Chicken Stir-fry Soup

From Foodist Rising— Blog by Eric Bogan

October 11, 2009

I’ve made this soup 3 times since I obtained it from FN star runner-up Jeffrey Saad:

Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt
1 1/2 tblsp. chinese five-spice powder
2 tblsp. peanut oil
2 garlic cloves
1 chile de arbol(or jalapeno, any chile you have on hand)
1 head bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
3 c chicken stock
1/2 c chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces and season all over with salt(to taste), and the five-spice powder.

In a large saute pan with high sides over medium-high heat, add the peanut oil.

When the oil is hot, add the whole garlic cloves and chile and saute until they start to blacken. Remove and discard.

Add the chicken to the pan and saute until golden, but not cooked through. Stir in the bok choy and carrots and saute for 1 min.

Stir in the mirin and cook for 30 seconds, then add soy sauce and chicken stock and heat through. Ladle the soup into large, wide bowls and garnish with the chopped cilantro.

You can also skip the chicken stock and serve over rice for an easy stir fry dish. If you like a hotter soup(like me), cut up the chile and add to peanut oil, or use the leftover chile as part of the garnish.

For those of you so inclined, I prefer a Riesling to serve with this dish. The ‘07 Bridgeview Riesling has a balence of acididty, slight sweetness that goes well with the spicy nature of the soup and aromatics of the five-spice.

Jeffrey has a pretty kewl site: http://jeffreysaad.wordpress.com/

Enjoy.