Chinese Shredded Chicken Soup (鸡丝汤面)
This noodle soup is so simple, it almost transcends cultural boundaries. It’s a dish that every cuisine seems to have invented in its own way—be it Jewish chicken soup, British broth, Japanese ramen, or an American chicken noodle. But don’t be fooled by its simplicity; it’s precisely dishes like these that test a cook’s true skill. Daniel Boulud says he can learn everything about a chef’s technique and confidence by watching them make an omelette - the way they shake the pan, season the eggs, move around the kitchen speak louder than any interview. The same principle applies here: how you handle the ingredients, balance the flavours, and respect the process can turn this humble soup into something truly memorable.
Ingredients
- 1Chicken breast, boneless skinless
- 1Sliced Ginger
- 7.5 mLMinced Ginger
- 15 mLShaoxing Rice Wine
- 0.63 mLSalt and Ground Sichuan Pepper
- 5 mLChilli Oil (to garnish)
- 100 gBok Choy or other Chinese greens
- ⅛ teaspoonlight soy sauce
- 200 gNoodle
- 1 literChicken Stock
- 1Sliced Ginger
- 1 pinchWhite Pepper
- 5 mLSalt to Taste
Instructions
- 1
Poach the chicken breast. Place the chicken breast in a cold pan of salted water, add a slice of ginger, the Shaoxing wine and bring to the boil. Turn down to a medium heat and cook 8 - 10 minutes depending on the size of the breast. Skim off any foam that floats to the surface.
- 2
Once cooked, drain the water and ginger and leave the chicken breast to cool.
- 3
In a saucepan, add the chicken stock with the white part of the green onion and the ginger slice. Add the white pepper, soy sauce and salt to taste (Once the noodles are added it will become less salty so add a touch more than you think). Heat the stock until piping hot.
- 4
Whilst the stock in heating, shred the chicken breast, pulling it apart using your hands, (or if it’s still hot - two forks). Sprinkle over the salt and Sichuan pepper.
- 5
In a separate frying pan, heat a drizzle of oil and add the minced ginger. Fry for about 20 seconds, then add to the shredded chicken and mix together.
- 6
Heat a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain and rinse the noodles under cold water.
- 7
Add the noodles to the chicken broth along with the vegetables and turn off the heat. The greens will wilt in the broth and cook in a minute.
- 8
Divide the noodles and vegetables between two bowls, pour over the broth. Add half the shredded breast to each bowl, garnish with the green part of the spring onion, a sprinkle of white pepper and a tiny spoon of chilli oil.