I don’t know about you but Chinese chicken & sweet corn soup has always been a favourite of mine and something I always used to order in Chinese restaurants.  I have however noticed over the years that the quality of the soup can vary depending on where you go.  I have had some gorgeous examples and others that resemble a claggy glue like substance with a hint of corn and essence of chicken.  Not so with my rendition! Chock full of delicious, tender shredded chicken, loads of sweet succulent corn and garnished with crunchy, fresh spring onions…..it is a winner every time!

Prep time:  15  Minutes          Cooking time:  35  Minutes             $  Low Budget

Serves 6-8

3 Breast fillets

5cm piece of ginger, skin on and sliced

3 garlic cloves, skin removed and bruised

1 stalk of lemon grass, halved and bruised with the back of your knife

1 whole red chilli, pierced with a knife

2 green onions, cut in half

1 litre of chicken stock

1 litre of water

1/3 cup of soy sauce

3 x 400gm tins of creamed corn

1 x 400gm tin of super sweet corn kernels

1 tbs of corn flour mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water

3 egg whites, whisked with 1 tbs of water

3 green onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 tbs of sesame oil

Sea salt and pepper

A little extra sesame oil for drizzling

Place the stock, water, soy, ginger, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and spring onions in a large stock pot and bring to the boil.  Reduce to a low simmer and add the whole chicken breasts to the stock.  Simmer on low, poaching the chicken gently for approximately 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove the breasts and set aside to cool.  Using a slotted spoon, remove all the aromatics from the stock and discard.  Add the creamed corn and corn kernels to the pot and stir well to combine.  Bring the soup back to the boil and lower the heat to a simmer.

Using a pair of tongs and a fork, shred the chicken along the grain so you have a nice shredded consistency.  Stir the cornflour mixture well until you have a nice slurry and add it to the soup.  Allow it to thicken for a couple of minutes and then put the chicken back in the pot.

While the soup is simmering, pour the egg whites into the soup in a thin, steady stream stirring constantly, until the egg has cooked and you can see little white, stringy flecks through the soup.  Stir in the sesame oil and simmer for a few more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, have a taste and adjust any seasoning if necessary.  Ok, you can stop now……;)

To serve, ladle a generous amount of soup into deep bowls.  Top the soup with a nice pile of shallots and drizzle with a little sesame oil…..not too much, it can be overpowering.  Serve with crusty bread and be prepared for a leftover battle!