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This comforting chicken soup uses a technique I learned from an old Ken Hom cookbook for making a delicately fluffy chicken mixture, or velvet, that disperses the finely chopped chicken throughout the broth. This dish always hits the spot when the weather turns cold or I get wistful for Cantonese soups.
Note: This recipe is part of a weekly menu of Paleo meals from Michelle Tam and Henry Fong, the creators of the blog Nom Nom Paleo and authors of several cookbooks, including Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go!, where you’ll find this recipe and other delicious Paleo recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound
boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons
arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons
ice water
- 1
egg white
- 1 tablespoon
avocado oil, ghee, or fat of choice
- 1
large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/4 pound
large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 (2-inch) piece
of ginger, peeled and cut into thin coins
- 3 cloves
garlic, peeled and smashed
- 6 cups
bone broth or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons
coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon
Paleo-friendly fish sauce
- 6 cups
baby spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon
toasted sesame oil
Instructions
-
Toss the chicken cubes into a food processor and pulse until the chicken is chopped up.
-
Add the arrowroot powder, salt, ice water, and egg white to the chopped chicken in the food processor bowl.
-
Process ‘til a velvety paste develops.
-
Transfer the chicken paste to a large heatproof bowl and set aside.
-
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, pour in the oil and add the shallot and mushrooms.
-
Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shallots are slightly softened.
-
Toss in ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
-
Pour in the broth. Increase the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil.
-
Turn the heat down to medium, and add the coconut aminos and fish sauce to the soup. Taste and adjust for seasoning as needed.
-
Add the chicken paste to the broth and break it up with a spatula.
-
Once the chicken is no longer pink, stir in the spinach. Cook until wilted.
-
Turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, and serve.
Recipe Notes
Excerpted from Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! © 2022 written & photographed by Michelle Tam & Henry Fong. Reproduced by permission of Andrews McMeel Publishing. All rights reserved.
Michelle Tam
Contributor
Michelle Tam is the co-creator of the Saveur Award-winning food blog, Nom Nom Paleo. Together with her husband, Henry Fong, they’ve also produced a two-time Webby award winning cooking app, authored two New York Times bestselling cookbooks, and have been nominated for a James Beard Award. Their latest cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! will be released on January 18, 2022.