Chicken and Corn Soup

I make Chicken and Corn Soup with cream-style corn now instead of shredding fresh kernels in a food processor. The can already gives the soup the body it needs, so the cornstarch has less work to do and the broth comes out silky instead of gluey. Everything else stays the same: ginger in the oil first, ground chicken broken up in the pot, and beaten egg streamed in at the end.

A quarter pound of ground chicken and one can of corn stretch to four bowls, so it lands on the table on nights when the fridge is thin. I serve it in small bowls before rice and something fried. Spoon it over rice instead, and it becomes the meal itself. This is closer to traditional egg drop soup than corn chowder, with starch giving the broth its body instead of dairy.

One thing to watch: the soup keeps thickening after the heat goes off and again as it cools in the bowl. A soup that looks right on the stove can turn heavy by the time it reaches the table. I stop adding the slurry while the broth still looks slightly thin and let it finish thickening on its own.

What Is Chicken and Corn Soup?

Chicken and Corn Soup is a Chinese-style soup of sweet corn and chicken in a lightly thickened broth, finished with beaten egg poured in a thin stream so it sets into soft ribbons. Cream-style corn and a cornstarch slurry give the broth its body, which is why the soup tastes creamy with no dairy in it at all.

Cantonese cooks brought versions of the soup into Chinese restaurants overseas. It sits on those menus beside wonton soup and hot and sour soup, listed as chicken and sweetcorn soup in Australia and the United Kingdom and as chicken corn soup in the United States. The name describes exactly what is in the bowl: chicken, corn, and egg.

Chinese cooking has been part of Filipino kitchens for centuries, and this style of corn soup came with it. Filipino cooks make it several ways, including suam na mais, which uses white corn with ground pork and shrimp instead of chicken. In Filipino homes this kind of soup is served hot in small bowls at the start of a meal, or with a plate of rice when nobody wants to cook anything complicated.

Why This Is Also a Corn Egg Drop Soup

Two things put this recipe in the corn egg drop soup family rather than with the chowders.

• The corn and the slurry share the thickening. Cream-style corn carries part of the body and the cornstarch finishes it, which keeps the broth smooth and glossy without milk or cream.
• The egg goes in the same way it does in egg drop soup. Beaten egg poured into a gentle simmer sets on contact and spreads into ribbons. You can see the same finish in chicken lomi, where the egg and the cornstarch both go in near the end.

Ingredients for Chicken and Corn Soup

• Ground chicken – Regular ground chicken works better than extra lean, since a little fat keeps the small pieces tender. A quarter pound is enough for four bowls.
• Cream-style corn – One 15-ounce can. Brands differ in thickness, so a thick brand may mean you do not need all of the slurry. Using kernels instead? See the substitutions below.
• Chicken stock – Low sodium, so you decide how salty the soup ends up. Water with a chicken cube also works, and one cube handles the whole pot.
• Eggs – Beat them lightly, just until the yolks and whites come together, then pour from a cup with a spout so you can control the stream.
• Cornstarch – Mix it with cold water, never hot, or it clumps before it reaches the pot.
• Ginger – A teaspoon, minced fine. It keeps the sweetness of the corn from taking over the bowl.
• Soy sauce – Two teaspoons is plenty. More than that darkens the broth and you lose the pale yellow color.
• Ground white pepper – The pepper that gives the soup its takeout flavor. Black pepper tastes sharper and leaves dark specks in the broth.
• Toasted sesame oil – Buy the dark, toasted kind, and add it after the heat is off so the aroma is still there when you serve.
• Green onions – Half go into the pot and half go on top, so you get both the cooked flavor and the fresh bite.
• Salt – About half a teaspoon to start. Stock and canned corn both carry salt already, so taste at the end before adding more.

Cream-style corn is the ingredient that decides how this soup turns out. It is not corn in cream: it is kernels cut, scraped, and cooked with the milky liquid from the cob, which is why the label lists no dairy. Look for it in the canned vegetable aisle. Shake it before opening, since the thick part settles at the bottom. Cream-style corn is usually sweeter and saltier than fresh corn, so use kernels if you want a cleaner corn flavor and let the slurry handle the thickening.

Making this Chicken and Corn Soup takes one pot and four short stages. The ginger and stock go in first, the chicken next, then the slurry, and the eggs last.

1. Combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Stir until smooth and set aside.
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Get both of these ready before you turn on the stove. The last two stages move quickly, and there is no good moment later to stop and beat eggs.

1. Heat the cooking oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Add the ginger and saute for 30 seconds.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and add the cream-style corn. Stir and let the mixture boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7 minutes.

Thirty seconds is all the ginger needs. It only has to lose its raw edge before the liquid goes in, and ginger left too long in hot oil turns bitter.

1. Add the ground chicken a little at a time while stirring to break it into fine pieces.
2. Add the soy sauce, white pepper, and salt. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Stir the cornstarch mixture again, then pour it slowly into the soup while stirring.
4. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the broth becomes lightly thickened.

Cooked ground chicken turns opaque with no pink left. Ground poultry is safe at an internal temperature of 165°F, and pieces this small reach it within the 4 to 5 minute simmer.

1. Reduce the heat so the soup stays at a gentle simmer.
2. Slowly stir the soup in one direction while pouring the beaten eggs in a thin, steady stream. Stop stirring and let the eggs set for 10 to 15 seconds, then gently stir once more.
3. Turn off the heat, then add the sesame oil and half of the green onions.
4. Taste and add more salt if needed. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with the remaining green onions.

Stir slower for wide ribbons and faster for fine threads. The pour stays the same either way, so only the stirring speed changes.

What to Serve with Chicken and Corn Soup

• Steamed white rice – Spoon the soup over a small mound of it when you want the bowl to be the whole meal
• Chicken and Egg Fried Rice – A rice dish on the side turns a light soup into dinner
• Lumpia – Crisp and salty against a soft, mild soup
• Toyomansi – Soy sauce with calamansi for dipping whatever fried dish you serve alongside
• Chili garlic oil – A spoonful stirred in at the table for anyone who wants heat with the sweetness

Storage

Chicken and Corn Soup keeps well for a few days, though the egg ribbons firm up a little and the broth thickens slightly as it sits.

• Refrigerator: Let the soup cool, then store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It tastes closest to fresh within the first day or two.
• Freezer: Cornstarch-thickened broth separates as it thaws, so freeze the soup before the slurry goes in and thicken it after reheating. Frozen that way, it keeps for up to 2 months in a sealed container.
• Reheating: Warm it over low heat, stirring now and then so the bottom does not scorch. Add a splash of stock if it has set too thick, and stop once steam rises instead of letting it boil, which shreds the ribbons.

More Soup Recipes

• Hototay Soup – Pork, chicken, liver, and vegetables in a clear broth with an egg cracked into each bowl
• Hot and Sour Soup – The peppery, vinegary side of the same Chinese soup family, thickened the same way
• Pancit Molo – The Ilonggo wonton soup, with pork dumplings and toasted garlic on top
• Simple Chicken Noodle Soup – A quicker soup for the days you want noodles instead of corn
• Crab and Corn Pearl Soup – Crab meat and pearl corn in a thicker soup, served with spring rolls
• Corn Chowder – The creamy version for when you do want milk in the pot

• Cream-style corn – Use 1 1/2 cups of fresh, frozen, or drained canned kernels. Pulse about two-thirds in a food processor until coarsely crushed and leave the rest whole, so you keep both the body and the bite
• Ground chicken – Cooked shredded chicken works. Add it after thickening the broth and let it warm for about 2 minutes before the eggs go in. Ground pork or ground turkey also work
• Chicken stock – Water with a chicken cube, one cube for the pot. Vegetable broth keeps it meatless if you leave the chicken out too
• Soy sauce – Tamari for a gluten-free pot, in the same amount
• Ground white pepper – Black pepper works, though it tastes sharper and shows as dark specks in a pale broth
• Toasted sesame oil – Leave it out if you do not have it. The soup tastes plainer, and a little more green onion helps

Chicken and Corn Soup is ready when the broth coats the back of a spoon and the egg has set into soft ribbons. Ladle it into bowls, scatter the rest of the green onions on top, and serve it hot with rice. Share and enjoy!