Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Clay Pot Chicken Soup with Wontons
砂鍋雲吞雞
Recipe overview
Cold-water-blanched chicken is dried and briefly seared skin-side down before gently simmering with shiitake and salty Jinhua ham. Homemade pork-shrimp Cantonese wontons are cooked in a separate pot of water and added only at serving, so wrappers do not absorb the soup and break. Chicken and the largest filling must reach 75°C; chicken near bone has no blood and wrappers have no raw white flour core. Check bones for children and older adults.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 kg bone-in chicken
- 500 g napa cabbage
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 40 g Jinhua ham
- 35 g ginger
- 3 scallions
- 2.2 litres soup water
- as needed chicken blanching water
- 2 litres wonton cooking water
- 300 ml shiitake soaking water
Wonton ingredients
- 200 grams; Raw shrimp; 150 grams Minced pork
- 24 Cantonese wonton wrappers (Wheat and egg allergens)
- 24 Cantonese wonton wrappers
Wonton filling seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1.5 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- a pinch White pepper (used for Wonton filling seasoning)
- 1/2 teaspoon Sesame oil
Chicken blanching seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Chicken searing oil
- 1 teaspoon Cooking oil
Final soup seasoning
- about 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- a pinch White pepper (used for Final soup seasoning)
02
Tools
- heavy-based pot or wok
- lid
- large bowl
- measuring cup
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- knife
- tongs
- food thermometer
- heat-resistant gloves
- knife
- cutting board
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- bowl
- food thermometer
- oven mitts
- trivet
03
Steps
Step 1
Step 1
Soak shiitake: Filter soaking water.
Step 2
Step 2
Mix filling: Devein, dry and dice shrimp; mix one direction until sticky.
Step 3
Step 3
Wrap wontons: Use a teaspoon filling and keep wrappers covered.
Step 4
Step 4
Inspect chicken: Remove feathers, fat and bone fragments.
Step 5
Step 5
Cold-water blanch: Start cold and discard all water.
Step 6
Step 6
Dry and sear: Sear skin-side down, discard excess fat.
Step 7
Step 7
Build broth: Add filtered mushroom water, ham, aromatics and chicken.
Step 8
Step 8
Simmer: Gentle simmer 35–40 minutes.
Step 9
Step 9
Add cabbage: Stems first, leaves later.
Step 10
Step 10
Boil wontons separately: Cook 4–5 minutes in water; filling 75°C and no flour core.
Step 11
Step 11
Check: Skim, season and confirm chicken 75°C.
Step 12
Step 12
Assemble: Bring chicken soup to light simmer in clay pot; add drained cooked wontons last for 30 seconds.
Common mistakes
- Do not put raw or cooked wontons into chicken soup early, use blanching or wonton water in broth, boil hard, skip bone checks or rely on floating wontons. Shrimp, pork, wheat, egg, soy and sesame allergens apply
- Jinhua ham and seasoning can be high sodium.
Tips
Do not put raw or cooked wontons into chicken soup early, use blanching or wonton water in broth, boil hard, skip bone checks or rely on floating wontons. Shrimp, pork, wheat, egg, soy and sesame allergens apply; Jinhua ham and seasoning can be high sodium.
