Peking Soup with Chicken
50 min
Hot and sour soup done right — warming, a little spicy, and packed with chicken and vegetables. Perfect for a rainy evening when you want something proper.
soupchickenasian
Perfect for hiking trips — spicy, warming, and easy to prep ahead or cook from scratch outdoors. Leftovers work great here.
Instructions
- 1
Slice the chili in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and cut into thin strips. Finely chop the garlic.
- 2
Fire up the camp stove and fry the chili and garlic in a hot pot with the oil until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock, then add the star anise, lemongrass, and grated ginger. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let the broth simmer while you prep the rest.
- 3
Peel the carrot and onion. Cut the carrot into thin strips — a cheese slicer works well for this. Slice the onion into thin wedges.
- 4
Pull the cooked chicken apart into smaller pieces.
- 5
Add the carrot strips, onion wedges, and chicken to the broth. Bring back to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes until everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper, and add more chili if you want it hotter.
Per average serving
460
Calories
kcal
43.6
Protein
g
44.3
Carbs
g
16.5
Fat
g
10.2g
Fiber
7.5g
Sugar
1409mg
Sodium
Family Portions
2portions
Adults
2
Children
No children added
Ingredients
Per average serving
460
Calories
kcal
43.6
Protein
g
44.3
Carbs
g
16.5
Fat
g
10.2g
Fiber
7.5g
Sugar
1409mg
Sodium
Tips from the kitchen
- Smash the lemongrass with the flat of your knife before it goes in. The bruised stalk gives up way more of its scent into the broth than a whole one would.
- Grate the ginger rather than slicing it. You want it to dissolve into the stock so the heat spreads through the whole pot, not sit in chunks you have to fish around.
- Keep the chili and garlic moving while they fry. On a camp stove the heat is uneven and garlic burns fast, so a few seconds too long and the whole base turns bitter.
- The chicken is already cooked, so once it goes in you only need a couple of minutes to warm it through. Boil it hard and it goes stringy and dry.
- Fish out the star anise and lemongrass before serving. Nobody wants to chew on those, and the anise keeps getting stronger the longer it sits.
Ways to vary it
- A handful of rice noodles makes it more of a full meal. Soften them in the broth for the last few minutes before you eat.
- If you have a lime in your pack, a squeeze at the end wakes everything up against the star anise.
- Swap the carrot for thin strips of bell pepper or some mushrooms if that's what you've got with you. Both hold up fine in the broth.
Storage & leftovers
Keeps in the fridge for about 3 days in a sealed container. It freezes well, though the carrot goes a bit softer after thawing. Reheat gently on the stove just until steaming, since boiling it again toughens the chicken.
What to serve with it
A bowl of steamed rice on the side stretches it further, and some lime wedges and extra sliced chili let everyone tune their own heat.
UC
By Untrained ChefPublished 7 June 2026 · Updated 11 July 2026
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