Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

Name: Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H20M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT2H40M0.000S
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 3 red dates (jujubes); 2 tablespoons goji berries; One 1-inch piece American ginseng root; 2 small pieces dried tangerine peel; 2 medium dried shiitake mushrooms, optional; One 1 1/2- to 2-pound black silkie chicken or Cornish hen; One 1-inch piece ginger, sliced into 4 coins; Kosher salt

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Level: Easy

Total: 2 hr 40 min
Active: 20 min

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Many Chinese families like mine strongly believe that a soup like this one nourishes the body and can promote well-being. This traditional kind of soup is more of a broth or tonic based not only on chicken but also on a variety of botanical ingredients broadly referred to as “herbs.” According to traditional Chinese medicine, each ingredient offers medicinal benefits, everything from boosting immunity to fighting inflammation to warding off common ailments like colds and flus. These beliefs are just one part of this philosophy of health and healing. But medicinal claims aside, each ingredient adds flavor and depth to this comforting, aromatic soup: Ginger provides warming flavor, ginseng and dried tangerine peel add lightly bitter notes, red dates and goji berries contribute different levels of sweetness and balance, and shiitake mushrooms provide umami. A luxurious black silkie chicken — a small chicken with distinctive black skin found at Asian butcher or grocery shops — adds deliciously concentrated chicken flavor, although you can also use a Cornish hen.

Level: Easy

Total: 2 hr 40 min
Active: 20 min

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

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3 red dates (jujubes)

2 tablespoons goji berries

One 1-inch piece American ginseng root

2 small pieces dried tangerine peel

2 medium dried shiitake mushrooms, optional

One 1 1/2- to 2-pound black silkie chicken or Cornish hen

One 1-inch piece ginger, sliced into 4 coins

Kosher salt

Directions

Soak the dates and goji berries in a small bowl with enough cold water to cover until the berries are plump, about 15 minutes (it’s fine that the red dates float). Drain and discard the soaking liquid. Set the berries and dates aside.
Soak the ginseng root, dried tangerine peel and dried shiitake mushrooms, if using, in a medium bowl with enough warm water to cover, until the tangerine peels and dried mushrooms are hydrated, about 15 minutes. Drain the liquid, rinse the ingredients to remove any grit and set aside. If the tangerine peel has a lighter side with pith, use the dull side of a small knife to scrape off as much as possible.
Add the ginseng, tangerine peel and mushrooms along with the black chicken, ginger and 12 cups cold water to a 6-quart Dutch oven or stainless-steel pot. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Skim off any foam on the surface and discard.
Uncover the pot and add the soaked red dates and goji berries. Continue to gently simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is tender and the soup is golden, about 2 hours.
Season the soup with salt to taste and serve. The chicken meat itself can be pulled off and eaten in the soup, or it can be eaten separately, maybe dipped in a bit of soy sauce for extra saltiness.