Chicken Corn Soup

This Chicken Corn Soup is inspired by your favorite Chinese takeout. And it's so quick and easy to make, who needs delivery? This soup is delicious, warming, and definitely awesome.

Did you know I lived in Taiwan for two years? As a picky eater, it was a bit of a tricky shift. This is 100% a me problem. I was so afraid to try all the new and strange foods. Not being able to read or speak the language, I often had to rely on Google translate to try to figure out what was in a dish. When a picky eater isn't sure about what they're about to put in their mouth, it can send your anxiety through the roof. So I didn't branch out much, and that's on me.

I definitely spent way too much money at McDonald's in my two years there, but I needed a sure thing. The one thing I did fall in love with was the corn soup, which you could get at all times of day at McDonald's. There's no indoor heating to speak of in Taiwan, so in the winter, it can get quite cold indoors. One of my favorite things was to get a sausage mcmuffin and a bowl of corn soup to take to work in the morning to warm me up before my first lesson. It's embarrassing to admit how often I did this, but it helped me to survive, and you gotta do what you gotta do.

What makes Chicken Corn Soup so awesome?

This Chicken Corn Soup takes me right back to my days trying to get by in Taiwan. It's got a perfect balance of savoury and sweet from the corn. There's a good amount of chicken to make it hearty and filling. But it's the richness of the egg that gives the soup a silky smooth, yet somehow thick and unctuous quality. A sprinkling of fresh chopped scallions and a few drops of toasted sesame oil at the end make this a memorable flavor experience.

This soup makes an awesome quick lunch or a lovely starter before a Chinese-inspired feast. It's so simple to make, you can have it on regular rotation for lunch if you work from home. It's perfect to warm you up on a sold day, but also light enough to eat throughout the year. And the flavors are simple enough that even picky eaters like me (or maybe your children) will love it.

Magical Properties of Green Onions

Green onions are also known as scallions or spring onions. Much in the way that their flavor is milder than regular onions, their magical properties are also a bit lighter, but with a similar type of energy. So all onions carry fiery Mars energy, but green onions will bring you a softer flame or a fresh new spark. They can also be used for banishing, endurance, prosperity, and stability. Call on green onions when you want to sprout something new or you're at the beginning of your journey. (Source: The Kitchen Witch's Guide to Healing & Self-Care by Maggie Haseman)

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this soup. The full details are in the recipe card below.

• Chicken stock - I use stock cubes, you could also use vegetable stock
• Canned corn - just use creamed corn if you can get it, or blitz your corn in the food processor first
• Soy sauce
• Sherry - or Chines cooking wine, mirin, or sake, anything boozy with a deep, rich flavor; just leave it out if you don't already have this in your pantry
• Ginger - fresh or paste
• Garlic - fresh or paste
• Cornstarch - aka cornflour
• Egg
• Chicken - pre-cooked and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Green onions - aka scallions or spring onions

Tips for making Chicken Corn Soup

This soup is super simple. You'll start by heating your chicken stock, then adding your corn and other flavorings to give the stock a more Chinese character. Mix your cornstarch with a bit of water so that it dissolves easily, then add that to your soup to thicken it. Let that all simmer together for a bit.

Then turn down your heat until the bubbles stop, and whick in your beaten egg. You want to keep the soup moving while you drizzle the egg in and slowly incorporate it into the soup. We want a smooth mixture, not big chunks of scrambled egg, so as long as you keep whisking, you'll be fine.

Then all that's left to do is stir in your chicken, adjust for seasoning, and get everything steamy hot. When you're ready to serve, sprinkle over some fresh, chopped green onion. A few drops of toasted sesame oil could also be awesome, but that's totally optional.

This Chicken Corn Soup is gonna make you forget all about the takeout app. It's gonna be awesome.

Looking for more awesome soup recipes? Try this Vegan Sweet Corn & Roasted Bell Pepper Soup or some Easy Leek & Potato Soup.

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Recipe slightly adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.