Ginger Chicken with Bok Choy Soup
I confess I have always had a thing for baby Bok Choy. They just look so cute and taste so good! Kind of like a cabbage that Dr, Seuss or Disney might invent. Anyway, I saw this one on Milk Street and since its about to go all frigid winter on us, I though this would be good to do. I just tweaked it a bit. This will make about 4-5 servings.
Ingredients:
3 Tbs of freshly grated Ginger
5 medium garlic cloves
1/2 cup dry sherry or better yet Shaoxin (a Chinese rice wine) if you can find it.
2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (do not use boneless, skinless chicken)
8 oz of fresh baby Bok Choy, rough chopped
4 oz sliced mushrooms
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Add oil to a large pot on medium high heat until simmering
- Add ginger and garlic, stirring until fragrant; ~30 seconds
- Stir in sherry or Shaoxin and simmer until slightly reduced;~ 1 minute
- Add water, 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (white pepper); return to simmer
- Add chicken and return to simmer, cover and cook adjusting heat to maintain gentle simmer until chicken is cooked through; ~35-45 minutes; then remove pot from heat.
- Add sliced mushrooms.
- Remove chicken and put on a plate to cool
- Remove skin from chicken; shred chicken with two forks into bite sized pieces; discard skin and bones
- Return broth with mushrooms to simmer on medium-high heat.
- Stir in Bok Choy and cook until tender; ~3 minutes
- Stir in chicken meat and any juices from the plate
- Remove pot from heat; stir in scallions, cilantro and vinegar
- Taste and season with salt and pepper (white)
Serve as is for a flavorful light soup. Or you may add rice, or noodles or even tofu to make it heartier. You may also enjoy the added flavors of sprinkled sesame seed oil or chili oil just before serving.