4 long pieces codonopsis root, 6-8 dried longan, 6-8 dried jujube
Add 10-12 cups of water. Bring everything up to a boil.
10-12 cups water
Once it’s boiling, skim off any extra foam or scum on the surface. Lower the heat so that the water is at a gentle simmer, then cover the pot with the lid. Let it simmer for 2.5-3 hours, or until chicken is fall apart tender. Make sure the soup doesn’t boil too hard during this time, otherwise you’ll experience more evaporation (we want to keep as much soup as possible), and the chicken may end up tough.
After 2.5-3 hours, add the goji berries. These will only take a few minutes to rehydrate in the soup.
1-2 tbsp goji berry
Season with salt to taste. Enjoy!
salt to taste

Video

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Keyword chinese herbal chicken soup, herbal chicken soup

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Chinese herbal chicken soup

What ingredients do I need to make Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup? (pictures included)