Chinese Chicken Soup

Chinese Chicken Soup is a type of chicken soup that I really enjoy. Its preparation involves simmering chicken with various Chinese herbs and seasonings to achieve a rich flavor and nutritional value. This Chinese Chicken Soup has a delicious taste, and drinking it feels warm and comforting, making it especially suitable for consumption during cold weather or as a nourishing tonic.

Today, this Chinese Chicken Soup I'm going to make is definitely worth trying because it's not only flavorful, but it's also rich in proteins, fats, vitamins, and nutrients such as calcium and iron. It is good for your health when consumed in moderation. Now, let's get started together. Before we begin, I would like to let you know a little bit about the history of Chinese chicken soup.

1. What is Chinese Chicken Soup?

Chicken soup is a popular dish among Chinese people. Chinese culture emphasizes health, and chicken meat is rich in proteins, fats, vitamins, and various minerals that are beneficial for the human body. Drinking chicken soup in moderation during the appropriate seasons, such as autumn and winter, can effectively alleviate cold symptoms and boost the immune system. The preparation method is relatively simple, mainly involving chicken, water, and seasonings. However, people often like to add Chinese herbs to enhance the nutritional value of the chicken soup.

2. What are the nutritional values of Chinese Chicken Soup?

Chinese Chicken Soup is rich in protein and amino acids. Consuming it in moderation can provide the body with energy. Additionally, it is suitable for women to consume as it has the effect of warming the body and invigorating qi. It can help alleviate symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, and postpartum insufficient lactation. In China, chicken soup is a common food for pregnant women after giving birth.

3. What kind of chicken is best for making chicken soup?

Based on my years of experience in making chicken soup, I recommend using old hen, black-boned chicken, or young chicken:

Old Hen: When stewing chicken soup, using locally raised old hens is the best choice. Free-range chickens, due to their natural breeding environment and firm meat texture, contain rich proteins and trace elements. The chicken soup stewed from old hens is delicious and highly nutritious. It has the effects of invigorating qi, nourishing blood, strengthening the spleen, and replenishing deficiency.

Black-boned Chicken: Black-boned chicken is the best choice for stewing chicken soup. Its meat is tender and juicy, making it particularly suitable for making soups. High-quality varieties of black-boned chicken include white-feather black-bone chicken and yellow-skin black-heart chicken. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," black-boned chicken has the effects of nourishing the body, treating various diseases, and is an ideal food for postpartum women and weak individuals.

Young Chicken: Young chicken is a better choice for simmering chicken soup. It contains more protein, and its connective tissue is less elastic, making its meat more easily absorbed by the body. It is suitable for people with weak bodies or those recovering from serious illnesses.

4. Who should not eat chicken soup?

Chicken soup is a highly nutritious food that most people can consume. However, if you are allergic to chicken meat, it is not recommended to eat it to avoid discomfort. Additionally, when making chicken soup, do not add foods that you are allergic to.

In some cases, such as after surgery when anesthesia drugs have not been completely metabolized and the patient's consciousness has not fully recovered, eating chicken soup may cause reflux of the soup, leading to a risk of aspiration and lung damage. Therefore, it is not suitable for such individuals to consume chicken soup until they have fully recovered.

5. What Chinese herbs can be added to Chinese Chicken Soup?

Chinese Chicken Soup can be enhanced with herbs such as American ginseng, astragalus, Chinese dates, and Chinese yam, which can help replenish qi and blood and regulate irregular menstruation.

You can also add red ginseng and deer antler, which are suitable for auxiliary treatment of symptoms such as severe illness or deficiency after bleeding, and are beneficial to overall health.

Finally, adding wolfberries, poria cocos, and lily to the chicken soup can have health benefits such as nourishing the heart and calming the mind, as well as combating fatigue.

6. How to store leftover chicken soup?

If you only need to store it for a few hours, you can refrigerate the chicken soup. However, it is not recommended to keep it overnight in the refrigerator.

If you want to store the chicken soup for a longer period, you can package it well and store it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. When you need to eat it, just take it out and reheat it. This method can keep the chicken soup for about a week.

I'm sure everyone has a good understanding of what Chinese Chicken Soup is and its benefits. Now, let's try making this delicious and nutritious chicken soup together!