My Black Chicken Tonic Soup...

Back from a wonderful week holiday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with the family.... Everything went swimmingly well with my three boys during the long 15 hour drive broken into two days and with our friends' family who we stayed with at their vacation home. The only but major peeve was the food! Although we were able to cook some of the time, our days were fully packed from morning to evening and getting any food to-go were pretty much limited to fast food chains galore! I don't think I could look at another egg Mcmuffin sandwich!

Having had our full run in with fries, corn chips and salsa, chicken nuggets, greasy American-Chinese food and all things crispy, I knew when we got back I had to make my elixir soup to detox! I'm talking about black silkie chicken soup with its multi-health benefits but mainly for the stomach and spleen regions. According to Chinese medicine, black silkie chicken stock helps to strengthen the immune system, brings down the deficient body heat and overall boosts your energy stores where they have been depleted. You can find whole silkies in most Asian supermarkets packaged in a bag or wrapped in a tray usually already gutted but with the head still attached. The size is too big for one pot of soup for us five so I always cut it down the centre with sharp kitchen shears and freeze the other half for a later pot.

Black Chicken Tonic Soup
Makes about 12 cups of broth 

3 dried shiitake mushrooms, washed and hydrated in water for at least 1 hour
10 dried longan berries or 8-10 dried scallops, soaked in water for 1 hour
4 quarts (16 cups) cold water
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled
1 black silkie chicken, halved with head removed
8 red dates (ones I used were halved, so about 16 halves)
1/4 cup goji berries
1 (250 g) pork shank
2 tsp. kosher salt

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Wash the chicken well in cold water, then drop it into the boiling water with ginger (the ginger helps remove any odour and help cleanse). Return the water to a boil, remove the ginger (or keep it in if you like the flavour) then add the mushrooms, herbs, pork and salt; reduce the heat to a medium-low boil. Cover and cook for two hours, stirring occasionally. Skim the fat off the top near the end (should be minimal). The stock will keep in the refrigerator for one week, although we drink half the first night and the remaining the next.

The meat is tender and flavourful, cooked just long enough so it's not depleted of flavour and moisture- so dig in if you like!

Soothing, warming... The soup has an earthy flavour that is slightly stronger than standard chicken stock with the addition of shiitakes, hints of sweetness from the dried fruits, and spicy undertone from the ginger if you kept it in. If you used dried scallops instead of longan, the taste will be more savoury and pronounced with an underlying seafood flavour. Both broth profiles are extremely delicious and nourishing! Just the right prescription my family and I needed to get back on track with fresh food, good home cooking and healthier eating habits!