Black Boned Chicken Soup with Danggui and Huangqi

Purpose:

To supplement blood and nourish organs.  To improve spleen and heart.  This soup can be used for treating weak body and lack of strength due to insufficent qi and blood.       

Material: 

Black boned chicken （silky fowl，竹丝鸡）     300 g
Huangqi （黄芪）                                             10 g 
Danggui （当归）                                              5 g
Dried red dates （红枣）                                   5
Salt                                                                 some 

Note:

All ingredients are available from Chinese grocery stores.  Black boned chicken (silky fowl) have snow white feather and dark skin, claws and beaks.  They are usually cleaned and frozen, and sold in individually sealed packages.  The skin of silky chicken is a bit bluish before cooking.  After cooking, the skin, meat and bones all appear black - to be more accurate, the skin is black, the bones has a partial coat of a thin black film, and the meat has a tint of black.  There are many varieties of danggui and huangqi, so it is better that you buy both herbs from a Chinese herb shop if therapeutic effects are important to you.  Silky fowl, danggui, huangqi, and red dates are highly valued ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). They are all considered as nutritional supplements.

Procedure:

a.   Remove fat, skin, and organs (if there are any) from the silky fowl.  Cut the meat and bone into medium size pieces ( 2-3 inches).  Rinse clean danggui, huangqi, and red dates.

b.   Add about 5 cups of water and bring to boil with high heat.  Add the chicken and cooked for about 5 minutes.  Use a strainer to remove chicken pieces from the pot.  Rinse the chicken clean.  Pour away the water.  

c.   Add the chicken and herbs to a clean pot.  Add about 5 cups of water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.    

d.   Add some salt to taste.  Ready to serve. 

        

Comment:

This is an excellent soup.  Both huangqi and red dates have sweet tastes that go well with meat, while danggui has a special aroma that feels great when it is not too strong.  Silky fowl is famous for its delicate texture and delicious taste.  After cooking, the chicken meat can be easily separated from the bones.  You can eat the soup alone, or with a meal.  Eat the meat and red dates and drink the soup.  Some people also eat cooked danggui and huangqi.  My suggestion is that you can eat them if you find them tasteful; but you are not wasting much if you just discard them.  The useful components of the herbs have gone into the soup after such a long period of cooking.
 

Dried red date （红枣）

Silky fowl （竹丝鸡）

Danggui （当归）

Huangqi （黄芪）

Black boned Chicken （竹丝鸡）