Chicken and Egg Stew in Chinese Five-Spice

The weather in L.A. is getting colder in December and what would be more perfect than a bowl of a comfy heart healthy soup like chicken stew.  For this dish, I adapted its recipe from Thai-Chinese cooking using Chinese five-spice that creates an earthy flavor and those spices can give a heat power that will help warm up our body in the cold weather instantly.  However, there are many steps involved in cooking this stew, but there also an easy way to do it with less hassle. Just like I say, "keep it simple."  And I promised after you have done this once, you will want to make it again and again and again. 

What you need:

1 qt – water

2 tbsp – Chinese five-spice blend powder or so called “Pa-loh”

8 pieces – chicken legs or tight or wing whichever you preferred
4 eggs – hard boiled
2 tbsp – sweet dark soy sauce or black soy sauce for the color
2 tbsp – soy sauce
1 tbsp – brown sugar
1 small chopped onion

1 bunch chopped cilantro leaves and save the stem bottom part and cut it in 2 inches length.

**roasted garlic and white pepper powder

**Blanched Chinese broccoli or broccoli or cabbage whatever you like

**Cooked spinach noodles or rice noodle or jasmine rice

How to:

1.  Put Chinese five-spice blend powder into chicken legs and set it aside for 2 minutes.

2.  Water into the pot over medium to high heat.  When it comes to boiling, add chicken legs and   cook for about 7 minutes. 

3.  Low the heat to medium and add sweet dark soy sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, chopped onions, cilantro stems, and hard boiled eggs.

4.  Let it continues cooking in the low to medium heat for about 25 minutes with lid half covered.  But it has to be checking continuously to prevent it’s boiling over.

5.  Serve this chicken stew over spinach noodles – like I did – or serve it soup less over cooked brown Jasmine rice for healthier version if you prefer and garnish with roasted garlic and chopped cilantro.

I hope you enjoy it like I do!  ^___^