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    Home » Soup

    Sesame Oil Chicken Soup

    Published: Jul 12, 2023 · Modified: Jul 13, 2023 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Nourishing and warm, Sesame Oil Chicken Soup is rich with ginger, rice wine, and black sesame oil. We like to cook this on cooler days and when we're feeling under the weather (it's also a popular postpartum dish). We always feel so good after drinking this soup, it warms you from head to toe!

    A bowl of Sesame Oil Chicken Soup, ready to eat.

    I first learned learned about Sesame Oil Chicken Soup when it was prepared for me postpartum. It is a classic Taiwanese postpartum dish called Má Yóu Jī / 麻油雞. The many nourishing ingredients in the soup is believed to replenish, warm, and heal the body.

    The soup was so delicious that I kept drinking it months later, and now it's part of our regular repertoire of soups. Everyone in the family loves it! Think of this as chicken soup, but extra special ^_^

    We love soup and always have a big pot of soup (or jook/congee) cooking away in the family kitchen. If you're looking for more soup recipes, try other favorites like Oxtail Soup and Portuguese Bean Soup.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • How To Serve Sesame Oil Chicken Soup
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top tip
    • FAQ
    • Sesame Oil Chicken Soup
    • Related

    Ingredients

    This is essentially a chicken soup with ginger recipe, but a unique one. It requires a few less common ingredients like black sesame oil and Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu). You can find both ingredients at Chinese markets and they are worth seeking out. Here's what you'll need:

    Ingredients for Sesame Oil Chicken Soup laid out on a table (chicken thighs, Taiwanese rice wine, black sesame oil, ginger, salt, green onions, and goji berries)
    • Chicken thighs and/or drumsticks - We usually use thighs, but you can also use drumsticks or a mix of both. If you have a whole chicken, you can cut that up and use a whole chicken too. No wrong way to go about this part. Just make sure it's all bone-in pieces.
    • Black sesame oil - You can replace this with regular/white sesame oil, but it won't be quite the same.
    • Ginger
    • Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu) - Do not substitute any other type of cooking wine.
    • Water
    • Salt
    • Goji berries
    • Green onions

    See recipe card (at the bottom of this post) for quantities.

    Instructions

    Now let's get cooking!

    Cooking ginger in black sesame oil in a big soup pot.

    Clean the chicken pieces and pat dry. Set aside.

    Pour the black sesame oil into a big soup pot. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the julienned ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes till the ginger is fragrant.

    Browning chicken thighs in a big soup pot.

    Add the chicken thighs and/or drumsticks to the pot. Brown on both sides. Depending on how big your pot is, you might need to do this in two batches.

    Adding liquid (Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu) and water) to the soup pot to make Sesame Oil Chicken Soup.

    Once the chicken is browned, add the rice wine and water to the pot.

    Bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and turn the heat down to low. Cook on low heat for one hour, till the chicken legs are fully cooked and very tender.

    A pot of Sesame Oil Chicken Soup that is almost done cooking.

    Season the soup with a little salt. Stir in the goji berries.

    Then ladle the soup and 1-2 pieces of chicken into each individual bowl. Top with the sliced green onions. Eat and enjoy ^_^

    Hint: I always serve this with a bowl of rice on the side. This sesame oil chicken soup plus rice makes a beautiful and complete meal.

    A bottle of black sesame oil.

    Substitutions

    Many recipes on our blog are flexible when it comes to substitutions. This recipes is not one of them 😉

    The black sesame oil can be replaced with regular sesame oil (though it's not ideal).

    Do not omit or substitute the Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu). This is a key ingredient and the soup would not be the same without it. The recipe uses the entire bottle of the rice wine, so you definitely want this exact ingredient.

    We use chicken thighs, but you can use a mix of any chicken parts or cut up a whole chicken.

    Goji berries and green onions can be omitted, but they help to "complete" the dish.

    A bottle of Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu).

    How To Serve Sesame Oil Chicken Soup

    Easy! Serve this with a big bowl of rice on the side.

    When I'm eating a solo dinner, I put rice in a big soup bowl and then ladle the soup and chicken right over it. So very delicious. Turn on a good movie and I am set for the night!

    If you would like more "stuff" in the soup to make it feel more complete, try adding cabbage and tofu.

    You can also add glass noodles and turn this into a noodle soup dish!

    A bowl of Sesame Oil Chicken Soup, ready to eat.

    Equipment

    All you need is one big soup pot. This would ideally be a heavy bottomed pot so that you can brown the chicken pieces nice and evenly.

    Storage

    Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can reheat in the microwave or the stovetop, whichever is easiest for you.

    Top tip

    Make sure to cook the soup on low for a full hour to make sure that most of the alcohol from the Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu) cooks off, otherwise you'll end up with a very boozy soup 😉

    If you find that the soup is still too strong after an hour, feel free to continue cooking the soup and taste it every 15 minutes. Keep the lid on so that all the water/broth doesn't evaporate.

    A bowl of Sesame Oil Chicken Soup, ready to eat.

    FAQ

    What side dishes pair with this soup?

    This soup plus a bowl of rice is a complete meal. But if you want to round it out, I like to serve simple vegetable dishes like Bean Sprouts Stir Fry, Bitter Melon Stir Fry, or Chive and Egg Stir Fry.

    Is browning the chicken necessary?

    You can still make this recipe without browning the chicken, but it adds tons of depth and flavor to the soup. It's one extra step and might also get your kitchen a little messy from the oil splatter, but it's worth it!

    Looking for other postpartum dishes?

    Try making this Ginger Fried Rice! As you can see, ginger is a key ingredient in many postpartum dishes ^_^

    A bowl of Sesame Oil Chicken Soup, ready to eat.

    Sesame Oil Chicken Soup

    Nourishing and warm, Sesame Oil Chicken Soup is rich with ginger, rice wine, and black sesame oil.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 506kcal

    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
    • ¼ cup black sesame oil
    • 1 piece 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and julienned
    • 1 bottle 750ml bottle Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu)
    • 4 cups water
    • 1-2 teaspoons salt
    • 2 tablespoons goji berries
    • 3 stalks green onions, sliced

    Instructions

    • Clean the chicken pieces and pat dry. Set aside.
    • Pour the black sesame oil into a big soup pot. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the julienned ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes till the ginger is fragrant.
    • Add the chicken thighs and/or drumsticks to the pot. Brown on both sides. Depending on how big your pot is, you might need to do this in two batches.
    • Once the chicken is browned, add the rice wine and water to the pot.
    • Bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and turn the heat down to low. Cook on low heat for one hour, till the chicken legs are fully cooked and very tender.
    • Season the soup with salt, we usually add 1-2 teaspoons. Stir in the goji berries.
    • Then ladle the soup and 1-2 pieces of chicken into each individual bowl. Top with the sliced green onions. Eat and enjoy ^_^

    Nutrition

    Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 545mg | Potassium: 417mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

    Related

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      Wonton Soup
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chrissy K

      January 07, 2024 at 3:45 am

      Is black sesame oil the same as kadoya sesame oil?

      Reply
    2. Sherri Kawano

      July 12, 2023 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      SO tasty! Love how much ginger goes into your recipes.

      Reply
      • Kathy

        July 14, 2023 at 2:52 pm

        Thank you, Sherri! We are big ginger fans 🙂
        - Kathy

        Reply
    3. Bin

      July 12, 2023 at 12:28 pm

      5 stars
      Looks delicious!

      Reply
    5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    Aloha, I'm Kathy!

    I'm a born and raised Hawaii local who loves everything about Hawaii (especially the food). I’m excited to share recipes from our island home, favorite restaurants, and Hawaii travel tips ^_^

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