This really easy classic all-in-one Shanghai dish is a showstopper at the dinner table, bound to elicit oohs and ahhs of delight both for the awesome presentation and for the yummilicious flavor. Tender melting chicken, flavorful wontons, delicious chickeny soup and broth cooked vegetables. The real secret to this dish is how easy it is to make!
You'll be pleasantly surprised just as I was the first time we made this, it just requires a few basics and then you kinda throw it all together and then, TA-DA!, the beautiful, classy Clay Pot Wonton Chicken Soup 砂鍋雲吞雞 is sitting pretty at your dinner table.
First step to this simple classic dish is to get yourself a good chicken. I've said it before and I'll say it again, get your basics right and simple dishes can be great. So what I would recommend is to go to your butcher in the local wet market or even the butchers at the supermarkets and get yourself a fresh half chicken. Or go organic. Chicken really benefits in taste and texture from an extra bit of TLC when choosing what to buy.
And you have to get yourself a Chinese Clay Pot. This dish, after all, is called Clay Pot Wonton Chicken Soup. Why all the fuss, you might ask? It makes a difference in the taste. Things taste better when cooked in clay! Other cultures besides the Chinese use clay pots for their traditional cooking (like the Moroccan tajine) and I'll bet that they agree that it makes for better tasting food. Be sure to get a clay pot with metal wire support on the outside because clay can crack. Also clay pot is for cooking at lower temperatures, not high temperatures, so watch your heat!
Psst...if you really don't have access to one of these wonderful pots a regular pot will do just fine.
For the vegetable, any quickly cooked chinese vegetable is fine, like napa cabbage, or bok choy. I think that the classic version calls for napa cabbage, napa cabbage being a staple of the Shanghainese diet. Be sure to cut the vegetables up into bite sizes portions first. And try not to over cook them. Over cooked veggies are just not cool. Just chuck your vegetables in a bit later if you think there is danger of overcooking them.
Hope you enjoy our Clay Pot Wonton Chicken Soup Recipe!
Clay Pot Wonton Chicken Soup Recipe
砂鍋雲吞雞
(Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 30 mins)
Ingredients:
- Chinese Clay Pot
- 1/2 chicken
- 1/4 cup Jinhau ham slices
- 5-6 cups chicken stock
- 2 heads baby napa cabbage or 8 baby bok choy
- 12 wontons
Directions:
Add enough chicken stock in your clay pot to cover the chicken by 2"(but don't put chicken in yet). When chicken stock is boiled, add the Jinhau ham. Then add the chicken in. When stock is reboiled turn the heat down to low heat and cook covered for 20 minutes. Check occasionally to see if stock needs topping up.
Separate the cabbage leaves and wash thoroughly. Cut to bit sized portions. Wrap the wonton if you are wrapping fresh. If you are using pre frozen wonton, there is no need to defrost.
At the 20 minute mark, add cabbage and wonton. Top up stock if needed. Turn heat to medium high. When stock reboils, turn to low heat and cook covered for 10 more minutes. Poke chicken between body and thigh and make sure the juices run clear. If not cook for a few more minutes. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve your delicious soup hot!
Tip: This dish is kinda a proper dish and a soup in one, cuz you got all the meat and vegetables to fill up on and the yummilicious soup to drink as well! You could make this chinese dish and one more and serve a hungry threesome for dinner.
Shanghainese Recipes at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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Came across this and feel the urge to pre-thank for the yummylicious idea. One pot dish that is healthy too. Definitely abaolutely will be making this soon! For today, recooking your other wonderdul recipe sake grilled chicken.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing! Happy cooking!! 🥰
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