Thursday 29 January 2015

Thai Teriyaki and Sesame Chicken Soup

A Satisfying and Spicy Asian Themed Soup Experiment

Thai teriyaki and sesame chicken thigh soup

Do you like your soups thick, hearty and satisfying, as well as supremely tasty? What about a little bit of spiciness thrown in, especially on a cold winter's night? If so, I'm sure you will love this soup, which was very much an experimental idea I came up with last night. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I actually ate the whole lot myself last night in about three stages, having originally intended freezing some of it for a later date.

Skinned chicken thigh fillets

When I am going to be cooking with filleted chicken thighs, I normally buy them and bone/skin them myself. Why? Incredibly, they are almost twice the price if I buy them ready filleted! That to me is a nonsense. In this instance, however, these ready skinned and filleted chicken thighs were on special offer in my local supermarket.

Ingredients (Serves Four)

8 filleted and skinned chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
1 medium white onion
4 ounce (120g) pack of mixed sliced bell peppers
1 sachet (around 5 ounces) teriyaki and sesame stir fry sauce
1 red chilli pepper and 1 green chilli pepper (optional)
1 pint fresh chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Diced chicken thigh meat

Directions

Chop the filleted chicken thighs in to approximately one inch pieces. Pour the vegetable/sunflower oil in to a large stew pot and bring up to a medium to high heat.

Thai stir frying sauce, onion and mixed bell pepper slices

Add the chicken pieces to the pot and stir fry for a couple of minutes to brown and seal all the pieces. Be sure to use a wooden spoon.

Browning chicken thigh meat in oil

When the chicken is sealed, add the bell pepper slices and the peeled and sliced onion. Stir fry for another minute or so, just to slightly soften the onion and peppers.

Peppers and onion are added to browned chicken thigh meat

The chilli peppers are entirely optional but I hope you will use them as they add a real extra little kick to the dish. These are of medium strength. I seeded them and very finely sliced them for inclusion.

Red and green chilli peppers

Add the chilli peppers (if using) to the pot and stir through.

Peppers and onions are stirred through chicken meat until softened

Pour the stir fry sauce in to the pot, followed by the chicken stock. Stir well and bring to a simmer - uncovered - for twenty-five to thirty minutes, until the chicken is both cooked and tender.

Stir fry sauce is added to chicken and vegetables

Taste the soup, season as necessary with salt and pepper and ladle in to bowls to serve.

Chicken stock is poured in to soup and brought to a simmer