Easy Chicken and Ginger Soup With Rice Cakes, Chives, and Quick-Pickled Garlic Recipe

Step 1

Place chicken, roughly sliced ginger, garlic, onion, and scallion greens in a large pot. Cover with cold water by 2-inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook, skimming scum and fat from surface regularly, until chicken breast pieces are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer breast pieces to a small bowl, cover, and set aside. Continue cooking broth until leg pieces are fall-apart tender, about 1 hour longer. Remove leg pieces and add to bowl with breasts. Strain broth through a fine mesh strainer, discard solids, and return broth to a large pot (you should have about 2 quarts of broth)

Step 2

Season broth to taste with salt. When chicken is cool enough to handle, roughly shred meat with fingers, discard bones, and return meat to pot. Add cabbage and rice cakes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice cakes are cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in julienned ginger, sliced scallion whites, chives, and cilantro. Ladle into warmed serving bowl and serve immediately, passing pickled garlic and chilies at the table.