STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Double-boiled black chicken herbal soup is very nourishing, especially for women. Drinking this helps to improve blood circulation and revitalise your energy levels, and it helps to replenish the blood stores after a woman’s monthly cycle. My mother used to double boil this soup for my sister and I every month, and I have continued this tradition for my daughters as well.
TRICK OF THE TRADE
Black chicken herbal soup falls into a third category of Cantonese soups: Dun Tong (炖汤), which are soups that are double boiled for a long period of time.
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For the double boiling method, I used a smaller pot for the soup and steamed it within a larger pot of water. This method will help extract out all the essence, flavour and nutritional goodness of the chicken into the soup, and is the preferred method for making nourishing tonics such as this one.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH
- It is healthy and nourishing, especially for women! Drink this to improve blood circulation.
- It is simple to make, as you only need to prepare the chicken and wash the herbs. Not much fuss this time in the kitchen!
HOW TO MAKE BLACK CHICKEN HERBAL SOUP?
- Cut off the feet and head of the chicken and discard the head. Cut off the claws of the feet and wash clean.
- Remove the chicken skin and fats. Cut the chicken into half. Clean the insides and rinse well.
- Rinse all the herbs except the wolfberries
- Place the chicken and chicken feet into a stainless steel bowl / porcelain pot with cover.
- Put all the herbs into the bowl / pot except the red dates and wolfberries.
- Add in 2 bowls of boiling water and cover the pot. If you are using the stainless steel bowl, cover with aluminium foil or a stainless steel plate that fits.
- In a larger pot, pour in about 2-2.5 litres of water and bring it to a boil.
- When it boils, put a steaming rack into the large pot, and place the stainless steel bowl / porcelain pot on top. Cover the large pot.
- Double- boil the chicken for 3 hours over medium heat, ensuring that there’s always sufficient water in the outer pot.
- After 2.5 hours, add in the red dates and wolfberries and continue to double boil for 30 mins.
- Add salt to taste and serve.
PREPARATION TIPS
- Remove the skin and fats from the chicken so that the soup won’t be too oily.
- Use aluminium foil to wrap around the bowl to form the shape first if you are using a stainless bowl without cover. When you lower the bowl into the bigger pot, slowly place the aluminium to fit around the bowl.
COOKING TIPS
- Lift the aluminium lid slowly off the foil. The steam will rush out and you might get burnt. Do it slowly to let off the steam through the gap before adding in the red dates and wolfberries and cover it again.
- Check the water level in the big pot throughout the double boiling process. If the water level is running low, add only boiling water. Caution: If there is no water in pot, the soup will dry up and the pot will be burnt.
- Salt is optional to the soup as the soup itself has its natural sweetness.
WHAT TO DO AFTER CONSUMING?
If you do not want to eat the chicken…
- Add 1 bowl of boiling water and boil again for a second time over medium low heat for another 15-20 mins. Discard the meat after.
- There is no need to double boil again, simply boil it as the chicken is still quite tasty. In this way, there’s no need to waste any chicken meat which would be tasteless and can be discarded.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
- Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
- Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
- Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
- Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.
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Double Boiled Black Chicken Herbal Soup Recipe
Servings: 3
Calories: 120kcal
Calling all women! Boost your health by making and drinking this Double Boiled Black Chicken Herbal Soup soup, which will improve your blood circulation!
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 Black Chicken
- 10 gm Dang Shen abt 4 thin slices / 1 thick slice (cut into 1/2 cm widths)
- 5 gm Wolfberries 1/2 TBsp
- 4-5 red dates
- 5 gm Hwang Qi 1 long strip
- 3 gm Zhong Xiong 4 slices
- 2 gm Gan Cao 3-4 thin slices
- 5 gm Gao Li Shen Xu 4-5 sticks
- 2 Bowls Boiling water
- 5 Dried Longan Optional
- 2.5 litres water
Instructions
PREPARATION METHOD
- Cut off the feet and head of the chicken and discard the head. Cut off the claws of the feet and wash clean.
- Remove the chicken skin and fats. Cut the chicken into half. Clean the insides and rinse well.
- Rinse all the herbs except the wolfberries
- Place the chicken and chicken feet into a stainless steel bowl / porcelain pot with cover.
- Put all the herbs into the bowl / pot except the red dates and wolfberries.
- Add in 2 bowls of boiling water and cover the pot. If you are using the stainless steel bowl, cover with aluminium foil or a stainless steel plate that fits.
COOKING METHOD
- In a larger pot, pour in about 2-2.5 litres of water and bring it to a boil.
- When it boils, put a steaming rack into the large pot, and place the stainless steel bowl / porcelain pot on top. Cover the large pot.
- Double- boil the chicken for 3 hours over medium heat, ensuring that there's always sufficient water in the outer pot.
- After 2.5 hours, add in the red dates and wolfberries and continue to double boil for 30 mins.
- add salt to taste and serve.
Notes
PREPARATION TIPS
- Remove the skin and fats from the chicken so that the soup won't be too oily.
- Use aluminium foil to wrap around the bowl to form the shape first if you are using a stainless bowl without cover. When you lower the bowl into the bigger pot, slowly place the aluminium to fit around the bowl.
COOKING TIPS
- Lift the aluminium lid slowly off the foil. The steam will rush out and you might get burnt. Do it slowly to let off the steam through the gap before adding in the red dates and wolfberries and cover it again.
- Check the water level in the big pot throughout the double boiling process. If the water level is running low, add only boiling water. Caution: If there is no water in pot, the soup will dry up and the pot will be burnt.
- Salt is optional to the soup as the soup itself has its natural sweetness.
WHAT TO DO AFTER CONSUMING?
if you do not want to eat the chicken...- Add 1 bowl of boiling water and boil again for a second time over medium low heat for another 15-20 mins. Discard the meat after.
- There is no need to double boil again, simply boil it as the chicken is still quite tasty. In this way, there's no need to waste any chicken meat which would be tasteless and can be discarded.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tks for the recipe Bee Leng. Pls let me know whether consuming double boiled chicken soup in the evening around 8pm may affect your sleep as the soup is supposed to be energising
Tks,Mrs Peter Goh
When I was young, my mother used to double boil this soup once a week. We would drink it just before we slept. It supposed to help promote blood circulation and repair body tissue so that when we woke up we would be energised and fully charged.
Why don’t you try and let me know how it goes.
Love your recipes! I followed the quantity but boiled it on slow cooker 4h, with slightly lesser water. The taste is really bland though, do you know why? Red date is still a little hard, but when I ate the dang gui it is bland so I am guessing all flavours already released into soup. Also, I would love it to be more bitter, what do I add, more dang gui? Thanks!:)
Hi Kyra, 4 hrs cooking in a slow cooker is grossly insufficient time for the ingredients to release all the nutrients. The red dates are good indicator whether the soup is flavourful. Dangui after soaking in the water for 4 hrs will definitely turn soft and bland but the heat is not sufficient for it to purge out its flavour. I double boiled it for more than 3 hrs . If you are using the slow cooker , you need to cook it for 8 hrs over high heat or preferably overnight. You can add a little more dangui for… Read more »
Ah I see! Ok I will try 8h next round, and check whether the red dates are soft as an indicator?? Yes I bought loose herbs, not the prepacked ones. Thanks for replying!
It’s Amazing! Now I just have to try it and Have a taste…😋 Now…How do I get a hold of a Black chicken?
Easily available at most supermarkets or wet markets, You can also use fresh chicken thighs if black chicken is not available. Be sure to remove the skin and fats from it so that the soup will not be too oily. Hope that’s helps.