The Chicken With Ginger & Rice Wine Soup My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Step 1: Prep ginger and dried ingredients

Place the peanuts (5 oz) in a bowl, wash with water, then drain. Add enough warm water to cover the peanuts and set aside to soak.

Add the wood ear mushroom (1 oz) into a bowl, cover with warm water and set aside to soak for 5 minutes.

Rinse the dried jujubes twice, drain and set aside.

Add dried daylilies (1 oz) to a bowl, cover with warm water and set aside to soak for 2 to 3 minutes.

Wash the entire piece of ginger (2 oz) thoroughly to remove any dirt, then cut into thin slices.

Step 2: Prep chicken

To get the chicken ready, start by slicing the feet off below the leg joint and cutting each one in half.

Cut off the skin around the neck of the chicken, then remove and discard the head.

Cut the neck in half.

Remove and discard the skin. Slice through the skin at the center of the chicken's back, then flip the chicken around and do the same on the breast side.

Carefully cut through the joint at one of the wings and separate it from the chicken. If done right, some skin should be attached to the wing. Trim the skin that's attached to the wing and discard it.

Cut off the wing tips, then cut the wing into 2 to 3 smaller pieces.

Repeat this process for other wing.

Cut off the chicken leg. Bend it by the joint, then slice through it with the knife to fully remove the leg.

Remove and discard the butt.

Cut at the joint to detach drumsticks (Daddy Lau saves these for another recipe, but people can of course use these for this recipe by cutting them in half.).

Divide the thighs into 2 smaller pieces.

Divide the carcass in half, separating the breast side from the back side. Trim off and discard any excess fat.

Chop the back into 4 smaller pieces.

Chop the breast into 4 smaller pieces.

Step 3: Cut ingredients

Cut the rehydrated jujubes in half, carefully slicing around pit to remove. Discard the pits.

Drain the wood ear mushroom. Use kitchen scissors to remove the core. Discard the core, then tear the mushroom into bite-sized pieces.

Drain the peanuts.

Drain the rehydrated daylilies. Rinse a second time, drain and gently squeeze out any excess water. Trim off the tough ends.

Step 4: Blanch chicken

Add boiling water to a wok on high heat. Cover and bring back to a boil.

When water comes to a rolling boil, add the chicken pieces. Stir the chicken gently to make sure each piece is submerged in water. Cook until the color of the chicken pales, about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and use a spider strainer to transfer the chicken to a bowl of cold water. Let them cool for 20 to 30 seconds.

Use the spider to transfer to a clean bowl.

Step 5: Cook soup

Place a large pot on the stove on high heat.

Add the oil (1 teaspoon) and ginger to pot, then stir fry until fragrant, about 50 seconds.

Add the peanuts and stir fry for 20 seconds.

Add the water (8 cup) to the pot, add the wood ear fungus and cover the pot with a lid. Bring to a boil on high heat.

When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until peanuts are soft.

Step 6: Add final ingredients

Once the peanuts have softened, uncover the pot and increase the heat to high.

Add the chicken, jujubes and daylilies, then cover the pot again.

When the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid, add the rice wine (0.50 cup) and cook for about 1 min.

Add the salt (0.50 teaspoon), stir, turn off the heat and plate.

(Chef's Tip: Instead of pouring the salt directly into the soup, which would then require you to stir around a bunch of ingredients, my dad adds the salt to the ladle. He fills it up with a bit of soup to dissolve the salt, then pours the seasoned soup in a circle around the pot to season it evenly.)