Simple Chicken Stock and Clear Chicken Soup

Qing Dun Jitang (清炖鸡汤)

Delicious simple Chicken Stock - super versatile and easy to make - but rich, healthy, and satisfying with a pure chicken flavor rendered from bones and skin.

Chicken stock is essential for cooking numerous Chinese dishes and especially for Sichuan cuisine. Chicken stock is a basis for soups, sauces, and stewed dishes. The quality is essential, so it’s better to make the stock than to buy it from a store. Store-bought chicken stock can never compare to a rich homemade stock. A store-bought stock will also significantly alter the flavor of your dish because western stocks are flavored with onions, celery, and carrot. None of these are used for making a Chinese stock.

This simple Chicken Stock can also easily be converted into chicken soup or even a western-style chicken noodle soup. In fact, this ‘stock’ is actually a type of chicken soup. It’s Chinese name literally means ‘Clear Chicken Soup’. Therefore, the recipe given below can be used both for a stock or for a soup base. The difference is minimal. However, a stock is generally less salty and relies more on the pure flavor of the chicken bones, whereas a soup base will be slightly saltier and more flavorful.

If you have the time, I highly recommend making this Chicken Stock regularly. While a whole chicken can be bought solely for the purpose of making stock, I have found a more economical way of preparing stock. First, buy a whole chicken or half a chicken with skin, bones, head, neck, and feet intact. Buying a whole chicken will save you money and can easily be broken down into usable parts. Set aside the thighs for stir-fries like Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁) and the breasts for cold chicken dishes like Bang Bang Shredded Chicken (棒棒鸡丝). Any scraps of chicken meat, skin, and especially bone can be placed in a plastic zipper bag and stored in the freezer or used immediately for making stock.

The best bones for making Chicken Stock are back bones, leg bones, feet, and wings. These will not only release a good amount of flavor, but also the right amount of gelatin for a good texture. Unlike with other bone stocks, Chicken Stock takes less time to prepare and is quite inexpensive. I do not give an exact amount or weight for the chicken bones used, because I use varying amounts depending on what I have available. However, I usually estimate the ratio to be the skin and bones from about half of a chicken with about 3 liters of water. Preferably, this will be the scraps from half a chicken including the spine and ribs, leg and foot, head and neck, and the wing tips. (The bones do not need to be thoroughly cleaned and some scraps of meat left on the bones is great). However, you can add other scraps of leftover chicken bones in place of or in addition to these, just be sure to keep the amount roughly that of half a chicken.

Finally, when making Sichuan stock, DO NOT roast the bones. This is commonly done in western bone stocks but it is unnecessary for Chinese cuisine and can greatly alter the flavor. However, an integral step that should never be skipped is skimming the scum from the soup. The goal is to have a clear stock with a pure chicken flavor. Nothing is added which takes away from this flavor, and every aromatic is added to enhance this natural flavor.

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 3 hrs.

Total Time: 3 hrs. 5 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

The Bones and Skin of 1/2 a Chicken (Including Neck, Feet, and optionally Head)

1/2 cup Shaoxing Rice Wine

Aromatics
1 4-inch block of Ginger
2 green stalks of Scallion (香葱) OR 1 white stalk of Big Scallion (大葱)
1 tsp. Sichuan Peppercorns

Seasonings
1/2 Tbsp. Salt

Directions

1.) Place the Chicken Bones in a large pot and cover them with water. Swirl the pot, drain the water, refill the pot, and repeat until the water runs clear.

2.) Fill the pot with water once more and add the Shaoxing Rice Wine.

(The amount of water should be about 5 liters and this will reduce to about 3 liters during the cooking process. Add more water as necessary to keep the stock at about 3 liters).

3.) Bring the water to a boil and, as the water heats, skim away any white foamy scum that rises to the surface. Continue to do this while the water boils until all of the scum have been removed and the stock is clear, which will usually take about 10 minutes.

(For best results, use a ladle in one hand and a wire strainer lined with cheese cloth in the other hand. Ladle the water into the cheese cloth lined strainer to quickly remove the scum).

4.) Prepare the Aromatics and add them to the pot:

• Smash the Ginger with the palm of your hand and add it to the stock.
• Wash the Scallions, tie them into a knot, and add them to the stock.
• Add the Sichuan Peppercorns directly to the stock.

5.) Add the Seasonings (Salt) to the stock, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 2 hours.

6.) After 2 hours, remove all of the Aromatics (Ginger, Scallion, and Sichuan Pepper) using a wire strainer. Continue to simmer the Chicken Bones in the flavorful stock for another hour.

7.) When finished, drain the stock through a mesh strainer and taste for seasoning (a stock should have just a touch of salt, barely enough to taste). Once cooled, the Stock can be refrigerated for 2 to 4 days or frozen for future use.

Clear Chicken Soup

Delicious, healthy, and nutritious – a chicken soup just like mama used to make. The tender chunks of chicken float in a rich, clear broth with subtle hints of ginger and scallion.

This classic Soup isn't just for soothing the sniffles. It's both healthy and delicious with a rich chicken flavor. While the flavor may at first seem similar to western Chicken Soup, you’ll quickly notice some subtle differences. Namely, the lack of flavor from celery, carrot, and onion. These are replaced by Scallion and Ginger which are far more subtle, enhancing the natural flavor of the Chicken. Clear Chicken Soup, therefore, is often served as a side to other dishes, though it is highly adaptable and can easily be converted into something heartier. Both Noodles and Veggies can be added to suit one’s preference.

In this recipe, I suggest adding a boneless Chicken Breast and a boneless Thigh that have been removed from the rest of the Chicken Body. The Chicken Body with its bones, skin, and scraps of meat are used to make the Broth. The Chicken Meat is cubed and added after the Broth is made. You could, however, simply use 1/2 of a Chicken that has been chopped into 2-inch chunks. In this way, the Chicken could be eaten with a Dipping Sauce. Dipping Sauces are extremely common for most Sichuan Soups, even a simple one such as this.

To cook 1/2 of a Chicken keeping the meat on the bones, the process is actually simpler than that listed below. The Chicken needs to be washed and then chopped into 2-inch chunks as already mentioned. Then, the pieces would be added to a pot along with 3.5 Liters of water and the Shaoxing Rice Wine. The Ginger and Scallion would also be added at this point. Like in the following recipe, you’ll need to skim scum off the surface of the Soup as you bring it to a boil. Once the broth is clear, add the Green Sichuan Peppercorns, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30-minutes. Remove the large pieces of Aromatics and continue to simmer the Soup for another 2 hours. Finally, add the Seasonings and serve with a Dipping Sauce.

Prep Time: 1 min

Cook Time: 2 - 4 hours

Total Time: 2 - 4 hours

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

1/2 of a Chicken (Breast and Thigh Meat Removed)

1 boneless Chicken Breast
1 boneless Chicken Thigh

1/4 cup Shaoxing Rice Wine

Aromatics
1 stalk of Scallion (香葱; Tied in a Knot)
1 4-inch block of Ginger (Smashed)
1 tsp. Green Sichuan Peppercorns

Seasonings
1 Tbsp. Salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Powder

Garnishes
1 small bunch of Cilantro (Optional)
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)

Directions

1.) Remove the Breast, Thigh, and even some of the Leg meat from the Chicken and set the meat aside in their own bowl. Place the remaining meaty Bones in a large bowl, fill the bowl with water, drain, and repeat until the water runs clear. Set the Bones aside in a large pot and set the Meat in the fridge.

2.) Fill the pot with at least 3.5 Liters of Water and add the Rice Wine. Heat the pot on high heat and bring the Water to a boil. As the Water heats, skim away and discard any foamy scum that rises to the surface so that once boiling, the Water is relatively clear. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer at just under a boil for 2 to 3 hours.

(The amount of Water should be slightly more than the desired amount and more Water should be added to maintain the desired amount).

3.) Nearing the end of these 2 hours, prepare the Meat by washing the pieces and cutting them into large 1-inch cubes. After these 2 hours, pour the Soup into a mesh strainer set over another large pot to remove the Bones as well as any small debris floating in the broth. Discard the Bones and set the pot back on the stove.

4.) Add the Meat to the Soup, increase the heat to high, and bring the Soup to a boil. As the Soup heats, skim away and discard any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low once the Soup has reached a full boil and no scum remains on the surface of the Soup.

5.) Add the Aromatics (Scallion, Ginger, and Sichuan Peppercorns) and Seasonings (Salt and Chicken Bouillon Powder) to the Soup and simmer for 1 hour until the Chicken is tender and fully cooked.

6.) Nearing the end of this hour, prepare the Garnishes by finely slicing the Scallion and removing several leaves of Cilantro. Set these aside in a bowl.

(These Garnishes are non-traditional and can be omitted, but they do add a bit of color and flavor that pairs well with the Soup).

7.) After this final hour, remove all of the Aromatics as well as any remaining debris using a wire strainer.

(For a truly luxurious broth, the Soup can be poured once more through mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth into a large pot. Each cube of Chicken would be rinsed off and then returned to the Soup).

8.) Taste the Clear Chicken Soup once more for Seasonings, ladle the Soup into individual bowls, and Garnish the Soup with Scallion and Cilantro before serving.

 

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