Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup, hearty and healthy

Introduction

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup is a popular and comforting dish that has become part of Pakistani cuisine. It’s origins are not however from the South Asia continent, they are in fact Chinese. Similar to Chinese spring rolls, the Pakistani culture has put it’s own twist on this dish. The soup is known for its rich and hearty flavours. You really can’t go wrong with the combination of chicken and sweetcorn, which is my children’s favourite pizza topping. So why not introduce this soup to the family as a healthy meal to enjoy together.

This soup if essentially a Chinese soup that is cooked Pakistani style. The main ingredients comprise of shredded chicken, soya sauce, rice vinegar and chillies. The blend of these ingredients make it delicious. It perfectly combines hot, sour and tangy in one mouthful.

Chicken and Sweetcorn soup is often served as a starter or enjoyed on its own with a nice dollop of crusty bread. The beauty of this soup is that you customise it to your preference. You can add any other vegetables you prefer and ramp up the spices also if you prefer more of a kick. It especially is something to make during the winter months when everyone is run down with the cold and the flu.

Why make Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

The soup is super quick and easy to prepare, making it a perfect choice for busy weeknights or when you’re craving a comforting meal without spending too much time in the kitchen.

Due to it’s Chinese origins, it pairs well with other Chinese dishes such as fried rice or noodles. It’s also a budget friendly dish to make. I used tinned sweetcorn and chicken is generally cheap to buy. Most of the other ingredients should be things you have in your cupboard, if not the purchase of the ingredients will not go to waste once you have made this recipe. You will be making it again and again!

Tips on making Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

I like to use chicken on the bone for the recipe. I do feel that the cooking of the chicken on the bone adds a different depth of nutrition to the soup. However, you can always use boneless chicken, which will make the chicken easier and quicker to shred.

When adding the cornflour, make sure you add a bit of the soup stock into a bowl with the flour and whisk together until you have a paste. Otherwise if you add the flour straight into the soup in the saucepan, it will be difficult to combine without ending up with flour clumps. No one wants to eat or see clumps of flour floating around in their soup!

How I discovered Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

I first had Chicken and Sweetcorn soup when a friend invited me over for a play date. Whilst our toddlers played on a cold winter’s day, she served this lovely soup. I had never had this soup before, or even heard of it! I think this was perhaps something that got lost in our family’s migration from Pakistan to East Africa. But since having this at my friend’s house, I have definitely brought this back into a family’s food palette. I like to add Nigella seeds, also known as black cumin or kalonji, to the recipe. I love the nutritional value attached to kalonji and it therefore only seemed fitting that it should be in this classic winter soup like this. Nigella seeds are used in herbal medicine for their potential health benefits, therefore adding to the nutritional value of this soup!

I like to serve the soup with some sourdough bread, and in addition generous dollops of butter. You could always add in some vegetable pakoras if you wanted more of a desi twist on serving this dish.

See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

Ingredients for Chicken Sweetcorn soup

Time 45 minutes

Feeds 8-10

• 2.5 litres boiling water
• 1 whole medium chicken, skinned and cut into pieces (around 1-1.2kg weight)
• 1 teaspoon of garlic finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of ginger finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 4 carrots grated
• 1 large tin of sweet corn, water drained (approximately weight around 260 grams)
• 150 grams of frozen green peas
• 1 egg whisked
• 50ml of light soya sauce
• 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon of nigella seeds (optional)
• 2-3 finely chopped green chillies (to taste)
• 4 tablespoons of cornflour

Method for Chicken Sweetcorn Soup

Chicken Broth

In a large sauce pan, add the water and bring it to boil. Add the chicken, and also the garlic, ginger and salt. Turn the heat down and let the chicken cook 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

2. Then remove the chicken from the pan and put it to one side to let it cool slightly. You will be left with a chicken broth in the saucepan. Do not discard the broth, as this will form the base of the soup.

Vegetables

3. Add the carrots, sweetcorn and also the peas to the broth in the sauce pan and let is cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.

4. Whilst this is simmering, go back to the chicken and remove the chicken from the bone and shred the chicken. You can shred it to your preference for example large chicken chunks or smaller chicken chunks.

5. When the vegetables have simmered for 10 minutes, add the shredded chicken back into the pan.

Wet ingredients

6. In a bowl, add the whisked egg, soya sauce and also the vinegar. Stir through, then add to the saucepan and stir through in the pan.

Spices

7. Then add the pepper, nigella seeds and green chillies and stir through.

8. In a small bowl, mix cornflour with a little water to create a smooth paste. This will be used to thicken the soup. (Do not be tempted to add the cornflour straight into the saucepan, otherwise you could end up with lumps of flour which did not fully combine with the rest of the soup/broth. )

9. Then add the flour paste to the pan and let the soup simmer for a few minutes until all the ingredients and flavours have melded together.

10. Serve with your favourite bread and butter and enjoy!

See my video on Youtube, Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish.