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I’ve been suffering this week from a severe case of Girl Flu and so needed some spicy soup to feel a bit more human again. I couldn’t quite face going to Wagamama’s to get my usual lovely bowl of ramen so decided to create this one at home instead. A trip to the chinese supermarket is much more socially acceptable than to a restaurant when you’ve only just managed to drag yourself out of your pjs.

This is made with poached chicken, which I’d wanted to try for ages. Not only does it make the lovely broth but the chicken itself is lovely and moist and falls off of the bones. I’m not sure how authentic this recipe is as its just a bit of a throw together but it came out really well.

Poached Chicken Soup

  • 1 free range chicken
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp chinese rice vinegar
  • 2 large spring onions
  • 2 stems of lemongrass
  • 3 small thai red chillis
  • A good chunk of ginger (about thumb sized)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Vegetable stock
  • 1 red pepper
  • A handful of oyster mushrooms
  • 1 bulb of pak choi
  • Rice noodles

Firstly, remove the bulb part of the spring onion and chop into a few large pieces. Chop them lemongrass as well and use both to stuff the chicken with. Put the chicken into a large pan and add the soy, vinegar, chilis, chopped ginger and chopped garlic. Top up with veg stock and water until the bird is covered. Bring to the boil.

Cover and leave for around 1 hr and 40 mins or until the leg is falling away from the rest. You’ll need to top the pan up with more water to keep the bird covered.

Remove the chicken from the pan and skim as much of the fat from the top of the broth as you can. Pour through some muslin to strain. Then reduce the stock down by at least a third (taste to make sure it’s good). When you’re ready to eat, add the chopped veg and noodles and cook until they are done.

Serve the veg and noodles into bowls, add pieces of the poached chicken, top up with the broth and enjoy. Feel better!

Also this week: Its been a quite few weeks blog wise, been pretty busy with work and we had our MA graduation last week, a great chance to catch up with old friends and enjoy some yummy food and wine. Here’s a pic of me and Carl, 20 terms after he first slammed a door in my face…