Asian-Style Poached Chicken and Noodle Broth.

This hearty, aromatic and warming broth is great on a cold winter’s day. Its also a go-to when I’m having a flare up as it’s easy on the digestive system and it has anti-inflammatory ingredients. What’s more, it’s packed with flavour and I personally think this is the best way to achieve a perfectly moist and juicy chicken breast.

Time:

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 20-25 minutes

Total= 30-35 minutes

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

1 x small skinless and boneless chicken breast

1 x chicken stock pot/ cube

500ml x water

1 x sheet rice vermicelli noodles (about 45 grams)

3 x broccolini tips

3 x button mushrooms

3 x garlic cloves

2 x spring onions

2 x inch pieces of ginger

1 x cinnamon stick

1 x splash light soy sauce (or gluten-free alternative)

1 x teaspoon of sesame oil

Salt and pepper for seasoning

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and gently crush the garlic cloves with the back of a knife and roughly chop into large pieces. Peel and roughly chop the ginger into large pieces also.
2. Chop the spring onions into one-inch pieces and finely chop one of the green tips to set aside for garnish.
3. Heat the sesame oil in a small frying pan and sauté the garlic, ginger and spring onion until soft and aromatic.
4. Meanwhile, dissolve the chicken stock in 500ml of boiling water and keep at a gentle simmer in a deep saucepan.
5. Add the sautéed aromatics and the cinnamon stick into the stock. Then, gently place the chicken breast into the stock. If the stock does not entirely cover the chicken, add a touch more boiling water until it does.
6. Add a splash of soy sauce and season with salt and pepper before bringing the stock to a high simmer. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
7. Then, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and leave to cook with the lid on for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked and its juice runs clear.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the broccolini by removing the stems and halving the florets and quarter the mushrooms.
9. In the last four minutes, boil the rice noodles in a separate small saucepan along with the broccolini and mushrooms.
10. In the meantime, sauté the spare spring onion in the frying pan from earlier with a little extra sesame oil for garnish if desired.
11. Then, drain the noodles and veggies and place in the bottom of a deep soup bowl. Using tongs, remove the chicken breast from the broth and slice into 1-2 cm slices. It should be tender, vibrant white and cooked all the way through.
12. Place the chicken on top of the noodles and veggies. Strain the broth to remove the aromatics and pour over the chicken. Top with extra sautéed spring onion tops and serve.

 

Recipe adaption: If you are left with excess broth, you can either chill it and enjoy it the next day or freeze it for several weeks. This recipe was based on a single serving with left-over broth, but you can always double the veggie/ noodle quantity and use a larger chicken breast to make 2 servings. And, if you want to mix up the vegetables, water chestnuts work great with this broth too!