Variations of comforting, brothy chicken soup are found in nearly every cuisine, many of them embellished with bolder ingredients than the all-too-common all-American combination of plain noodles and carrots. In Somalia, warmly spiced maraq cad is known for its finishing touches, such as tomatoes, cilantro, and lime added just at the end so they retain bright, bold flavor and texture. Thai hot and sour soup includes chili paste, ample aromatics, and makrut lime leaves, though we substitute lime juice and zest for ease. And Chinese cooks rely on jarred black bean-garlic sauce to enrich a simple broth filled with chicken, cooked rice, and shredded cabbage.
Somali Chicken Soup
Makes 4 servings
This is our take on maraq cad, which we were taught how to make by Somalia native and Massachusetts food consultant Nimco Mahamud-Hassan. Offer a simple homemade or store-bought hot sauce alongside. Hot steamed rice, added to bowls before the soup is ladled in, is a satisfying addition.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts won’t work in this recipe as chicken bones and skin contribute flavor to the broth.
1 tablespoon grape-seed or other neutral oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
Kosher salt and ground white pepper
2 serrano chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems chopped, leaves finely chopped, reserved separately
4 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped
1½ quarts low-sodium chicken broth or water
4 (12-ounce) bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges, to serve
In a large Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chilies, garlic, coriander, cardamom, the cilantro stems, and half of the tomatoes. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer over high heat, then submerge the chicken breasts in the liquid. Cover and cook over low until the chicken registers 160 degrees and is no longer pink in the thickest part, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a large plate and set aside to cool. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large heatproof bowl, then return the broth to the Dutch oven.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-size pieces; discard the skin and bones.
Add the shredded chicken to the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining tomatoes, the cilantro leaves and the lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges.
Thai Hot and Sour Soup With Chicken and Mushrooms
Makes 4 servings
Tom yum is a classic Thai soup that is spicy, sour, and savory. It also is intensely fragrant and flavorful with Southeast Asian aromatics, including lemon grass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves. On a trip to Bangkok, we learned to make tom yum gai — the chicken version — from home cook and food blogger Rawadee Yenchujit. Back home, we needed to use ginger and lime zest in place of the harder-to-find galangal and makrut lime leaves. If you can find fresh galangal, use an equal amount in place of the ginger. And if you’re able to get fresh makrut, use 10 sets of leaves (they grow in pairs) in place of the lime zest.
The chili paste, sometimes referred to as chili “jam” — nam prik pao in Thai — is a common addition to tom yum. Made by blending shallots, garlic, dried chilies, shrimp paste, tamarind, oil, and other ingredients, the paste brings added complexity and color to the soup, along with a touch of fat that helps carry the flavors. Thai Kitchen roasted chili paste is sold in small jars in the international aisle of most supermarkets.
The sauce pan must be covered during simmering; keeping the lid on ensures the broth will not over-reduce, which will upset the balance of flavors and result in too little volume.
If you like, serve it with steamed jasmine rice.
2 limes (see headnote)
4 stalks lemon grass, trimmed to the bottom 6 inches, dry outer layers discarded, bruised
4 Fresno or jalapeño chilies, stemmed, 2 halved and seeded, 2 sliced into thin rings
3 medium shallots, halved
3 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger (see headnote), cut into 4 or 5 coins and bruised
2 tablespoons Thai chili paste (see headnote)
Kosher salt and ground white pepper
1½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, trimmed
12 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, quartered if small or medium, cut into sixths if large
¼ cup fish sauce, plus more as needed
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the limes in strips; remove only the colored portion, not the white pith underneath. You will need a total of 8 strips, each 2 to 3 inches long. Juice the limes; set aside.
In a large sauce pan, combine 6 cups water, the zest strips, lemon grass, the 2 halved chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, Thai chili paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Add the chicken, then cover and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat; simmer until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a medium bowl; set aside to cool. Remove and discard the solids from the broth.
Return the broth, covered, to a simmer over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, re-cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones.
When the mushrooms are tender, return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir in the sliced chilies, ‚ cup of the reserved lime juice, the fish sauce, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Taste and season with additional lime juice, fish sauce, and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the cilantro.
Chicken and Rice Soup With Napa Cabbage
Makes 4 servings
This dish gets a flavor boost from either Chinese black bean-garlic sauce or spicy chili-bean sauce (toban djan); look for them in the international aisle of the supermarket. Here, gelatine approximates the richness of long-simmered chicken stock. If you prefer, you can skip the gelatin and simply add the broth, bean sauce, cabbage, and rice to the pot, then bring to a boil. To make the soup heartier, add diced tofu or top servings with a soft-boiled egg.
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
3 ¼-ounce packets unflavored powdered gelatin (see headnote)
4 teaspoons black bean garlic sauce or chili-bean sauce (toban djan)
2 cups chopped napa cabbage or 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup long-grain white rice or short-grain white rice
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Cilantro leaves or sliced scallions or both, optional, for garnish
In a large sauce pan, combine the broth and gelatin; let stand for 6 minutes. Add the bean sauce, cabbage, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage and rice are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, just until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro leaves and/or sliced scallions.
Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, home to a magazine, school, and radio and television shows. Globe readers get 12 weeks of complete digital access, plus two issues of Milk Street print magazine, for just $1. Go to 177milkstreet.com/globe. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.
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