Clay Pot Silkie Chicken Wonton Soup 砂鍋雲吞烏雞
You can use any kind of poultry to substitute the silkie chicken. Partridge is also a good choice if you’re looking for something with Chinese medicinal effects.This recipe traditionally uses Jinhua ham which may be difficult to buy and is quite pricey. I usually have Shanghai salted pork belly in my freezer but I ran out when I made this dish. I ended up using bacon and it actually worked quite well.Use napa cabbage or shanghai bok choy or both. But bok choy is to be put in only 5 minutes before serving.
Approximate cost (CAD) $20
Ingredients
- 1 Silkie chicken
- 1 lb Napa cabbage
- 75 g Salted pork or bacon (you will only need about 30g if using Jinhua ham)
- 2 L Water or chicken stock
- 12 Shanghai wontons
- ½ stalk Green onion garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil and dip the silkie chicken in the boiling water for 10 seconds
- Submerse the chicken into an ice bath for 10 seconds and repeat step 1 and 2 again
This will help the chicken skin stay intact during cooking. It also clears the chicken of impurities 
- Make a cut on the back of the chicken to make it flat during cooking
This will allow for more flavour to go into the soup and easier to submerse the whole chicken in the soup. You can also cut it into 2 halves or cut it into smaller pieces but it’s traditionally served with a whole chicken and then cut apart tableside. 
- Add 2 L of water or broth to a clay pot
Although a clay pot is preferred, any pot without a non-stick coating should be fine - Cut the napa cabbage in fairly large pieces but small enough to fit into a bowl and add to the clay pot
I like the napa cabbage being super soft, but if you like yours a bit firmer, you can add half the napa cabbage after 30 minutes 
- Slice the Jinhua ham, salted pork or bacon into thin slices and add to the clay pot
- Add the silkie chicken to the pot
Don’t worry if the chicken sticks up over the water. After cooking it for 5 minutes, the bones and meat should soften and you’ll be able to stretch the cavity open. 
- Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil
- Once the soup boils, turn the heat down to low and cook for 45 minutes
- 15 minutes prior to the soup being done, boil a pot of water to cook the shanghai wontons and cook until done. Remove from water and place them in each serving bowl
- Taste the soup and add salt or soy sauce to suit your taste. The Jinhua ham, salted pork or bacon is already salty so additional salt may not be needed
- Serve soup with wontons.
Nutrition
Calories: 543kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 40gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 409mgPotassium: 712mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1107IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 138mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!