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Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup is a common dish you can find just about any Chinese restaurant. It’s an extremely flavorful soup filled silky ribbons of egg floating in a flavorful chicken broth with tender pieces of chicken and sweet corn! If you’re a fan of Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup, a classic Egg Drop Soup or any of the varieties of them, you’ll never need to order takeout again after trying this recipe!
Watch the Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients for Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup
This Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup recipe is comfort in a bowl! Here is what you’ll need for the recipe:
Chicken Marinade
- chicken breast – You can absolutely substitute chicken thighs for this recipe, just make sure they are cut into similar thin strips to ensure they cook evenly.
- white pepper
- shaoxing wine
- oyster sauce
- chicken broth or stock
Eggs
- eggs
- water
Cornstarch Slurry
This is the KEY ingredient to thickening the soup base. The cornstarch slurry will help thicken the stock to the consistency you like! If you like the soup thinner, add less, but if you like an extra thick soup add a little more! You can always adjust with more chicken broth if the ratio is off.
Seasonings and Garnishes
- corn – fresh or frozen
- kosher salt to taste
- white pepper
- msg
- scallions
- sesame oil – optional
- turmeric – optional, for color
Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup: Recipe Instructions
Prep your ingredients
Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup does not take long to make, and most of the work is prepping the ingredients. Slice the chicken into thin 1/4″ strips and marinate with white pepper, shaoxing wine and oyster sauce until the chicken has fully absorbed the seasonings.
Roughly chop the corn kernels along with two scallions (we’ll use the scallions for garnish and to put in soup later for some color and flavor).
For the eggs, crack 4 eggs into a small bowl and add 2 tbsp of water. The water will help lighten the eggs and help them “flower” into the soup when we add it to the hot broth.
In a heavy bottomed pot, add the chicken broth along with the raw chicken pieces and corn. Mix the chicken to ensure the pieces are separated (to prevent clumping), then turn the heat to high and cover and bring to a boil. If there is any impurities that rise to the top, be sure to filter them out with a mesh strainer or spoon before continuing on with the recipe.
Thicken the soup with the cornstarch slurry
Next, remix the cornstarch slurry (as the cornstarch will naturally sink to the bottom), and slowly drizzle the cornstarch slurry into the soup. The broth will thicken slightly after doing this over low heat. Now we’re able to add our egg!
Create the Egg Ribbons
The key tip to adding the egg properly is the following:
- Make sure the broth is on a low flame – if it is too hot the egg will firm up too quickly when hitting the soup
- Ensure the egg is being poured in a THIN, EVEN stream into the soup! This will also ensure the egg does not form into clumps and turn into scrambled eggs in the soup.
- Use a ladle or spoon to stir the soup while you add the eggs. This will ensure the eggs are evenly dispersed throughout the soup!
Season to taste
Once the soup is thickened and the eggs are nicely flowered, now it is time to add the final seasonings. Add the white pepper, MSG, and salt to taste. Add the chopped scallions and if desired, a teaspoon of sesame oil to taste for the final garnish. Serve and enjoy your Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup!
Recipe Tips for Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup
SUCCESS IS IN THE PREP
For a recipe that comes together extremely quickly, the key to pulling this recipe off successfully is having your ingredients prepped and in bowls right next to your pot!
SILKY EGG TECHNIQUE
When adding the egg into the soup, make sure the egg is being poured in a steady stream from the bowl, ideally using a ladle in the other hand to stir the soup as the egg is being poured. This will help create those restaurant style silky ribbons rather than clumped up scrambled eggs!
If you liked this Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup recipe, check out some of the most popular Chinese Take-Out recipes on the blog! You’ll love my authentic Wonton Soup or better than takeout Hot and Sour Soup. Please consider leaving a review and letting me know your thoughts about the recipe. It really helps out the blog!
If you tried this Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 8 oz chicken breast, cut to 1/4" thin strips
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
Cornstarch Slurry
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
Soup Ingredients and Garnishes
- 8 cups chicken broth, high quality
- 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp MSG, optional
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tsp sesame oil, optional
- 1/4 tsp turmeric, optional, for color
Instructions
- Slice chicken into thin strips and marinate with white pepper, Shaoxing wine, and oyster sauce until the chicken has absorbed the seasonings.
- Roughly chop corn kernels and slice scallions for garnish and set aside.
- Crack eggs in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of water and mix well until beaten.
- In a pot add the chicken broth, chicken, and corn. Cover and bring to a boil. The pieces of chicken should be cooked through at this point, but continue simmering on low until cooked through. Uncover and reduce heat to low.
- Remix the cornstarch slurry and pour into the broth until slightly thickened.
- Slowly pour in the eggs while using a ladle to stir the soup in one direction to create the ribbon of egg or "egg flowers" in the soup.
- Season to taste with salt, white pepper and msg. Add turmeric if desired for the additional yellow color.
- Stir in scallions, and add sesame oil if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
NEver thought of putting chicken in egg drop soup but look sgood!
So comforting! Love it! 😋
@jennifer_bhhs
My kids loves this soup so much! They ask me to make it every week!
Thank you for this!
Egg drop soup is one of those things we always order with Chinese takeout but hate paying for bc I know how inexpensive it is to make. And honestly this recipe is a game changer bc I won’t be paying for it anymore! It was super quick to make and honestly better than the restaurants.
@jsmlee87
Easy and delicious. The videos are very helpful.
Substituted shrimp for chicken. Still tasted great!