Chicken stock is the base of almost every cuisine, and it’s no different with Chinese food. Many of my recipes call for chicken stock, and while it’s perfectly fine to use the good-quality shelf-stable boxes or cans of chicken broth sold at supermarkets, if you want to take your cooking up a notch, try this stock recipe. I’ve adapted it from a recipe of my friend Pichet Ong @pichetong, and it is absolutely the most delicious stock I’ve ever made. Add a soft boiled egg, some noodles or pasta, some sliced scallions, a dash of soy sauce, and you’ve got dinner.
Pichet’s Chinese Chinese Stock (adapted by Jen)
1 whole organic chicken (or 4 organic chicken thighs with drumsticks)
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves and stems cut and separated
1 teaspoon white peppercorn
8 ginger coins ¼ inch thick
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 onion, quartered
2 cups of daikon, in large cubes
6 scallions
10 dried shitake mushrooms
4 dried whole chilies (or jalapeno)
1 cup Shaoxing cooking wine
Quarter the chicken and reserve the breasts and thigh meat for other use. Place the chicken in a large stockpot and add 4-5 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and skim off the impurities. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil again. Reduce to medium heat, allowing the broth to simmer for at least 2-3 hours and up to 8 hours. Allow the broth to cool before straining through a colander.