Yes, it’s a soup, don’t look at me that way! I know… it’s the height of summer. Yes… I realize it was 90 degrees out yesterday. No… I haven’t lost my mind!
This soup is special.
First of all, I am a strong believer in the legends of soup benefits. I like to believe that there’s almost nothing a delicious bowl of soup can’t cure! Have a cold: eat some soup. Feel tired: here’s a cup of soup to revive you. Too frazzled to make an elaborate dinner: no worries, we can thaw some of the frozen soup in the freezer! (Yes, our freezer always has some of my mother-in-law’s old fashion chicken soup for emergencies!).
This authentic restaurant-style recipe for Hot & Sour Soup was meticulously taste-tested by my husband. Our goal was to streamline a restraurant dish into something that is easy to make at home, but still keeps the same great flavors. Something you can customize to be exactly the way you want it, but still have the essence of the original. I think we succeeded.
This soup brings the big bright flavors and all of the spice, but none of the cornstarch gloppiness. We swapped out pork for chicken breast, and added a ton of fresh shiitake mushrooms. Chinese cooking wine, white pepper, black vinegar, and dried lily flowers (all from Amazon!) are added to the broth to create a truly realistic, deep, and nuanced flavor.
The results? A delicious soup that can be adjusted to your taste preferences or dietary needs. Want to go traditional with the pork? Absolutely! Vegetarian? Add firm tofu for the protein and up the mushrooms! This soup is warming, hearty, but never heavy. We like to serve this quick and easy Hot & Sour Soup recipe along with main dishes like our Kung-Pao Chicken or Chinese Style Ginger Beef for dinner.
This is a simple authentic style soup to keep on hand for those days when soup is the only answer!
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Hot & Sour Soup with Chicken
64 ounces chicken stock
1-2 habanero peppers
2 scallions
2 teaspoons white pepper
1/4 cup black vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
10 dried lily flowers
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 carrot cut into matchsticks (julienned)
4 ounces firm tofu, thinly sliced and thinly sliced into strips (optional)
12 shiitake mushrooms, cut 1/4-inch wide
16 ounces chicken thigh or breast, thinly sliced into strips
2-4 tablespoons cornstarch (depends on the thickness you want – we use 2 tablespoons)
In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat the chicken broth to a simmering boil. Once hot, remove one ladle of broth and reserve (this will be used later to mix with cornstarch to get the soup to the right consistency).
Cut the habanero roughly into rings, and place inside a teabag or infuser. This is one of the ways that we altered tradition, which would have dried chilis and Sichuan peppercorns in the teabag. We like the flavor the habanero brings even more!
Place the teabag into the broth, along with two whole scallions, julienned carrots, and the dried lily (with stems removed), and simmer for 10 minutes.
Instead of cooking the chicken and mushrooms in the broth itself, we are going to sauté it to impart a sear on the outside, which helps to keep these elements from tasting ‘overcooked’. So while the stock is infusing, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tbsp soy sauce to a flying pan, and sauté the mushrooms and chicken until just cooked. Reserve.
Once stock has been simmering for 10 minutes, Remove and discard the teabag and the two scallions.
Add the white pepper (stirring vigorously – this tends to form small clumps), black vinegar, remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, cooking wine, julienned carrot, and sesame oil to the broth. Cut off the dark portion of the stems from the dried lily flowers and add to the broth as well. (optional: this is where you would add your thinly sliced firm tofu).
Now add the cooked chicken and mushrooms to the broth.
Prepare a corn-starch slurry by mixing 2-4 tbsp cornstarch to the extra ladle of hot broth, ensuring there are no lumps. Mix this slowly into the soup to thicken it. 2 tbsp, which is what we use, gives a thinner-than-restraurant consistency that we like. 4 tbsp will give it a restaurant thickness.
Beat 2 eggs in a glass bowl, then, while stirring the broth, slowly add the egg to the pot. The faster you stir the broth, the smaller the strands of egg will be.
Enjoy!
Hot & Sour Soup With Chicken
Ingredients
- 64 ounces chicken stock
- 1-2 habanero peppers
- 2 scallions
- 2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1/4 cup black vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- 10 dried lily flowers
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 carrot cut into matchsticks julienned
- 4 ounces firm tofu thinly sliced and thinly sliced into strips (optional)
- 12 shiitake mushrooms cut 1/4-inch wide
- 16 ounces chicken thigh or breast thinly sliced into strips
- 2-4 tablespoons cornstarch depends on the thickness you want – we use 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat the chicken broth to a simmering boil. Once hot, remove one ladle of broth and reserve (this will be used later to mix with cornstarch to get the soup to the right consistency).
- Cut the habanero roughly into rings, and place inside a teabag or infuser. This is one of the ways that we altered tradition, which would have dried chilis and Sichuan peppercorns in the teabag. We like the flavor the habanero brings even more!
- Place the teabag into the broth, along with two whole scallions, julienned carrots, and the dried lily (with stems removed), and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Instead of cooking the chicken and mushrooms in the broth itself, we are going to sauté it to impart a sear on the outside, which helps to keep these elements from tasting ‘overcooked’. So while the stock is infusing, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tbsp soy sauce to a flying pan, and sauté the mushrooms and chicken until just cooked. Reserve.
- Once stock has been simmering for 10 minutes, Remove and discard the teabag and the two scallions.
- Add the white pepper (stirring vigorously – this tends to form small clumps), black vinegar, soy sauce, cooking wine, julienned carrot, and sesame oil to the broth. Cut off the dark portion of the stems from the dried lily flowers and add to the broth as well. (optional: this is where you would add your thinly sliced firm tofu).
- Now add the cooked chicken and mushrooms to the broth.
- Prepare a corn-starch slurry by mixing 2-4 tbsp cornstarch to the extra ladle of hot broth, ensuring there are no lumps. Mix this slowly into the soup to thicken it. 2 tbsp, which is what we use, gives a thinner-than-restraurant consistency that we like. 4 tbsp will give it a restaurant thickness.
- Beat 2 eggs in a glass bowl, then, while stirring the broth, slowly add the egg to the pot. The faster you stir the broth, the smaller the strands of egg will be.
- Enjoy!
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