Easy Chinese Dinner with Scallion Chicken, Soup, and Rice

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Want to make a tasty and healthy Chinese dinner at home? This guide will show you how to make a simple meal with scallion chicken, a flavorful soup, and rice. This is a typical meal that many Chinese families enjoy. You’ll also learn the rules for pairing dishes, so you can create your own delicious meals!

The Two Rules of Chinese Meal Pairing

Chinese meals usually follow two important rules:

1. Nutrient Balance: This means having a good mix of protein, carbs, and vegetables in your meal.
2. Perfect Combination: This focuses on having a great mix of tastes, smells, and colors in your dishes.

Scallion Chicken Recipe

This recipe uses chicken leg quarters. The bones add great flavor to the dish. If you want to use chicken breast, use 5 cups of chicken stock instead of water.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• 1 1/2 inch ginger, sliced
• 2 scallions

Instructions:

1. Slice the ginger and add it to a pot with the chicken and scallions.
2. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes.
4. After 8 minutes, turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the hot water for 15 minutes.

Making the Rice

Rice is a key part of a Chinese meal. Here’s how to cook it:

1. Rinse the rice under running water.
2. Add water and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18 minutes.

Scallion Sauce

This sauce gives the chicken a lot of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 2 shallots, sliced
• Cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:

1. Add cooking oil, ginger, scallions, and shallots to a pan.
2. Cook over medium-low heat until golden brown.
3. Pour everything through a strainer. Keep the oil and the crispy bits separate.
4. Put the oil back in the pan. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
5. Mix over low heat until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat.

Chicken Soup

Don’t waste the extra chicken broth! Turn it into a tasty soup.

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth (from cooking the chicken)
• 2 tomatoes, cut into pieces
• 1/2 package tofu, cubed
• 2 eggs, whisked
• Handful of green leafy vegetables (like bok choy or spinach), chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• White pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Turn the heat to high and bring the chicken broth to a boil.
2. Add tomatoes and tofu. Let them boil for a minute or two.
3. Slowly pour the whisked eggs into the broth.
4. Add the green vegetables.
5. Season with salt and white pepper.
6. Turn off the heat.

Easy Asian Chicken Soup Recipe

Putting It All Together

1. Take the chicken out of the hot water and put it in an ice bath to cool.
2. Remove the chicken from the ice bath and dry it with paper towels.
3. Take the bones out of the chicken and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. Put the chicken on a plate and pour the scallion sauce over it.
5. Add some diced scallions on top.
6. Fluff the rice and add the crispy bits from making the scallion sauce.

The Finished Meal

Now you have a complete Chinese dinner! It’s healthy, delicious, and easy to make.

Tip: In many Chinese families, it is common to drink soup before and after the meal. It’s believed that soup can help you feel full and aid in digestion.

Many Chinese people like to eat fruit for dessert because it’s light and healthy.

Enjoy your homemade Chinese dinner!

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