Herbal black chicken soup is the equivalent of a very healthy Vietnamese chicken soup. This particular soup is made with black chicken or a breed called silkie. Silkies have black skin, bones and grayish-black meat which are tougher than the typical chicken. Silkie’s meat creates a sweeter broth and is the basis of this soup. This is my mom’s quick version of the herbal soup and a great way to beat the winter blues.

Ingredients

2 lb of black chicken

5 large slices of ginger

2 ½ tablespoons of diced onion

¼ teaspoon of Chicken Bouillon Powder (CBP)

¼ teaspoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

½ cup of dried jujube or chinese red plums

½ cup of dried lotus seeds

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 can of 14.5 oz of unsalted chicken broth

3 cups of water

¼ teaspoon of sea salt

½ teaspoon of sugar

¼ teaspoon of ground pepper

Directions

Cut the chicken into smaller parts.

Soak ½ cup of jujubes and ½ cup of lotus seeds with 1 cup of water for 1 hour.

Marinate the chicken for 15 minutes with the following:

¼ teaspoon of salt,½ teaspoon of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper, 5 large slices of ginger, 1 ½ tablespoons of diced onions and ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and brown 1 tablespoon of diced onions.

Sear the chicken.

Add 1 can of chicken broth and 3 cups of water.

Add the jujubes and lotus seeds.

Season the broth with ¼ teaspoon of CBP and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. Turn the heat on high and let the soup boils for 15 minutes. Turn the heat to medium for the remaining 30 minutes. 

Enjoy this soup as is or with toasted bread.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang