Roots, barks, herbs, and chicken - these are the essential ingredients for Chinese Ginseng Chicken Soup. Unlike the potent and bitter Korean ginseng, which I’ve tried and found too intense to digest (it made me feel like my body was on fire!), Chinese ginseng is milder, even in soups. I particularly enjoy homemade, healthy, and nutritious Chinese soups.
Making any soup, including Chinese Ginseng Chicken Soup, is really straightforward. If anyone claims they can’t make this soup, I’d be surprised (HANDCRAFTED FISH BALL NOODLE SOUP). It's as simple as adding all the ingredients - roots, barks, and other medicinal herbs from a Chinese medical hall or provision shop - into a slow cooker or simmering on very low heat over the stove.
But be mindful, just like Korean (SEOUL THROUGH MY EYES) ginseng, too much Chinese Ginseng Soup can make you feel hot and sweaty, leading to restlessness. To balance this, be sure to drink plenty of water. Nonetheless, every now and then, a bowl of this soothing and nourishing Chinese Ginseng Chicken Soup, made with ready-mixed ginseng herbs, kei chi (wolfberries), dried longan, crushed garlic, ginger, chicken, and garnished with spring onions, is a treat for both the body and senses. For your information, this version is made by an Indian lady, Ms. Nava. I hear the applause, and thank you!
I regularly
make Chinese soups because I love them, and I adore Chinese food (CHINESE CHILI CASHEW NUT VEGGIES). If you need a
cooling dessert to balance the heatiness from the Chinese Ginseng Chicken Soup,
try a White Fungus Gingko Nuts Chinese Sweet Dessert. It’s a refreshing
alternative to the herbal soup (LEMONGRASS HONEY TEA). Just a tip: while you should avoid eating the
herbs and barks, feel free to enjoy the longan, wolfberries, and kei chi. Now,
let’s get started with the Chinese Ginseng Chicken Soup recipe.
Chinese Ginseng
Chicken Soup
Ingredients
1 packet store-bought Chinese herbs mix
A handful of
kei chi (dried wolfberries), soaked for 15 mins
A handful of
dried longan, soaked for 15 mins
5-6 garlic
cloves, smashed/crushed
1/2 inch
ginger, smashed/crushed
1/4 chicken,
cut into bite-sized pieces
Spring onion
for garnishing (shredded/sliced thinly)
Pepper and salt to taste
Method
Rinse the
ginseng herbs under running water a couple of times.
Place them in a
pot, add water (as needed), garlic, ginger, and chicken.
Simmer over low
heat until the chicken is almost tender.
Add kei chi and
longan. Season with salt and pepper.
Continue to
simmer for another 10 minutes.
Once the
chicken is cooked, remove from heat.
Garnish with spring onions before serving.
White Fungus Gingko Nuts Chinese Sweet Dessert
Ingredients (as needed)
White fungus,
soaked to soften, rinsed, and torn into pieces if preferred
Dried longan,
soaked to soften
Dried gingko
nuts, soaked to soften
Cane sugar
Method
Add white
fungus and sugar to a pot.
Simmer until
the white fungus softens.
Then, add
gingko and longan.
Simmer until both are softened, then remove from heat.
For a variation of this cooling Chinese sweet dessert, you can use white fungus, lotus roots, some pandan leaves, and rock sugar, known as White Fungus Lotus Root Chinese Sweet Dessert.
Chinese Chicken Herbal Soup
Ingredients
1 packet
store-bought Chinese herbs, rinsed in water
A few pieces of
chicken
½ inch ginger,
smashed
A handful of
kei chi (wolfberries), soaked to soften
A handful of
dried longan, soaked to soften
Salt to taste
Method
Add herbs,
chicken, and ginger to a pot.
Simmer over
very low heat.
When the
chicken is cooked, add kei chi, longan, and salt.
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