Hot and sour chicken soup
Hot and Sour Chicken Soup is a flavourful dish that balances tangy and spicy flavours with tender chicken, mushrooms, and other vegetables in a rich broth. The soup is thickened with a cornstarch slurry and finished with egg ribbons. It's a comforting and savoury meal perfect for warming up on a cold day.
Ingredients
- 300 gms of chicken bone-in or boneless chicken parts (like thighs, legs, or a mix
- 1.5 litres of water or as needed
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder or 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 11/2 tbsp chilli sauce adjust to taste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar optional
- 1 tsp white pepper adjust to taste
- 3 large mushrooms thinly sliced (shiitake or button mushrooms work well, optional)
- ½ cup cabbage julienned
- ½ cup carrot julienned
- ¼ cup capsicum julienned
- 4 tbsp cornstarch to thicken the soup
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 green onions sliced
- Pepper and salt to taste
- Extra chili sauce or vinegar for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large pot, add a teaspoon of sesame oil and add the chicken. Once the chicken turns to white colour add 1.5 litres of water and boil over medium heat for about 15 to 25 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked and the broth is rich in flavour, remove the chicken pieces from the broth and set them aside. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Set aside the shredded chicken for the soup.
- Add the soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce, white or black pepper powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Boil this for 5 minutes.
- Add the sliced carrots, the white part of the spring onions and cabbage to the pot. Let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, mushroom, capsicum and a teaspoon of sugar (if using). Let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes to heat through.
- In a small bowl combine 4 tbsps of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water. The liquid must be cold to prevent the cornstarch from clumping. Stir the cornstarch and water together until the mixture is completely smooth and free of lumps. It should have a consistency similar to milk.
- Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering or boiling soup while stirring continuously. Continue to cook until the soup thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the soup while gently stirring in one direction to create egg ribbons.
- Adjust the seasoning with extra vinegar, chilli sauce or pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with sliced green onions.
- Enjoy your Hot and Sour Chicken Soup!
Notes
This soup is best served piping hot. Reheat it gently if needed before serving to maintain its full flavour and texture.
Make your chicken broth from scratch. It adds richness to the soup, making it more flavourful than store-bought versions.
Adjust the hot (spicy) and sour elements to your taste. You can increase the chilli sauce or pepper for more heat or add extra vinegar for more tanginess.
Add the vegetables in stages based on their cooking times. For example, carrots take a bit longer to cook than mushrooms, so add them earlier.
When adding the beaten eggs, pour them slowly while stirring the soup in one direction. This creates beautiful, silky egg ribbons instead of clumps.
Add the cornstarch slurry slowly while stirring the soup to control the thickness. You can always add more if needed, but it's harder to thin the soup once it's too thick.