Chicken Hot and Sour Soup
Chicken Hot and Sour Soup combines the perfect balance of flavors: sweet, sour, spicy, and hot! Tender chicken breast pieces are simmered in savory homemade chicken stock with earthy shiitake mushrooms and crisp water chestnuts. This tantalizing soup is infused with chili-garlic paste, white pepper, and a generous splash of black and rice vinegar, lending its signature hot and sour flavor profiles. Soy sauce and hoisin sauce give it depth, while the cornstarch starch slurry thickens the soup to a velvety finish. Eggs ribbons swirled in the broth yield a silky texture, and this soup is an amazing explosion of flavors in every spoonful!
Equipment
- Dutch oven or wok
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 3 tsp chili-garlic paste
- ½ lb chicken breast diced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar optional
- 1 cup shiitake mushroom fresh, julienne
- ¾ cup water chestnut julienne-cut
- ¾ cup firm tofu cubed
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 egg beaten
- 3 scallion chopped for garnish
For the sauce mixture:
- 3 tbsp black vinegar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp salt or salt to taste
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp chili sesame oil optional
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Marinate the diced chicken in rice vinegar for 5 minutes. Make the sauce mixture by mixing the ingredients in a bowl. Prepare the cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water.
- Heat a Dutch oven with peanut oil, add the chili-garlic paste and sauté on medium heat for 1 minute and add the chicken. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Toss the chestnuts and tofu in and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the homemade chicken stock and sauce mixture and boil it. Add the stirred cornstarch slurry.
- Slowly pour the beaten egg into the broth while it is boiling, and gently stir the broth in a circular motion to get the delicately laced egg ribbons. Garnish with scallions, white pepper, and drizzle chili-sesame oil, and serve hot.
Notes
1. Rehydrate dried shiitake by soaking it in hot water for at least 30 minutes prior to adding it to the broth.
2. Prepare chicken stock at home by adding 1/4 lb of chicken drumsticks or wings, salt, and 5 cloves of garlic. Add 5 cups of water and cook for 45 minutes.
3. Cornstarch mixed with water forms a slurry which must be added to the broth to give it the desired thickness. Using the slurry gives the Chicken Hot and Sour Soup its gelatinous consistency; otherwise, the soup will be too thin.
4. If the soup is too sour, balance it with a pinch of sugar; add more vinegar if it is not sour enough when you do the taste test. If it is too spicy or salty, add more stock.
5. To make a quicker version, use pre-cooked chicken.
6. Do not overcook the veggies since you want to have a crunchy texture in the soup.
7. Garnish the Chicken Hot and Sour Soup with scallions and a dash of chili-sesame oil. The chili-sesame oil adds a distinct flavor and brings the soup together.
8. Add the beaten eggs only when the soup is boiling. Pour the eggs in a thin stream into the boiling soup and stir gently in a circular motion to get silky ribbons, or they will form a clump if added to warm broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 18gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 1209mgPotassium: 439mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 181IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 2mg
