Did you know that January is National Soup Month? I discovered that last year and made a bunch of soup recipes. While I didn’t follow suit this year, Sunday is the Lunar New Year, a celebration typically in China and other Asian countries. It always seems to be on a day that I don’t have my girls. I’ve wanted to take them to the parade up in DC so they could experience it, as it always fascinated me as a child; maybe next year.
Well, I decided to marry the two occasions today and made Chicken and Chestnut Soup. I found the original recipe in Food & Wine’s recent Holiday Issue. It was ok but needed a little tinkering. Notably, there were a couple of needless separate steps which could be eliminated and rethought. Worse yet, it was a little bland. I’m not one who always needs to be punched in the mouth with flavor. I appreciate subtle dishes, but it was just lackluster. Best of all, you know how I instruct you to save a chicken backbone “for another use”? This is one of those recipes for you to finally use one that you’ve saved in the freezer!
Chicken and Chestnut Soup
You can find the requisite chestnuts in the Asian aisle of major grocers. However, if you have an H Mart or other global/specialty food store near you, you can get them there at a more affordable price. Notably, though, these are not Italian chestnuts and definitely not canned water chestnuts!
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs + 1 chicken backbone
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp Chinese five spice
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups roasted/peeled Chinese chestnuts
Season the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of sesame (or vegetable) oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, place the thighs and backbone, skin-side down, in the pot and brown, about 4-5 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken from the pot and add in the spices, stirring it in the rendered fat in the bottom of the pot for about 30 seconds (until fragrant). Pour in 2 cups of chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Pour in 6 cups of water, along with a pinch of salt, and add the chicken back in, skin-side up and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a steady, but light simmer.
After 30 minutes, add in the chestnuts and simmer for an additional 45 minutes, then remove the chicken to a cutting board. Cover the pot and leave on the burner, but turn off the heat.
Once the chicken has cooled briefly, remove the skin and pull the meat from the bones. Discard the skin and bones and shred the meat. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup and serve.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
Comments