Chicken soup – always good for the soul
They say chicken soup is good for the soul and we definitely agree. Be it creamy or a stewed variety, there’s just something about a hot bowl of chicken soup that lifts the mood, making a stressful, ill or dreary day all bright and shiny again.
One of the best things about chicken soup is that it can be eaten on its own, served with pasta or bread. Or, as many Malaysians undoubtedly prefer, with a nice big portion of rice. It is even a delicious add on to a typical Malaysian lunch or dinner spread of rice, vegetables and meat.
Chicken soup comes in many varieties and recipes. We’re sharing with you a more ‘sup’ style soup that’s great for kids aged 1 to 99.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 5 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 large onions
- 2” ginger
- 2 carrots
- 3 potatoes
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 stick lemongrass
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 star anise
- 5 white peppercorns
- ½ bunch parsley
- ½ bunch spring onions
- 1 sup bunjut (soup spices)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 litre water
- salt & pepper to taste
Method
- First, using a pestle and mortar, pound garlic, ginger and shallots into a medium consistency, i.e., crushed but not to smithereens.
- Next, use the pestle or the flat part of a large knife to bash the lemongrass on a chopping board until it splinters.
- Peel and blend celery until smooth.
- Cut the carrots into three sections, and then halve it again to get long, thick strips of carrot.
- Halve the potatoes.
- Cut the onions into eights.
- Slice the parsley and spring onions. Keep half for cooking and half as garnish.
- In a large pot, heat the oil and thrown in the cinnamon stick, lemongrass, star anise, blended celery and pounded garlic, ginger and shallot mixture. Fry until fragrant.
- Add the whole chicken and brown all sides, carefully turning the chicken over as necessary. Do not cover the pot.
- Once the chicken is brown, add chicken stock and water. Add the sup bunjut, carrots and potatoes and bring to a boil.
- Once the chicken is cooked (with an internal temperature of 66°C to 73°C), remove the chicken from the pot. Add in the large onions, parsley and spring onions. Bring to a boil again until the soup thickens.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Carve your chicken and add it back to the soup.
- Garnish with parsley and spring onions.
Extra tips
- No time to make broth from scratch? Grab a box of low-sodium chicken broth instead.
- You can also carve your chicken, add it to a terrine or serving dish and pour your soup over it.
- Soup is a great leftover dish as the flavour intensifies and tastes better the next day!
Soup is best served hot for a full soul-warming effect. Enjoy the recipe and hashtag us with #butterkicap if you try it out!