Chinese Chicken and Egg Soup in Thick Corn Broth Recipe
A homemade, hearty soup that’s a bit like a corn cream soup, but with added chicken and delicate egg ribbons. In many Chinese homes it’s served as a warming first course when someone has a cold – it’s light, yet energizing. For a Polish palate, it can be a pleasant change from classic chicken broth.
This soup combines the comforting creaminess of corn with tender chicken and silky egg ribbons, creating a dish that is both light and satisfying. It’s quick to prepare, uses simple pantry ingredients, and brings a subtle Chinese flavor profile that’s easy to enjoy even if you’re not used to very exotic dishes.
Chef's tips
For the best texture, cut the chicken as finely as you can so it cooks quickly and stays tender. Make sure the starch is completely dissolved in cold water before adding it to the soup to avoid lumps. When adding the eggs, keep the soup just below boiling and pour them in slowly – this is the key to getting nice, distinct egg ribbons instead of scrambled pieces.
How to serve
Serve the soup very hot, sprinkled generously with fresh spring onion greens. You can add a few drops of sesame oil or soy sauce directly to each bowl to adjust the flavor individually. It pairs well with simple steamed rice, Chinese-style pickled vegetables, or a light cucumber salad.
Ingredients
- chicken breast - 200 g
- chicken or vegetable stock homemade or from a cube - 1 l
- canned corn drained weight - 300 g
- eggs - 2 piece
- potato or corn starch - 2 tablespoons
- water for mixing the starch - 3 tablespoons
- soy sauce - 1.5 tablespoons
- fresh ginger about 0.5 cm thick slice - 1 slice
- spring onion greens for sprinkling - 2 piece
- oil - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste
- ground white pepper to taste, can be replaced with black pepper
Preparation
- Cut the chicken breast into very small cubes or thin strips.
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the meat turns white on all sides but is not browned yet.
- Pour in the stock, add the slice of ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend half of the canned corn with 2–3 tablespoons of water until smooth. Leave the other half as whole kernels.
- Add the blended corn and the whole kernels to the pot. Cook for another 5 minutes over low heat.
- In a small bowl, mix the starch with 3 tablespoons of cold water until there are no lumps. Pour the mixture into the soup in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a spoon. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the soup slightly thickens – it should resemble a loose jelly.
- Season the soup with soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Remove the slice of ginger.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Reduce the heat under the soup to minimum. With one hand, stir the soup in a circular motion, and with the other pour in the eggs in a thin stream. Delicate egg ribbons will form and float in the soup.
- Cook for 1 more minute, without stirring too vigorously so the egg ribbons don’t break apart. Remove from the heat.
- Chop the spring onion greens and sprinkle over the soup on plates just before serving.
Storage
Zupę przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku do 2 dni. Podgrzewaj na małym ogniu, często mieszając, aby się nie przypaliła. Po podgrzaniu może być nieco gęstsza – w razie potrzeby dolej odrobinę wody lub bulionu.
