Double-Boiled Black Chicken Herbal Soup

Method13 steps · about 3 hr 35 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Prepare the whole black chicken (1) on a board reserved for raw poultry. Remove and discard the head. Separate the feet and trim off their claws. Keep the chicken and trimmed feet cold until cooking.

   Uses 1 whole black chicken, including its feet, to trim and halve

2. 2

   Step 2: Remove the chicken skin, excess fat and any remaining innards. Halve the chicken. Keep the prepared chicken and feet separate from ready-to-eat foods; do not rinse raw poultry.

   Uses Only the prepared chicken and trimmed feet, excluding discarded head and claws

3. 3

   Step 3: Briefly rinse the 10 g Dang Shen, 4–5 red dates, 5 g Hwang Qi, 3 g Zhong Xiong, 2 g Gan Cao and 5 g Gao Li Shen Xu. Rinse the optional 5 dried longan if using. Drain well and cut the Dang Shen into ½ cm widths. Keep the red dates separate, and leave the 5 g wolfberries aside without rinsing.

   Uses 10 g Dang Shen, about 4 thin slices or 1 thick slice, cut into ½ cm widths · 4–5 red dates · 5 g Hwang Qi (about 1 long strip) · 3 g Zhong Xiong (about 4 slices) · 2 g Gan Cao (about 3–4 thin slices) · 5 g Gao Li Shen Xu (about 4–5 sticks) · 5 dried longan, optional · Clean water, as needed to rinse the herbs except the wolfberries

4. 4

   Step 4: Place the trimmed chicken halves and feet in a heat-safe stainless-steel bowl or porcelain pot with a cover.

   Uses Only the trimmed chicken halves and feet, excluding skin, fat and innards

5. 5

   Step 5: Add the rinsed Dang Shen, Hwang Qi, Zhong Xiong, Gan Cao and Gao Li Shen Xu to the chicken. Add the optional drained longan if using. Keep the red dates and wolfberries for later.

   Uses Inner pot with the prepared chicken and feet · Only the drained early herbs and optional longan, excluding reserved dates and rinse water

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the 2 bowls boiling water to the inner pot and cover it. Use the pot’s heat-safe lid, or a fitting stainless-steel plate or aluminium-foil cover if using a bowl.

   Uses Inner pot with chicken and early herbs · 2 bowls boiling water, for the soup inside the covered pot

7. 7

   Step 7: Add about 2–2½ litres water to a larger pot and bring to a boil. Use enough to maintain steaming below the rack without flooding the inner soup pot.

   Uses About 2–2½ litres water, for the outer steaming pot

8. 8

   Step 8: Set a stable steaming rack in the outer pot. Carefully place the covered inner soup pot on the rack and cover the outer pot.

   Uses Boiling outer-pot water · Covered inner pot of chicken, early herbs and two bowls soup water

9. 9

   Step 9: Double-boil over medium heat with steady steam for 2½ hours. Check the outer-pot water level throughout and add only boiling top-up water when needed, keeping it below the inner pot.

   Double-boil before adding dates · 150 minUses Covered nested steaming setup with the inner chicken-and-herb soup · Boiling water, only as needed to maintain the outer-pot water level

10. 10

    Step 10: After 2½ hours, carefully open the covers away from your face, allowing steam to escape. Add the reserved rinsed red dates and 5 g wolfberries to the inner soup. Cover both pots again and double-boil for a further 30 minutes, keeping the outer water sufficient. The chicken must be fully cooked and reach 74°C (165°F).

    Finish with dates and wolfberries · 30 minUses Partly finished inner chicken-and-herb soup, with its external steaming setup · Only the reserved rinsed red dates, excluding early herbs and rinse water · 5 g wolfberries (about ½ tbsp) · Boiling water, only as needed to maintain the outer-pot water level

11. 11

    Step 11: Carefully remove the covered inner pot, opening it away from your face. Add optional salt to taste and serve the hot soup. The cooked chicken may be served with it, or kept aside immediately for the optional second extraction below.

    Uses Only the fully cooked inner soup and chicken, excluding outer-pot water · Salt, to taste, optional, for the finished soup

12. 12

    Step 12: Only if retaining the uneaten cooked chicken for a second soup, transfer it immediately to a pot with 1 bowl boiling water. Bring back to a boil, then cook over medium-low heat for about 15–20 minutes, first checking at 15 minutes. This optional extraction is separate from the three-hour primary soup and does not use the outer steaming water.

    Optional second soup extraction · 15 minUses Only the uneaten fully cooked chicken retained for a second extraction · 1 bowl boiling water, only for the optional second soup extraction

13. 13

    Step 13: For the optional second extraction, remove and discard the spent chicken and serve the second broth hot.

    Uses Only the optional second-extraction broth, leaving the spent chicken behind