Chicken Corn Soup (雞肉玉米湯)

A soothing, heartwarming soup that comes together in less than half an hour!

flodesk gif
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Yields
4 servings

A Recipe by Daddy Lau

My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you'll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

- Randy

Today you'll learn how to make one of my absolute FAVORITE dishes growing up.

My dad's take on chicken corn soup is soothing, savory, and satisfying all at once. It's a classic Chinese dish (with variations across all different types of cuisines) and is super easy to make.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Ingredients

Weight: US
oz
g
Volume: US
cup
mL
Servings
4

Main Ingredients

  • 3 oz chicken breast
  • 4 cup water, for boiling
  • 0.50 carrot (

    amount can vary - about half of a normal sized carrot

    )
  • 8 oz unsweetened corn (

    we'll be blending the corn, but pureed corn also works

    )
  • 8 oz water, for corn blend (

    1 to 1 ratio with corn

    )
  • 1 egg

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.50 tsp salt (

    used twice, once for the chicken, once for the soup

    )
  • 1 tbsp water (

    for the chicken and the slurry

    )

Slurry

  • 6 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water

Seasoning

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.50 tsp chicken powder
  • 1 tsp white pepper (

    to taste

    )
  • 0.25 tsp sesame oil
  • 0.50 cup cilantro (

    optional, for garnish

    )

Selecting Corn

My dad prefers unsweetened corn kernels, which you can find in most grocery stores. He blends it with an equal portion of water to create a nice and soft corn puree.

If you don't have a blender, you can also buy canned corn puree.

I asked him if it mattered if the corn was sweetened or not, and he said "ABSOLUTELY UNSWEETENED."

This is slightly dramatized, but he prefers a savory flavor profile.

If sweet is your thing, I've definitely had this same recipe elsewhere with sweetened corn, which still tastes great.

Don't be generous with sesame oil

Sesame oil has a very intense, concentrated aroma. While it's delicious, it can be overpowering, especially in a dish like this where the other flavors are very delicate. Corn and chicken breast can't really compete with the power of potent sesame oil.

Drizzle the sesame oil over your finished soup very carefully and sparingly; you can always add more if needed.

Cut and dice the chicken breast (3 oz) into small pieces.

In my dad's soup, the chicken is so tiny and tender that I forget he even adds it.

Once diced, place the chicken into a small bowl for mixing. Add the cornstarch (1 tsp), salt (0.50 tsp), and water (1 tbsp).

Stir well until the chicken has fully absorbed the ingredients, readying it for its tender, delicious destiny.

Pour the unsweetened corn kernels (8 oz) and an equal amount of water (8 oz) into a blender.

Blend until the corn turns into a finely mixed puree (about 15-30 seconds).

Cut length-wise slices of carrot (0.50 ). Then, cut the slices into stripes, and the stripes into tiny cubes.

Carrots give the soup a hint of sweetness, a dash of color, and in my adorable mom's words, it "makes the soup look very, very beautiful!"

(If garnishing with cilantro (0.50 cup), chop it up while you have the cutting board out.)

Create the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch (6 tsp) and water (2 tbsp) in a bowl, and stir until the cornstarch has completely dissolved.

Cornstarch is one of my dad's cornerstone ingredients. In this case, he's using it to thicken the soup.

Once that's done, crack your egg (1 ) into a bowl, and beat it up with your utensil of choice (my dad uses chopsticks.)

Set a large pot on your stovetop, and set to the highest heat. Pour water (4 cup), and cover to bring to a boil.

Once the water has started to boil, add the corn puree and carrots into the pot. Stir the newly added ingredients.

When it comes back to a boil, you'll slowly and individually add your cornstarch slurry, chicken, and egg to the soup.

My dad is very deliberate about this step, making sure that each ingredient is added slowly, with constant stirring.

Slowly add the cornstarch mix, stirring constantly.

Slowly add the chicken, stirring constantly. Done properly, none of the chicken pieces should be allowed to clump up.

Wait for the soup to boil again to give the chicken some time to cook.

Once boiling, slowly add the egg in 2-3 batches, stirring constantly. Done properly, the egg should "flower", forming soft little sinews and strands within the soup.

Continue stirring for a few seconds after all of the ingredients have been added.

To give the soup that extra umph and umami flavor, add salt (1 tsp), chicken powder (0.50 tsp), white pepper (1 tsp), and sesame oil (0.25 tsp).

This part is pretty flexible, and you can experiment with your own additions or changes.

Side note: While I'm personally the kind of amateur cook who loves following ingredients to a T, my dad cooks with the free spirit of a chef who's been at it for 50 years.

For good measure, stir the pot a few times.

For major holidays (like Chinese New Year) and family gatherings, my dad does one of two things:

  • He pours this soup into a large bowl to be placed next to a plethora of other tasty food.
  • He tasks someone (i.e. me) to distribute the soup into small soup bowls for our relatives to enjoy as an appetizer.

Mostly for visual appeal, my parents like to garnish their creations with chopped cilantro. Totally optional.

FAQ

What's the difference between Chicken Corn Soup and Chicken Corn Chowder?

  • Most Chinese soups can be categorized as thinner, broth-like 湯, or thicker, less viscous 羹, but in general, Chinese and Chinese-American soups are not chowders.
  • Chowders are rich, often creamy (like, literally has cream or milk in it), and chunky: think clam powder with potatoes.
  • If you've heard of Chicken and Corn Chowder, it's not the same as our Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup! Ours is a light, slightly thickened soup with simple seasonings. You might describe it as 清, which kind of means "clean", or mild, or easy on the stomach. A chicken and corn chowder is richer, even thicker, will have cream and cheese, and likely to start with bacon and mirepoix.

What's the best cut of chicken to use in soup?

  • In a soup like chicken corn soup, where chicken is a discreet addition rather than the star of the show, we recommend chicken breast. While there won't be a huge, noticeable difference, finely cubed chicken breast cooks quickly and doesn't add as much fattiness as chicken thigh would.

Summary

Chicken Corn Soup (雞肉玉米湯)
A soothing, heartwarming soup that comes together in less than half an hour!
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 25 min
  • Yield: 4 servings

Main Ingredients

  • 3 oz chicken breast
  • 4 cup water, for boiling
  • 0.50 carrot (

    amount can vary - about half of a normal sized carrot

    )
  • 8 oz unsweetened corn (

    we'll be blending the corn, but pureed corn also works

    )
  • 8 oz water, for corn blend (

    1 to 1 ratio with corn

    )
  • 1 egg

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.50 tsp salt (

    used twice, once for the chicken, once for the soup

    )
  • 1 tbsp water (

    for the chicken and the slurry

    )

Slurry

  • 6 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water

Seasoning

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.50 tsp chicken powder
  • 1 tsp white pepper (

    to taste

    )
  • 0.25 tsp sesame oil
  • 0.50 cup cilantro (

    optional, for garnish

    )

Step 1 - Prepare chicken

↑ Jump to details

Cut and dice the chicken breast (3 oz) into small pieces. Once diced, place the chicken into a small bowl for mixing. Add the cornstarch (1 tsp), salt (0.50 tsp), and water (1 tbsp). Stir well until the chicken has fully absorbed the ingredients.

Step 2 - Prepare vegetables

↑ Jump to details

Pour the unsweetened corn kernels (8 oz) and an equal amount of water (8 oz) into a blender. Blend until the corn turns into a finely mixed puree (about 15-30 seconds).

Cut carrot (0.50 ) into slices. Then, cut the slices into stripes, and the stripes into tiny cubes.

(If garnishing with cilantro (0.50 cup), chop it up while you have the cutting board out.)

Step 3 - Prepare slurry & eggs

↑ Jump to details

Mix cornstarch (6 tsp) and water (2 tbsp) in a bowl, and stir until the cornstarch has completely dissolved. Afterwards, crack your egg (1 ) into a bowl, and beat into an even consistency.

Step 4 - Start soup

↑ Jump to details

Set a large pot on your stovetop, and set to the highest heat. Pour water (4 cup), and cover to bring to a boil.

Once the water has started to boil, add the corn puree and carrots into the pot and stir them in.

Once the soup is boiling again, while constantly stirring, you'll slowly and individually add your cornstarch slurry and chicken to the pot. Still stirring, wait for the pot to boil again, and then add egg to the soup. Continue stirring for a few seconds after all of the ingredients have been added.

Step 5 - Add flavors & serve

↑ Jump to details

Add salt (1 tsp), chicken powder (0.50 tsp), white pepper (1 tsp), and sesame oil (0.25 tsp).

Stir the pot for a few seconds, and serve immediately. If preferred, garnish with chopped cilantro.

Step 6 - Take pictures
Whip out your camera (1). Begin taking photos (1,000,000). Pick your favorites!
Step 7 - Share and tag us on Instagram @madewithlau #madewithlau!
Did you have fun making this recipe? We'd love to see & hear about it. (Especially my dad. He would be THRILLED!)

Enjoy!

My sister and I have many, many happy memories enjoying this soup growing up.

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.