If you are “scratching your head” about what to cook for your little one during weaning, then try referring to these 2 recipes for asparagus chicken soup and pumpkin chicken soup. These are 2 dishes from chicken that are extremely delicious, and your little one will “eat it all up”! Go to the kitchen and get started right away!
1. Asparagus Chicken Soup
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Asparagus Chicken Soup For 2 servings
Chicken breast 300 gr Asparagus 100 gr Fresh shiitake mushrooms 8 pieces Pumpkin 1/4 piece Carrot 1 piece Yellow corn 1 ear Chicken egg 1 piece Fish sauce 3 teaspoons Tapioca starch 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (salt/ seasoning/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose fresh asparagus
- You should choose asparagus stalks that are firm and have a certain shiny green color, with the lower part of the stalk being lighter green and getting darker towards the tips.
- You should choose asparagus that is intact, without scars or breaks.
- Avoid buying asparagus that is wilted or has soft, mushy stalks.
How to choose fresh and delicious carrots
- Fresh and delicious carrots are of moderate size, have a straight elongated shape towards the tail, smooth skin, feel firm in hand, and slightly hard.
- Choose carrots that have a deep, bright orange color, with the green tops still fresh and firmly attached to the root.
- Avoid carrots with wilted, bruised tops, damaged bodies, slimy parts, dark spots, and those that feel soft when pressed.
- Do not choose overly large carrots with thick, heavy tops and shoulders, as these are older carrots, which will have more fibers and less nutrients.
How to choose fresh shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms look like an umbrella, without being bruised. You should choose mushrooms of moderate size, with short stems, tightly capped and slightly brownish in color.
- Limit selecting dark brown caps as they may be toxic, however, you should also be flexible in your choice because typically, ripe shiitake mushrooms will also turn dark brown.
How to prepare Asparagus Chicken Soup
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Prepare the ingredients
Soak the asparagus in rice water for about 20 minutes and then rinse it thoroughly. Cut off the tough ends and cut into pieces about the length of a finger.
Wash the carrot, peel it, and dice it. Peel and deseed 1/4 of a pumpkin, wash it, and then dice it.
Wash the corn and separate the kernels.
Fresh shiitake mushrooms should be washed by cutting off the stems and soaking them in diluted salt water for 2 – 3 minutes.
Then take the mushrooms out, hold them under running water, and gently rub to remove any dirt and dust on the mushrooms. After washing, slice the mushrooms into thin, bite-sized pieces.
How to prepare fresh shiitake mushrooms: The method to prepare fresh shiitake mushrooms is quite simple; you can use one of the following three methods:
- Method 1: Use a knife to cut off any dirty stems (if any), then blanch the mushrooms in boiling water for about 3 minutes, and drain.
- Method 2: You can soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for about 1 – 2 minutes to clean off any dirt and sawdust. Then rinse with cold water and cut off the stems to ensure the mushrooms are clean. You can also wash the shiitake mushrooms with rice water to eliminate the pungent smell and help the mushrooms retain their natural flavor.
- Method 3: After cutting off the dirty parts at the stems, soak them in diluted salt water for 2 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water.
See details: How to prepare shiitake mushrooms
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Boil and cut the chicken breast
Wash the chicken thoroughly, remove the odor by soaking the chicken in a mixture of salt and vinegar in the appropriate ratio for 5 – 10 minutes, then wash clean and let it drain.
Tips to remove chicken odor: You can remove the odor from the chicken using one of the following methods:- Method 1: Soak the chicken in diluted salt water for about 10 – 15 minutes, then take it out and rinse thoroughly with water. This will help eliminate the unpleasant smell.
- Method 2: Soak the chicken in a salt-vinegar solution with a ratio of 2 salt : 1 vinegar for about 10 minutes, then take it out and rinse it clean with water.
See details: Tips to remove chicken odor.
Place about 1 liter of water (equivalent to 1 bowl of water) in a pot and bring it to a boil. After the water boils, add the chicken and boil for about 10 minutes.
When the chicken is cooked, take it out, let it cool, remove the bones, and cut the meat into small, bite-sized pieces. Keep the chicken boiling water for later use in the soup.
Put the cut chicken into a bowl, add 2 teaspoons of seasoning and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, then mix well. Let the chicken sit for 5 – 10 minutes to absorb the seasoning.
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Cook soup with vegetables
Bring the chicken broth back to a boil, then gradually add shiitake mushrooms, carrots, corn kernels, and diced pumpkin.
While boiling, if there is any foam on the surface of the broth, skim it off. After boiling the vegetables for 3 – 5 minutes until cooked, add the marinated chicken.
Add asparagus, stir well. Cook until the broth boils again, then remove the asparagus.
Note: To keep the asparagus crunchy and vibrant green, remove it from the pot after 5 – 8 minutes.Add 1 tablespoon of seasoning, 1/2 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce to the pot. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
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Completion
After seasoning to taste, crack 1 chicken egg into a bowl and beat well.
Reduce the heat to low and slowly pour the chicken egg into the pot, stirring well to blend the egg into the soup.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch in half a small cup of water, whisking until the starch is completely dissolved, then add it to the soup pot. Turn off the heat and ladle the soup into bowls.
Tip:- You should not add the tapioca starch all at once, but gradually pour it into the soup while stirring vigorously until the soup thickens.
- If you want to eat asparagus with the soup, place the asparagus in a bowl and ladle the soup over it.
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Final Product
Delicious chicken asparagus soup full of nutrients, blending the flavors of all ingredients, with tender chicken meat that is easy to eat, and sweet asparagus along with other vegetables, suitable for supplementing nutrition for both mother and baby.
2. Chicken Pumpkin Soup
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Processing
25 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pumpkin Chicken Soup For 2 people
Chicken breast 150 gr Pumpkin 200 gr Potato 150 gr Onion 1 bulb Unsalted butter 1 tablespoon Whipping cream 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good pumpkin
- A good pumpkin usually has a yellow-orange color with dark green patches, golden flesh, sweet and fragrant taste, and relatively firm texture.
- Choose heavy, firm pumpkins with smooth skin.
- Choose pumpkins with a stem length of 2 – 5 cm. Pumpkins with short stems tend to spoil faster.
- Round pumpkins that naturally form into relatively even sections when cut.
See details:
How to choose fresh potatoes
- Good potatoes feel heavy, firm, with smooth skin, and are cool to the touch. Potatoes with yellowish skin are tastier than those with whitish skin.
- If you see potatoes sprouting or the skin turning green, do not buy them as sprouted potatoes release toxins harmful to the body.
- Wrinkled potatoes that are soft to the touch are old and not fresh anymore.
Essential tools
Blender, pot, stove, knife, cutting board,…
How to make Pumpkin Chicken Soup
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Prepare the ingredients
Clean the chicken, remove the odor by soaking the chicken in diluted salt water for 5 – 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly, drain, and dice.
Tips to remove the smell of chicken: You can remove the smell of chicken using one of the following methods:- Method 1: Use crushed ginger mixed with white wine and rub it all over the chicken, let it sit for about 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water; this can help eliminate the unpleasant smell of chicken.
- Method 2: Soak the chicken in a salt-vinegar solution in a ratio of 2 salt : 1 vinegar for about 10 minutes, then remove and rinse clean with water.
Peel the potatoes and onions, wash them, and dice them.
Wash the pumpkin, remove the skin and seeds, and dice it.
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Simmer chicken breast, pumpkin, and potatoes
Place a pot on the stove and heat it up. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
After the butter melts, add the onion and sauté until fragrant, then add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 – 5 minutes until the chicken breast is cooked.
Continue to add the pumpkin and potatoes and stir-fry for another 3 – 5 minutes to ensure the ingredients are evenly cooked.
Add 500ml of water (half a bowl of water) to the pot, cover it with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes until the chicken soup is done.
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Blend the soup mixture
Once the chicken soup is cooked, let it cool and then transfer it to a blender to blend until smooth.
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Cooking the soup
After blending the mixture until smooth, place a pot on the stove again. Pour the soup in and bring it back to a boil, at this point add 1 tablespoon of whipping cream to give the dish a rich and delicious flavor.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce, stir well, and then turn off the heat.
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Final product
The pumpkin soup has a delicious rich flavor and is extremely smooth, making it a nutritious meal for your little one.
How to choose fresh and delicious chicken breast
- Choose pieces of chicken with skin or fat that is white in color, these are older chickens, and the meat will be tougher. Pieces of chicken with yellow skin or fat are younger chickens, which can lead to the breast meat being more likely to be mushy.
- Avoid buying chicken breasts with a lot of white tendons on the outside because these are pieces that contain a lot of fat and less protein, making the chicken meat less tasty after cooking.
- If buying frozen chicken breast, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date and the packaging being sealed.
With just a few simple steps, you can cook 2 extremely delicious dishes of asparagus chicken soup and pumpkin chicken soup for your beloved child. Wishing you success with TasteVN’s sharing.
*Recipes and images referenced from YouTube channel Feedy VN and TasteShare.
