Chinese Shredded Chicken Soup
鸡丝汤面
English: Chinese Shredded Chicken Soup
Chinese: 鸡丝汤面
Pinyin: ji si tang main
Literal: Shredded chicken soup with noodles
This noodle soup is so simple, it almost transcends cultural boundaries. It’s a dish that every cuisine seems to have invented in its own way—be it Jewish chicken soup, British broth, Japanese ramen, or an American chicken noodle. But don’t be fooled by its simplicity; it’s precisely dishes like these that test a cook’s true skill. Daniel Boulud says he can learn everything about a chef’s technique and confidence by watching them make an omelette - the way they shake the pan, season the eggs, move around the kitchen speak louder than any interview. The same principle applies here: how you handle the ingredients, balance the flavours, and respect the process can turn this humble soup into something truly memorable.
You could have this on the table in ten minutes with instant noodles, but to elevate it into something exceptional, fresh noodles—or better yet, homemade—are the way to go. The same goes for the stock: store-bought versions just won’t cut it. They lack the depth and complexity this dish needs, often tasting like little more than salty water. There are no shortcuts here—a good chicken stock is the soul of this soup and deserves an afternoon on the stove, slowly bubbling away as you go about your day.
If you need a basic Chinese chicken stock recipe, simply take a whole chicken, a few slices of ginger, and three or four spring onions. Cover it with about four litres of water, just enough to submerge the chicken, and let it simmer gently for at least four hours.
As for the shredded chicken in the soup, you could serve it plain, letting the broth take centre stage. But I like to give it a bit more character with a touch of ground Sichuan pepper and salt. Sometimes, I even stir-fry a little ginger to mix in, adding a subtle and refreshing warmth.
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the chicken
1 chicken breast
1 slice of ginger + 1/2 tablespoon ginger - minced
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine
⅛ teaspoon salt and sichuan pepper - ground
1 teaspoon chilli oil (to garnish)
For the soup
200g noodles
1 litre of chicken stock
100g bok choi or other Chinese greens
2 green onions - finely chopped - green part and white part separated
1 slice of ginger
Pinch white pepper
⅛ teaspoon light soy sauce
1-2 teaspoon Salt (to taste)
Method
Poach the chicken breast. Place the chicken breast in a cold pan of salted water, add a slice of ginger, the Shaoxing wine and bring to the boil. Turn down to a medium heat and cook 8 - 10 minutes depending on the size of the breast. Skim off any foam that floats to the surface.
Once cooked, drain the water and ginger and leave the chicken breast to cool.
In a saucepan, add the chicken stock with the white part of the green onion and the ginger slice. Add the white pepper, soy sauce and salt to taste (Once the noodles are added it will become less salty so add a touch more than you think). Heat the stock until piping hot.
Whilst the stock in heating, shred the chicken breast, pulling it apart using your hands, (or if it’s still hot - two forks). Sprinkle over the salt and Sichuan pepper.
In a separate frying pan, heat a drizzle of oil and add the minced ginger. Fry for about 20 seconds, then add to the shredded chicken and mix together.
Heat a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain and rinse the noodles under cold water.
Add the noodles to the chicken broth along with the vegetables and turn off the heat. The greens will wilt in the broth and cook in a minute.
Divide the noodles and vegetables between two bowls, pour over the broth. Add half the shredded breast to each bowl, garnish with the green part of the spring onion, a sprinkle of white pepper and a tiny spoon of chilli oil.
