Stewed chicken noodles and herbal chicken noodles are delicious dishes that are fragrant, rich, and extremely appealing, ensuring adequate nutrition for family members, especially the elderly and young children. Let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to make it right away!
1. Stewed chicken noodles
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Preparation
5 hours
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stewed Chicken Noodles For 4 people
Wormwood 50 gr Black chicken 4 birds Instant noodles 4 packs (or fresh noodles) Herbal seasoning pack 1 pack (about 84gr) Mustard greens 100 gr (cải cúc) Seasoning powder 1.5 teaspoons Jujube 30 gr Dried lotus seeds 40 gr Salt A little
How to choose fresh, delicious ingredients:
How to choose fresh, tasty chicken
- Delicious chicken will have a compact body, firm texture, and small breast, with shiny black skin.
- Fresh chicken meat should not have a sour or foul smell.
- Use your hand to press the meat to check; if the meat is firm and elastic, it is good chicken. If the meat is mushy, slippery, deformed, or indented, do not buy it to avoid affecting your health.
How to choose good dried lotus seeds:
- When choosing dried lotus seeds, select ones that are firm and beautiful.
- Preferably choose seeds that are white on the outside, round in shape, and slightly off-white or dark yellow in color.
- If the lotus seeds are packaged, you should carefully check the expiration date, the packaging is intact, not torn or discolored, and the product inside is not moldy.
Notes on ingredients
- You can find herbal stew seasonings at traditional medicine pharmacies or in markets specializing in dry goods.
- The types of herbal stew seasonings in this dish include Eucommia, Lily bulb, Chinese yam, angelica, Chinese angelica, goji berries, licorice.
Tools to use:
Pressure cooker, empty beer can, pot, knife,…
How to Prepare Chicken Noodle Soup
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Prepare the black chicken
For the chicken meat, to save time, you should ask the seller to clean the feathers in advance. After buying, you should gut the chicken, use salt or lemon to rub all over the chicken, then rinse it with clean water and let it drain.
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Prepare other ingredients
Lotus seeds should be washed clean, removing the lotus seed core. Soak them in water for about 5 hours to allow the seeds to expand evenly and not be hard.
Wash the jujube fruit and let it drain.
For wormwood and Vietnamese coriander (cải cúc), pick the leaves and tender tops, wash them thoroughly with water, then let them drain.
Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder and stir well. Add the wormwood to the pot and blanch for about 1-2 minutes, then remove.
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Stuffed and Stewed Chicken
Take 4 empty beer cans and use a knife to cut off the top of the cans.
Put a little wormwood and 3 grams of each kind of herbal seasoning into the chicken’s cavity.
Place the stuffed chicken into the beer can. Next, add lotus seeds, jujube, wormwood, a little herbal seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 50ml of water until the can is just full.
Pour the water used to boil the wormwood into a pressure cooker, place the chicken in the pot, close the lid, and stew (braise) the chicken on high heat for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Tip: If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can stew the chicken in a regular pot for about 50 minutes to 1 hour until the chicken is tender.
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Blanch Vegetables and Noodles
Boil a pot of water on the stove, and blanch the mustard greens for about 2 minutes, then remove and drain.
Add the instant noodles to the vegetable broth and blanch until the noodles are soft, then remove.
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Completion
Place the instant noodles and water spinach in a bowl, then pour the chicken broth from that can into the bowl, and decorate it nicely to finish.
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Final Product
The chicken noodle soup is appealing, with a sweet and clear broth, fragrant with herbs, tender and nutritious chicken, and adding a bit of satay chili and/or lemon pepper for dipping makes it absolutely fantastic!
2. Stewed Chicken Noodles
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Preparation
2 hours
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup Serves 4 people
Chicken thighs 4 pieces (1kg) Noodles 500 gr Dried shiitake mushrooms 12 pieces (fragrant mushrooms) Star anise 2 pieces Dried tangerine peel 1 slice Cinnamon bark 2 pieces (small) Coconut water 2 liters Oyster sauce 1/2 tablespoon Sesame oil 1/2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce 1.5 tablespoons Five-spice powder 1/2 teaspoon Bok choy 100 gr Cooking oil 55 ml Seasoning a little (sugar; salt; seasoning powder; pepper) Shallots 2 bulbs Garlic 5 cloves Vinegar a little Soy sauce 2 tablespoons
How to choose fresh, delicious ingredients
How to choose good chicken thighs
- To make braised chicken, you should choose industrial chicken wings which have more meat, and thighs that are larger than local chickens.
- Choose thighs that have a natural light yellow color, and when pressed, the meat feels firm and elastic.
- Do not buy thighs with bruises, blood clots, uneven color, unpleasant smell, or soft and mushy meat.
- The fresh chicken meat should be pink; if you see dark spots, it may indicate that the chicken died before being slaughtered.
How to choose delicious shiitake mushrooms
For this dish, you can choose either dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms.
For dried mushrooms
- Choose those that are firm, not broken, have a bright color, and no white mold spots. Choose a reputable source to buy dried mushrooms to ensure safety.
- Avoid buying dried shiitake mushrooms of unclear origin and those with an unpleasant smell.
For fresh mushrooms
- Choose those with bright colors, a distinctive aroma, and avoid mushrooms that are bruised or have a rotten smell. If the cut leaks a milky white substance, it is a sign of poisonous mushrooms. Avoid mushrooms with dark spots or wrinkles on the cap, and do not choose slimy mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms will have a thin paper-like layer.
- Choose mushrooms with a sturdy stem, uniform color; if the mushrooms have opened, the gills should be in a neat, beautiful, and dry chain.
- When choosing fresh shiitake mushrooms, select those with moderate caps, tightly closed, and slightly brownish-yellow in color. If you see very dark brown mushrooms, do not buy them, as they may be poisonous.
See more:
How to make Stewed Chicken Noodles
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Prepare and marinate the chicken
Wash the chicken thighs thoroughly, then rub salt and vinegar around the chicken skin, rinse with clean water and let it drain.
Take 2 purple onions and 5 cloves of garlic, peel them, and then crush them.
Put into a bowl 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder, and all the crushed onions and garlic. Stir well to combine the seasonings.
Pour the mixed sauce evenly over the chicken thighs, using your hands to massage both sides of the chicken. Wrap the chicken tray with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, marinating the chicken for about 2 – 4 hours to allow the flavors to soak in.
Tip: If you have time, you should marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator to let the flavors penetrate the meat, making the dish more flavorful.
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Prepare other ingredients
After buying the bok choy, cut off the root and remove any damaged leaves. Soak the bok choy in diluted salt water for about 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
For the shiitake mushrooms, rinse them under cold water to remove dirt, then soak the mushrooms in water for about 30 – 45 minutes until they are soft, then drain.
How to properly soak dried shiitake mushrooms
- Rinse the mushrooms in water to remove dirt, then soak them in water for 30 minutes to several hours until they are soft; soaking for less than 30 minutes will not soften the mushrooms enough, making them less tasty when cooked.
- To shorten the soaking time, you can soak the mushrooms in warm or hot water at 60 – 80 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
- While soaking, turn the mushroom stems to be in contact with the water surface to easily remove any dirt from the mushrooms.
- Cut off the mushroom stems as they are very tough and not tasty.
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Fry the chicken
Place a pan on the stove, add 50ml of cooking oil and heat it up. When the oil is hot, gradually add the chicken thighs to fry until the skin is evenly golden and the chicken is cooked through, then remove and let it drain.
Tips for frying chicken crispy, without oil splatter
- Make sure the oil is really hot before adding the chicken, and fry in deep oil over medium to low heat to ensure the chicken skin is evenly golden and the meat is fully cooked without burning.
- Avoid adding sugar to the marinade for the chicken as it can easily cause the chicken to burn while frying.
- When frying the chicken, you can add a little flour or cornstarch to the oil to prevent oil splatter during the frying process.
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Prepare the broth
Place the fried chicken thighs in a pot. Then add 2 star anise, 1 slice of dried tangerine peel, 2 pieces of cinnamon bark, 12 dried shiitake mushrooms that have been softened, 2 liters of coconut water, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Cover and simmer the chicken for 20 minutes.
Tip: You can replace coconut water with chicken broth or bone broth.
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Blanch the vegetables and noodles
Place a pot of water on the stove, add 1 teaspoon of salt and 5ml of cooking oil, and bring to a boil. Then add the bok choy to the pot and blanch for about 3 minutes before removing.
Tip: Adding cooking oil to the water when blanching bok choy helps keep it green and shiny.
Utilizing the boiling water from blanching the vegetables, add the noodles and blanch for about 2 – 3 minutes depending on the type of noodles (check the instructions on the package according to the type of noodles).
Tips for deliciously blanched noodles that don’t become mushy:
- When the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium or low and blanch the noodles until nearly cooked; do not overcook them as they will become mushy and unappetizing.
- During the blanching process, you should add a little salt to the water to enhance the flavor of the noodles.
- After the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander, then add a few drops of olive oil or cooking oil to prevent them from sticking together.
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Completion
Add the blanched noodles and bok choy into a bowl, then ladle the broth over the top. To make the chicken noodle soup more appealing, add a pinch of ground pepper and finely chopped green onions!
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Finished Product
Now you have a delicious, hot bowl of herbal chicken noodles to enjoy, especially on a rainy day with a cool breeze. This dish can be served with a little salt, pepper, lime, and sweet and sour pickled radish, which will be absolutely wonderful.
How to Clean Chicken Properly, Without Smell
- To prevent the chicken from smelling, you need to clean all the feathers, including fine down feathers, to make the chicken white, clean, and less smelly.
- Mix vinegar and salt in a ratio of 2 parts salt to 1 part vinegar, then rub it all over the chicken, scrubbing multiple times, and then rinse thoroughly with clean water or rub lime, salt on the chicken skin, or use a bit of ginger and white wine to rub on the chicken to eliminate the odor.
Successful execution tips
- You can braise (tần) chicken and blanch the noodles the night before and store them in the refrigerator; in the morning, just reheat and blanch the noodles again to use.
- You can use pressure cooker and braise (tần) chicken to shorten cooking time; the chicken meat will become tender and release delicious sweet juice!
Through this article, you now know how to make braised chicken noodles and stewed chicken noodles deliciously and attractively to treat your loved ones and friends on weekends. Wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from 2 YouTube channels: Dinology and Ghiền nấu ăn
