Ginger Scallion Chicken Soup

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This 30-minute ginger scallion chicken soup is packed with fresh veggies, protein, and simmered in a richly-flavored broth.

For anyone else craving a light and refreshing chicken soup to balance out the winter marathon of comfort foods, allow me to introduce you to a new favorite — ginger scallion chicken soup. ♡

This recipe takes everything I love about traditional Chinese ginger scallion sauce and transforms it into a simple, brothy, veggie-packed chicken soup. It’s loaded up with vibrant baby bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and scallions, all of which cook quickly and add the most lovely mix of rich and fresh flavors to the soup. I recommend adding in some shredded rotisserie chicken for protein (or tofu, shrimp, whatever you prefer). Then we’ll cook everything together in chicken broth with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, white pepper and toasted sesame oil until the soup is simmering. And finally, top each bowl with a swirl of chili crisp and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, plus an extra handful of scallions for good measure.

This ginger scallion soup comes together easily in 30 minutes (or less, if you’re multitasking and moving quickly!). It’s bursting with fresh, savory, cozy flavors. And it’s full of protein to leave you feeling energized, without weighing you down.

I’ve made this recipe multiple times over the past few weeks and can’t stop craving. So who knows, I’ll probably make another batch tonight — join me?

Ginger Scallion Chicken Soup Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you will need to make this chicken soup recipe:

• Scallions: I love using lots of green onions (scallions) here to add sharp layers of aromatic flavor to the soup, sautéing the white parts to season the broth and then adding the green parts just before serving to preserve their fresh flavor.
• Shiitake mushrooms: These earthy, umami-rich mushrooms add rich flavor and hearty texture to the soup. Be sure to take the time to brown the mushrooms to bring out their best flavor.
• Baby bok choy: Baby bok choy adds a pop of fresh, slightly sweet flavor and delicate crunch to the soup. I love roughly chopping the baby bok choy into bite-sized pieces, but you’re welcome to halve or quarter the heads of baby bok choy if you prefer.
• Fresh ginger and garlic: To make the flavors of these aromatics really pop, I recommend mincing fresh ginger and garlic by hand for this recipe instead of purchasing pre-minced versions, which are generally more mellow. You can either finely mince the ginger and garlic or grate them.
• Chicken stock: With so few ingredients in this recipe, I recommend investing in some good-quality chicken stock to serve as the flavorful base for the broth. I love using Trader Joe’s organic chicken stock or Kettle & Fire chicken bone broth (for extra protein).
• Shredded chicken: You’ll need a few cups of cooked shredded (or diced) chicken. I generally keep shredded rotisserie chicken in the freezer, which I tossed into this batch here, but you could also use my recipe for baked chicken breasts if you’d like.
• Seasonings: We’ll use a savory trio of low-sodium soy sauce, white pepper and toasted sesame oil to season the broth. I recommend starting with the amounts listed in the recipe below, and then you can always add more of any of these three ingredients to taste if needed.
• Toppings: Toppings are essential for this recipe! I highly recommend a drizzle of chili crisp (if you’re okay with some heat), chopped cilantro, extra scallions and toasted sesame seeds. The more, the merrier!

Recipe Tips

Step-by-step instructions are included in the recipe below, but here are a few extra tips to keep in mind:

• Thoroughly rinse the baby bok choy. Baby bok choy often has dirt and grit hidden between its leaves, especially near the base. I recommend giving the bok choy a chop, then rinsing it with cold water in a strainer before adding it to the soup.
• Use fresh garlic and ginger. As mentioned above, the flavor of fresh ginger and garlic are key to making this soup! I strongly recommend purchasing fresh garlic and ginger and then grating it yourself, in order to ensure the most robust flavor. But if you can also use store-bought grated garlic or ginger — just note that you’ll probably need to use more since its flavor is generally more mellow.
• Season gradually. A tiny bit of white pepper and toasted sesame oil go a long way. So I recommend starting with what the recipe below recommends, then you can always add more to taste if you’d like. The amount of soy sauce you’ll need may vary depending on the saltiness of your chicken stock, so be sure to taste and tweak accordingly.
• Be generous with toppings. Fresh toppings are an essential part of this soup, adding a vibrant pop of flavor, color and texture to each bite, so sprinkle them on generously! I also highly recommend a good drizzle of chili crisp if you’re open to adding some heat.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few more fun variations that you’re welcome to try with this ginger scallion soup recipe:

• Add egg ribbons. Drizzle whisked eggs into the simmering soup while swirling to create wispy egg ribbons, as you would when making egg drop soup.
• Add noodles. Add your choice of noodles (rice, ramen, soba, etc) to the soup, adding additional broth and seasonings to compensate as needed.
• Add coconut milk. Swap out half of the chicken stock for 2 cups of coconut milk to make the soup extra creamy and slightly sweet.
• Add miso. Add 1-2 tablespoons of white miso to a fine mesh strainer. Carefully lower the strainer into the broth so that the miso is just barely submerged, then use chopsticks (or a fork) to whisk the miso into the broth until it has dissolved.
• Make it vegetarian/vegan. Swap diced tofu in place of the chicken and vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock to make this recipe vegetarian and vegan.

More Chicken Soup Recipes To Try

Looking for more cozy chicken soup recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites:

• The Coziest Chicken Noodle Soup
• Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
• White Chicken Chili
• Lemony Chicken Stew
• Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Ginger Scallion Chicken Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Ali
• Prep Time: 12 mins
• Cook Time: 18 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 3-4 servings 1x

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Description

This 30-minute ginger scallion chicken soup is packed with fresh veggies, protein, and simmered in a richly-flavored broth.

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Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 6 scallions, white and green parts separated
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated or minced fresh ginger
• 4 cups good-quality chicken stock
• 2 to 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 6 ounces baby bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• pinch of white pepper
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• toppings: chili crisp, chopped cilantro, extra scallions, toasted sesame seeds

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Instructions

1. Sauté. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the white parts of the scallions and the shiitake mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Simmer. Add the chicken stock, cooked chicken, bok choy, soy sauce, white pepper, the green parts of the scallions, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until the bok choy has softened to your liking.
3. Season. Stir in the sesame oil until combined. Give the soup a taste and season with additional soy sauce, white pepper or sesame oil if needed.
4. Serve. Serve warm, garnished with a drizzle of chili crisp, chopped cilantro, extra scallions and sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!

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Equipment

Chili Crisp

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Toasted Sesame Oil

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White Pepper

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