Viral No-Water Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 0.5 head Napa cabbage (chopped and washed)
• 1 inch fresh ginger (peeled and diced small)
• 2 elephant garlic (chopped)
• 1 cup pearl onions (peeled)
• 1 whole chicken (cleaned)
• 0.5 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, softened; divided)
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• 4 sprig fresh thyme (divided)
• 2 sprig fresh rosemary (divided)
• 1 tbsp rotisserie chicken seasoning (for the outside of the bird)
• 2 carrots (chopped)
• 2 stalk celery (chopped)
• 1 apple (chopped)
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 bay leaf

Steps

1. 1

   Chop and wash half a head of Napa cabbage. Peel and finely dice the fresh ginger. Chop two cloves of elephant garlic and set aside with the ginger.

2. 2

   Peel the pearl onions and chop the carrots, celery, and apple.

3. 3

   Prepare the chicken by stuffing half a stick of softened butter inside the cavity and rubbing the remaining half over the outside of the bird.

4. 4

   Mix some salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary together and place them inside the chicken cavity.

5. 5

   Season the outside of the chicken with rotisserie chicken seasoning, more rosemary, and more thyme.

6. 6

   In a large heavy-bottomed pot, place the chopped Napa cabbage to form a base. Add the garlic, ginger, onions, carrots, celery, and apple on top of the cabbage.

7. 7

   Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, turmeric, a bay leaf, and additional fresh thyme and rosemary.

8. 8

   Create a well in the center of the vegetables and nestle the seasoned chicken into the pot.

9. 9

   Cover the pot very tightly. If the lid has a steam vent or does not fit perfectly, line it with aluminum foil to ensure no steam escapes.

10. 10

    Cook on low heat for 2 hours. Do not add any water.

11. 11

    After 2 hours, check the pot. A concentrated broth should have formed. Carefully flip the chicken over so it is breast-side down.

12. 12

    Simmer for another hour on low heat until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

13. 13

    Remove the chicken from the pot, shred the meat, and return the shredded chicken to the concentrated broth. Serve hot.

Notes

The key to this recipe is a tight seal on the pot to prevent steam from escaping, as the moisture from the cabbage creates the broth. The author recommends not forgetting the celery and apple for extra flavor depth.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• soup
• chicken
• no-water
• slow-cooked
• viral-recipe
• healthy