Spicy Asian Chicken Soup - So Easy with Big Flavor!

T

traca

Well-known member
Made this last night and wow. Delish! I went with the chili flakes option and mine wasn't very spicy. You can easily kick up the heat on this. The chicken was so incredibly tender, I can't believe I made it myself. It comes together in a snap...This one will be on my regular rotation, for sure!

I couldn't find snap peas so I ladled the soup over fresh spinach. Maybe not traditional, but it was good.

spicy asian chicken soup

SELF | March 2001

recipe

reviews (11)

my notes

Although this recipe has a long ingredients list, it's a snap to throw together, even when you're zapped by sneezes and sniffles. Best of all, you'll be feeling better in a flash — chicken soup is a true germ conqueror, and the spiciness kicks up the cure a notch.Servings: Makes 4 servings.subscribe to SELF

Ingredients

1 can (48 oz) nonfat chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp Asian chili sauce (or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut in 8 slices

3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut in thin 3-inch-long strips

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (or white button mushrooms)

1 cup snap peas (or snow peas)

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned

1 tsp lime zest

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Combine broth, soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, lime juice, and ginger and boil 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toss chicken with cornstarch until completely coated. Add chicken and shiitakes to broth and simmer 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in snap peas, red pepper, zest, and cilantro. Let soup stand 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional analysis per serving: 195 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 19 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein

 
By coating the chicken in cornstarch and then poacking, you are, in fact velveting...

the chicken.

You can even use that procedure by gently poaching in water and then adding it to a stir fry. The chicken always stays tender and----velvety.

 
If you liked spinach try romain lettuce, rolled lengthwise and . . .

cut into 1/4 strips crosswise to the length of the leaf. Stays crunchy while you eat! I like arugula also in soups like these.

 
Thanks Traca this sounds delish. I have a pot of it simmering on the stove now...

however, I had to go Mexican with it since I had all the ingredients for it. I love the idea of dipping the chicken in cornstarch. I knew that was called velveting, but I thought it had to be fried instead of simmered in a broth. I am anxious to try the Asian version too. Thanks!
Edited to say that the soup turned out great, and I will definitely be velveting from now on. The chicken was so tender.

 
Velveting is a big time eureka moment for me.

I’m not a vegetarian but most of the stuff I make at home is sans meat because I’m rarely satisfied with the results. Granted, I’ve spent more time understanding the science of baking than the science of cooking…But now that I know how to velvet chicken, wow.

Does that technique work for beef too?

 
Yes it works with beef--Chinese cooks also velvet in not too hot oil. Many..

stir fry recipes have you dusting the sliced meat with a little cornstarch along with flavorings.

I had a long discussion about this on the old Gail's. I wonder if someone knows how to access it?

 
Here's a vote for this soup. Made it last night with "Better than Broth"...

added fresh kale and served over buckwheat soba noodles.

I used 1/4 tsp of chili/garlic sauce and it could have taken more.

Only had lemons so I'm looking forward to trying it with the "lime" hit.

(edited note): Forgot how salty soy sauce is and added too much bouillon paste, so my dish was over salted. I added 30% more water to thin out the saltiness. My fault, not the recipes.

 
Velvetizing also works wonders for shrimp:

From "China Moon Cookbook"

1 eggwhite, beaten
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 Tbl rice wine (NOT rice vinegar)
1 tsp kosher salt.

Whisk together and pour over 1 pound of cleaned shrimp. Cover and let sit in frig for 30 minutes.
Stir-fry.

Note: The cornstarch will stick in a stainless steel wok if you use minimal oil. I always do the shrimp first, cooking to about 70% done, put them in a bowl, season them, clean out the wok and then do the veggies.

Then I add the shrimp back in at the last minute to bring back to high heat before serving.

 
That's a good point about the salt & watching it with the stock...I actually used a

low salt soy sauce and a low salt chicken stock. Even though I used low salt, I didn't feel the need to make any adjustments to the salt content in the final dish.

 
Awesome! I really need to pull out my China Moon book. It was totally over my head

when I first bought it. I think I could enjoy it now. smileys/smile.gif

 
Here's another one from one of my friends that I emailed it to.

"Hey Dawn, We had the spicy asian soup yesterday and today--we loved it! Thanks for sharing...next up hopefully are the pumpkin snicker-doodle bars. yumm! Shannon"

 
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