Magic Soup Recipe: Emma’s Chinese Chicken Soup for Fertility

Trying to conceive? Try this healing, hormone-balancing fertility soup recipe from Magic Soup.

This soup is unashamedly for women. Our friend Emma Cannon is an amazing acupuncturist and fertility specialist; she gave us this recipe, telling us: “this is the Queen of soups. As one of my old teachers would say, even the making of it is something of a ritual; it’s not only about eating but also connecting to the essence of the bones and heart of ourselves.” Gathering the ingredients, putting them in a big pot and watching the transformation take place is a bit like alchemy. It contains the Chinese herbs dang gui (angelica root) and huang qi (astralgus), both of which are gentle tonics that help to balance the female hormones. They are widely available in Asian stores or online.

Note: It is not recommended to include dang gui root if you are taking the medication Warfarin.

SERVES 4-6

1 small organic chicken (weighing about 2 lbs 3 oz)
4 cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
5 cardamom pods, bashed
2 star anise pods
a few slices of fresh ginger
3 strips huang qi (astragalus)
2 dang gui roots (angelica)
2 cups black glutinous rice wine, such as Shaoxing noodles or cooked rice, to serve (optional)
tenderleaf salad, to serve

Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the chicken and blanch it for 5 minutes, then remove, drain and rinse it. Return it to the pot.

Put the spices, ginger and Chinese herbs in a square of cheesecloth and tie it up to make a spice bag. Add it to the pot along with the rice wine and enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer gently over low heat for up to 4 hours, until tender.

Remove the chicken from the broth, allow to cool slightly, then take the meat off the bones, discarding the bones. Remove the spice bag and pass the stock through a cheesecloth or a fi ne-mesh strainer.

Shred the chicken into large pieces by hand and return it to the broth. You can add your favorite noodles or ladle the soup over cooked rice, or just enjoy the simplicity of chicken soup on its own.

Serve with the tenderleaf salad.