Chicken and Clam Soup
蛤蜊雞湯（Ge Li Ji Tang)
A rich, briny broth flavored with ginger, garlic, and scallions, chicken and clam soup is a warming and comforting dish. It is particularly popular in Taiwan, where clams are readily available [1]. Chicken and clam soup is a common starter at high-end restaurants, but is easy to make at home!
Ingredients
2 lb chicken legs
1 lb clams, cleaned
2 in ginger, half sliced, half julienned
6 cloves garlic
2 scallions, julienned
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine (optional)
Salt to taste
Begin by cutting the chicken legs into separate thigh and drumstick pieces. The first step to making this soup is to blanch the chicken legs. Blanching the meat helps remove impurities (surface proteins, bone fragments, blood), keeping the final soup clear. It also prevents scum from forming on the surface of the soup as it cooks. To blanch, place the chicken pieces in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Keep the pot at a rolling boil for about 5 minutes. Then, remove the chicken to a clean pot, and drain the blanching water.
Add to the pot 1 inch of ginger, cut into slices, 6 cloves of garlic, and 8 cups of water. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender.
When the chicken is cooked to your liking, it is time to cook the clams. Add the cleaned clams to the pot, clamp on the lid, and boil for 3-4 minutes, or until the clams have opened [2]. Remove the pot from the heat to prevent the clams from overcooking, and stir in the sesame oil and rice wine. Season to taste with salt, and serve with fresh julienned ginger and scallions.
Substitutions
We used littleneck clams here, but most clams can work in this soup as long as they are fresh. Feel free to use whatever is available locally! This recipe calls for white rice wine (米酒), which is clear in color. If you do not have a white rice wine, you can substitute mirin or Shaoxing rice wine. If you are in a rush and you have homemade chicken stock or broth on hand, you can make a version of this soup without chicken meat: just bring the chicken stock to a boil, flavor it, and add the clams.
[1] In Taiwan, the most common types of clam used in this soup are hard clams or purple clams.
[2] Why do clams open when cooked? When a clam is alive, it opens and closes its shell often—to feed, to dig, to defend itself against predators, or to prevent drying out if exposed to air. As muscles are only capable of contracting, a clam can use a muscle (the abductor muscle) to close its shell, but cannot use one to open its shell. Instead, evolution has crafted bivalve shells to have an elastic hinge ligament which “spring-loads” the shell. A clamshell will open on its own, unless a muscle is contracted to pull it shut. When a clam is cooked, the proteins of the abductor muscle denature, causing the muscle to release its grip. The shell then opens on its own due to the elastic hinge.
Recipe
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
Difficulty: 2/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: pot
Servings: 8
Ingredients
2 lb chicken legs
1 lb clams, cleaned
2 in ginger, half sliced, half julienned
6 cloves garlic
2 scallions, julienned
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine (optional)
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Cut the chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks, place them in a pot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil to blanch them. After boiling for about 5 minutes, remove the chicken pieces to a clean pt and drain the water.
2. Add the sliced ginger and garlic to the pot, together with 8 cups water. Simmer, covered, 1 hr or until chicken is tender.
3. Add the clams to the pot and cook, covered, for 3 minutes or until the clams open.
4. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the sesame oil and rice wine, and season with salt to taste.
5. Serve with freshly julienned ginger and scallions.
