The Chicken Soup that makes itself!

I don’t say this lightly, but this is genuinely the best soup I’ve ever made.

What makes it so special is its simplicity. Everything goes into one pot—a marinated whole chicken, Napa cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, spring onions, and fresh ginger. The best part? You don’t add a single drop of water.

As it cooks low and slow, the chicken and vegetables release their natural juices, creating a rich, deeply savoury broth that’s full of flavour and never diluted. The chicken becomes incredibly tender, and if you fancy it, a quick blast in the oven crisps up the skin beautifully.

It’s a simple recipe with an incredible payoff. Whether you’re after a comforting family meal or something a little different from a traditional chicken soup, this one is guaranteed to impress.

Sometimes, the simplest recipes really are the best.

The Chicken Soup That Makes Itself No Water Needed!

A rich, no-water chicken soup made by slowly cooking a marinated chicken with fresh vegetables, creating a deeply flavourful, natural broth.

Servings 4

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade

• 1 whole Chicken
• 3 tbsp Oyster Sauce I used gluten free
• 3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce I used gluten free
• 2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce omit if gluten free
• 1.5 tbsp Honey
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil

Veggies for Soup

• 4 cups Napa Cabbage use any cabbage you like, roughly chopped
• 3 Carrots roughly chopped
• 1 Apple roughly chopped
• 5 slices Ginger
• 1 bunch Spring Onions roughly chopped
• 2 cups Mushrooms I used chestnut, roughly chopped
• pinch Salt
• pinch White Pepper
• 1 tsp Chicken powder optional

Instructions

• Being by marinating your chicken in the marinade. Ideally do this the night before or for at least 1 hour.
• Add all of your chopped veggies into a large sauce pan that has tightly fitting lid
• Add your seasoning
• Place your marinated chicken on to the top of the veggies, breast side down
• Pop on the lid and place over a medium to low heat. I cooked mine on Induction mark 4
• After 1.5 hours check to see if the chicken is tender.
• This is completely optional but I then placed my poached chicken into a pre heated oven at 180c for 25 minutes to caramelise the skin.
• Remove your chicken once it is fully cooked and if you popped it into the oven golden brown, allow to cool slightly and then shred.
• Place a portion of your chicken into a bowl (I served mine over freshly steamed rice) then ladle over that rich aromatic soup.
• This is by far one of the best soups I have ever made.
• Enjoy

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese

Keyword: Chicken, Soup

Collection: Easy recipes

For more recipe checkout my Chinese Made Easy Cook Book