Dad's Simple Chicken Broth (+ a Childhood Soup)

How a Chinese chef prepares Chicken Broth!

Welcome to issue #002 of the 🔒 Cookbook Confidential 🔒!

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Today we’re exploring a foundational technique in my dad’s cooking arsenal: how to make Chicken Broth.

For this newsletter we’re using about 1 pound of chicken bones and scraps. (after my dad showed me how to break down an entire chicken in a bunch of different ways - coming this Friday!)

My dad’s turning this pound of chicken bones and scraps into broth!

My dad’s simple method applies to almost any other soup base that involves some sort of meat. It also seems to be lower-maintenance and more convenient than other recipes I’ve seen.

We’ll be going over 1 technique + 1 recipe we’re workshopping for our cookbook:

• Part 1 - How to make Simple Chicken Broth

• Part 2 - Chicken Soup with Chinese Mustard & Salted Eggs

My childhood: Chicken Soup with Chinese Mustard & Salted Eggs

How to make Simple Chicken Broth

To make our chicken broth, we used 1 pound of chicken bones + scraps, but the amount + type of meat doesn’t matter. (My dad also does this with ribs and big chunks of lean pork very often.)

At a high level, this is a two step process:

• Blanching the bones + scraps to remove the scum

• Simmering to extract flavor and nutrients from the bones

Step 1: Blanching (3-5 minutes)

The main goal of this relatively quick step is to remove the scum from the bones and scraps. My dad (and most chefs) prefer a clear and clean broth as a soup base.

(Scum is the most common term, but it’s also referred to as foam. It’s mostly proteins and fat that coagulate at the surface of soup, forming air pockets that cloud the broth. It’s safe to eat, but tastes less clean and is less aesthetically pleasing.)

Blanching overview

To blanch:

1. Add enough water to a pot or wok (my dad uses a wok) to submerge the bones. My dad used about 2 to 3 cups of water for about 1 pound of chicken bones.

2. Set the stove to high heat, cover, and bring to a boil.

3. Once the water is gently boiling, add the bones and scraps.

4. Bring the water back to a rapid boil, and after about 2-3 minutes, simmer on medium heat for about 1 more minute to release even more impurities

5. Clean the bones: Before moving onto the soup, my dad transfers the bones to a large bowl of water and gives them a quick rinse.

Why is this method slightly easier than other methods? With a quick blanch, you don’t need to use a fine-mesh skimmer to fish out the scum.

Step 2: Simmering (20 minutes to 1 hour)

The main goal of this step is to create the broth by allowing heat and time to extract flavors and nutrients from the bones and scraps.

Simmering overview

To create the broth:

1. Bring 4 to 5 cups of water to a boil in a large pot on high heat.

2. Add the bones immediately (you don’t have to wait for the water to boil and cover the pot.

3. Once the pot is boiling, set the stove to low heat and simmer for 20 to 60 minutes.

4. After a maximum of 1 hour, remove the bones.

From here, you can do whatever you want with your new chicken broth!

Here’s a recipe that I ate ALL THE TIME growing up but didn’t quite have a name for…

Chicken Soup with Chinese Mustard & Salted Eggs