chicken soup with bok choy

This soup makes use of homemade chicken broth made from the carcass and broken bones of the small whole Bell and Evans chicken cut to pieces for fried chicken, here. The chicken broth is fairly weak but flavorful, that is, there was no separate aspic or fat layer to the strained broth after it had been chilled.

The idea was to use one of two medium-size bok choy cabbages. Originally I intended to include miso but decided against it because the broth had darkened so much before the moment to add the miso came, and I became curious about the flavor it would have without being changed by miso.

Onions, bok choy, chicken broth. That was the idea. Along the way mushrooms found their way in, along with garlic, chile flakes, tamarind, and the customary saki, mirin, Three Crabs fish sauce combination, but oddly no soy sauce. This soup was delicious but different from any other Asian-style chicken soup I have ever made.

First, a frozen chicken breast was removed from the freezer and defrosted for two minutes in the microwave.  Only the smaller right-side portion of this breast was used for this soup. the remainder of slices was returned to the refrigerator still partly frozen.

The chicken slivers, thinner than shown above, were browned in olive oil. Then the onions and later the garlic slivers were added. 

A dense fond formed across the bottom of the pot. This fond is what colored the broth and contributed significantly to its flavor. The pot was deglazed with sake, mirin, and a tiny amount of fish sauce, then the homemade chicken broth was added, approximately two cups. 

Rosemary.

Finally the bok choy was added on top of  the liquid. I like a bit of crunch in the white portion of the bok choy so this final bit cooked for only a minute or two.