2 Chicken Sweet Corn Soup Recipe Ideas: Thickened and Simmered 玉米鸡汤

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2 chicken sweet corn soup recipe ideas commonly used in Chinese cooking:

Idea 1: Thickened chicken sweet corn soup recipe 鸡茸玉米羹 (ji rong yu mi geng)

鸡茸玉米羹 or thickened chicken and corn soup is a popular thickened soup that nearly every Chinese mum knows how to make.

I know my mum did. When she came home late from work, it is a quick dish to whip up. A can of cream corn, a small piece of chicken filet, 2 eggs and a bit of cornstarch.

The ingredients are few, readily available and cheap. Yet, it is nutritious and popular with us kids.

The difference between a Chinese chicken sweet corn soup and corn chowder is the lack of dairy as a soup thickener.

The first recipe featured below is a basic one. From there, make a variety of Chinese chicken corn soup by adding more ingredients like green peas, diced carrots and mushrooms.

Ground chicken and pureed corn will make a very smooth and velvety thickened soup, resembling a chowder. If you are using ground chicken, thin the chicken mixture with water. It will be easier to avoid clumps after adding it to the soup.

It is also possible to use small cubes of chicken pieces instead of ground chicken. This is preferred if you are also adding green peas, diced carrots or mushrooms.

Recipe 1: Basic chicken sweet corn soup recipe

Ingredients

  • 200g fresh corn kernels (or canned corn)
  • 1 chicken filet, grounded
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 1 cup of cornstarch solution
  • Salt, black pepper and sesame seed oil

Instructions

  1. Wash the corn kernels. Keep a few tablespoon of kernels aside and puree the rest in a blender with some water.
  2. Mix the ground chicken filet with salt, sesame seed oil and water. Adding water to the chicken thins the chicken mixture so that when it is added to the corn puree, it will be easier to mix.
  3. Combine the chicken mixture with the corn puree together well
  4. Place the mixture into a soup pot, add the corn kernels. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes or until the kernels are plump and fat
  5. Add the cornstarch solution slowly to thicken the soup. Once the soup is thickened to your desired consistency, stop adding the cornstarch solution
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste
  7. Drizzle with sesame seed oil before serving

You can see a similar chicken sweet corn soup being made in the video below.

I wanted to highlight the way the chef made ground chicken from the filet by scrapping the filet along the grain. Interesting.

Recipe 2: Chinese chicken sweet corn soup recipe with egg

Adding eggs to this basic recipe is a common way to make the soup smoother and more nutritious. The egg ribbons are very pretty too. Kids love them.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken filets, diced finely
  • 1 cup of corn kernels, chopped
  • 3 cups of soup stock
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small cup of cornstarch solution
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring the soup stock to a boil in a soup pot
  2. Add the diced chicken and corn kernels and cook for a couple of minutes or until the chicken is cooked
  3. Add salt and pepper to taste
  4. Thicken the soup with the cornstarch solution. Add slowly until the soup is thickened. Do not dump the whole cup of cornstarch solution into the soup. Let the soup boil for a while to thoroughly cook the cornstarch
  5. Beat the eggs
  6. Give the soup a good stir before adding the eggs and continue to stir to create the pretty egg ribbons
  7. Add the butter into the soup and turn off the heat
  8. Allow the butter to melt before serving

Idea 2: Simmered chicken and corn on the cob 玉米炖鸡汤 (yu mi dun ji tang)

玉米炖鸡汤 or simmered chicken and corn soup is another popular way to consume sweet corn together with the cob. Corn on the cob is a suitable simmering ingredient. The corn kernels become soft, plump, sweet, and juicy. I love picking them out from the cob.

It is most commonly paired with carrot, onion, and chicken thighs. Chicken thigh is better for simmering soup as it doesn't become too dry after long simmering.

Recipe 3: Simmered chicken sweet corn soup recipe

Simmered chicken and sweet corn soup

This Chinese chicken and corn soup recipe produces a sweet broth using fresh corn on the cob, carrot and fresh chicken.

It is a sweet and refreshing soup. If you are experiencing a sweltering summer heat, cook this as it replenish bodily fluids lost through the heat and is also nourishing.

Although I am all for ingredient substitution but I have to say that the corn on the cob is a must for this soup. Please do not use frozen sweet corn or canned corn. If you have some dried red dates in the larder, throw a couple in to further sweeten the soup.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken thighs
  • 2 pieces of corn on the cob
  • 2 slices of ginger
  • 2 carrots
  • 1.5 to 2 litres water

Instructions

  1. Clean the chicken thighs. Trim excess fats
  2. Parboil the chicken pieces
  3. Cut the corn and carrot into several sections, rinse and drain
  4. Bring the water to a boil in a pot
  5. Add the parboiled chicken, carrot and corn pieces and ginger
  6. Bring back to a boil and cook for 20 minutes
  7. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours
  8. Bring to a boil and add salt before serving

You can use the slow cooker, instant pot, or the thermal cooker to make this soup.

Happy Souping, Phoebe