Tam’s Chicken Veggie Egg Drop Soup

Egg drop soup normally has a fairly decent amount of vitamin C — and not much else — except an overload of sodium (salt) — and it tastes great. This is my hearty version of egg drop soup with a twist to give it a bit of a nutritional boost while decreasing the usual overall large quantity of sodium.

Great served as an appetizer, a side dish, an entree, or alone as an all-in-one meal.

Tam’s Chicken Veggie Egg Drop Soup

Soup:

6 cups water (or low or no sodium chicken broth)
1 to 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 to 4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp fresh ginger root shredded , to taste, or may substitute ground dried ginger
1/2 tsp ground black or white pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/8 tsp celery seed
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp chives
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced
3 to 4 small zucchini, ends removed, 1/4 inch thick sliced, then the slices quartered into triangles
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen whole kernel sweet corn
1 cup spinach leaves, stems removed, chopped
4 to 6 young kale leaves, stems removed, chopped
1 cup very finely shredded carrots
1 cup finely shredded green cabbage
6 finely diced Roma tomatoes
1 stalk celery, thin sliced

Other:

2 Tbsp corn starch
2 small scallions
1 Tbsp finely chopped chives

Optional:

1 Tbsp sesame oil and/or toasted sesame seeds
4 drops Sriracha sauce or to taste

Egg Drop:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon water

On medium-low heat, bring the water to a boil in large Dutch oven pot. Stir in the soy sauce, ginger, pepper, and if using the optional sesame oil and Sriracha sauce.

Add chicken breast and boil until fully cooked.

Remove breast and set aside to cool.

Add remaining soup ingredients and simmer until tender.

Meanwhile, as soon as it is cool enough to handle, finely shred the chicken breast using two dinner forks or clean finger then add to soup.

When done, taste test the broth and adjust seasonings as desired.
Whisk in the corn starch. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until broth has very slightly thickened.

Stir in the scallions.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the water until well incorporated, thin, and runny.

Remove soup from heat and stir to get the hot soup spinning. Slowly pour egg through tines of a dinner fork into the spinning soup while while circling around it in the opposite direction that the soup is spinning with the fork and egg. Stop as needed and gently stir to get the soup spinning again.

If you find that you are uncomfortable with this method, simply slowly pour in a very thin stream into the soup as you gently swirl the soup.  If unable to obtain a thin enough stream, drizzle it in with a dinner spoon.

The egg will cook and form thin threads in the already hot soup.

Do not over agitate the soup or stir too vigorously or the fine thread like strands of cooked egg or the egg will disappear into the broth before it has even had a chance to cook.

Ladle into individual soup bowls or mugs and garnish with chives and, if using, the optional toasted sesame seeds.

Refrigerate left overs, covered, for 2 to 3 days and reheat in microwave or in a pan on the stove top.