How to Make Silkie Chicken Stewed with Chinese Herbs
International dishesSoupsChina30 minutes marinating, about 1 hour 40 minutes stewing
This herbal stew gives a pot of broth with a lingering sweetness and the scent of red dates and goji berries. Silkie chicken is small and firm, so it holds together through a long stew. The difficulties are the strong smell of the bird and the bitterness the herbs pick up over high heat.
Rubbing the chicken with white rice wine and crushed ginger is a required cleaning step. The herbs need to soak until plump and then be rinsed again. Cooked low and covered, they release their aroma slowly and stay free of bitterness.
This batch weighs about 1.5kg, at roughly 97 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub the 500g silkie chicken with white rice wine and crushed ginger to clean it, rinse well and drain.
Marinate the chicken with 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon MSG, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1 teaspoon honey, mix well and leave for 30 minutes.
Soak 15g ginkgo nuts, 10g red dates, 10g sinh dia, 5g y di, 5g ginseng, 10g hoai son, 10g lotus seeds and 5g goji berries in boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes until plump, rinse again and drain.
Pour the water from 1 young coconut into a pot with 500ml water, add all of the herbs, cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
Add the chicken, cover and simmer over low heat for another hour.
Once the chicken is tender and seasoned through, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder, cook for 10 more minutes and turn off the heat. Scatter 15g com over the bowl when serving.
Tips
Buy the herbs as a weighed packet and say it is for stewing silkie chicken, so the shop balances the mix.
Keep the heat low and the lid on, since a rolling boil draws bitterness out of the herbs.
Without young coconut, add more water. The broth loses some of its lingering sweetness, so season it again with a light hand.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so work it into the marinade thoroughly rather than sprinkling it into a boiling pot.
Skimming the foam over the first 10 minutes is what keeps the broth clear.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.