So much so, that this soup, if prepared in the traditional Chinese fashion, is actually cooked with the chicken head on. Natalie Keng, who wrote the new cookbook Egg Rolls and Sweet Tea, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about traditional Chinese foods, including the Whole Silky Black Chicken Soup. Natalie told Tonia it's something of a homage to the whole foods movement, since the chicken is pretty much intact when you make it. It's actually quite nutritious, with fewer calories and fat than more well known chicken soups. There's no question this is an exotic one, but there's also no doubt...it's the real deal when it comes to Chinese food.
- 40 g dried Chinese yam
- 20 g dried Codonopsis pilosula \
- 15 g dried goji berries
- 10 g dried Astragalus propinquus \
- 10 g dried Polygonatum odoratum
- 3 large slices ginger
- 13 cups water
- 2.5 pound whole black silkie chicken
- salt (to taste)
- 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.
- 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. 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.
