Herbal Old Hen Soup Recipe: Chinese Double-Boiled Stew

An old hen has spent her career laying eggs and walking around, and it shows in both the broth and the drumstick. That's why Chinese home cooks have long saved 老母雞 for old hen soup. Her meat is tougher than a young chicken's, but three hours of gentle heat turns her into a broth that a tender supermarket bird can't quite match.

This Herbal Old Hen Soup Recipe 藥材老母雞煲湯 version pairs a free-range hen with nine dried ingredients, all stewed in the stew pot of my Buydeem electric steamer. It's made for the first properly cold week of the year, and Start of Winter arrives on November 7, 2026.

> In This Post: Everything You'll Need for Herbal Old Hen Soup Recipe 藥材老母雞煲湯

You'll see what each dried ingredient traditionally brings to the pot, how to double-boil in an electric steamer, and where to find a hen that's old enough. There's also a clear note on who should check with a professional before making it.

Jump to:

• > In This Post: Everything You'll Need for Herbal Old Hen Soup Recipe 藥材老母雞煲湯
• What Is Old Hen Soup 藥材老母雞煲湯?
• Traditional Uses and TCM Properties
• Who Should Check First
• Ingredient Notes and Sourcing
• Optional Add-Ins for Extra Umami
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• > Recipe Card
• Herbal Old Hen Soup 藥材老母雞煲湯

What Is Old Hen Soup 藥材老母雞煲湯?

The name breaks down simply: 藥材 means medicinal herbs, 老母雞 means old hen, and 煲湯 means soup. Strictly speaking, 煲 describes boiling in a pot, while 燉 describes double-boiling in a sealed vessel. We kept the familiar name, but this soup is cooked the 燉 way.

Double-boiling (隔水燉) means the ingredients sit in a covered pot surrounded by steam or simmering water. The soup never reaches a rolling boil and very little liquid escapes, so you get a clear broth and nearly as much liquid as you put in.

This is a home-style combination rather than a classical formula. In the language of our Start of Winter guide, it sits on the richer side of 補冬, so save it for a cold day rather than a mild one.

Traditional Uses and TCM Properties

In Chinese food therapy, this pot has two sides. Codonopsis, astragalus, red dates and longan are traditionally associated with Qi and warmth. Mai dong, yu zhu and goji are valued for their moistening character, which is thought to keep a warming soup from feeling too drying.

黨參 Codonopsis (Dang Shen) is considered neutral and sweet, and it's traditionally linked with the spleen and lung. It's often treated as a gentler stand-in for ginseng in home soups.

北芪 Astragalus (Huang Qi) is considered slightly warm and is a traditional Qi tonic associated with the spleen and lung. The slices stay woody, so leave them in the bowl.

麥冬 Ophiopogon (Mai Dong) is traditionally described as sweet, slightly bitter and slightly cool. It's used to moisten the lung and stomach in TCM.

玉竹 Solomon's Seal (Yu Zhu) is another traditional yin-moistening root and a familiar ingredient in Cantonese soups.

茯苓 Poria (Fu Ling) is a mild fungus considered neutral. It's traditionally used for spleen support and dampness, and it also anchors Si Shen Tang.

紅棗 Red Dates, 龍眼乾 Dried Longan and 枸杞 Goji Berries bring most of the natural sweetness. Red dates and longan are considered warming, while goji is considered neutral. The same trio goes into our Red Date Longan Goji Berry Tea.

蟲草花 Cordyceps Flowers are cultivated Cordyceps militaris, not the costly wild cordyceps sold in herbal shops. They add savoury, mushroomy depth, and they're also the star of our Stir Fried Fresh Cordyceps Flowers.

These are traditional concepts, not medical findings. From a modern nutrition perspective, this is a chicken soup with dried fruit and roots, and most of the protein stays in the meat. It won't treat or prevent any condition, but it's a very good reason to stay home.

Most dry goods ingredients, tools and supplies can be purchased at your local Asian supermarket or grocery stores or Amazon Online.

Who Should Check First

Skip the herbs or talk to a professional first if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or managing a health condition. Astragalus may interact with immunosuppressant medications, and there isn't enough reliable information on its safety in pregnancy. Goji has been linked to raised warfarin effects in case reports, so check with your pharmacist if you take blood thinners.

In TCM tradition, tonic soups are usually set aside during an active cold or flu. If you tend to run hot, a neutral soup such as Si Shen Tang may suit you better.

Ingredient Notes and Sourcing

The hen is the only ingredient that takes any hunting. Look for one labelled stewing hen, laying hen or 老母雞 at a Chinese supermarket or butcher, and ask if you don't see one. A regular chicken from Costco or any grocery store also works, but the broth will be lighter and the meat will soften sooner.

Try T&T or another Asian supermarket for red dates, goji and dried longan. For mai dong, yu zhu and sliced astragalus, a Chinese herbal shop (藥材舖) is usually your best bet, and the staff can help if a name isn't familiar. Readers elsewhere can check Chinese supermarkets, herbal shops or reputable online retailers.

How to Make Old Hen Soup in an Electric Steamer

Prep the herbs. Rinse everything, soak for 20 minutes, then drain. This removes dust and softens the harder roots.

Blanch the hen. Cut the half hen into pieces, blanch for about 5 minutes, then rinse under cold water. Don't skip this step. Nothing boils in the stew pot to throw off scum and nothing gets skimmed, so this is what keeps the broth clear.

Load the stew pot. Add the chicken and dried ingredients, then fill the stew pot with cold filtered water. Half a hen and the herbs still left room for about 1 L in mine. Whatever you pour in is close to what you'll serve, since the lid keeps the liquid inside.

Stew for 3 hours. Cover the stew pot, fill the steamer's reservoir to its maximum line, and start the stew. My Buydeem runs in 60-minute intervals, so I restart it each hour until I reach 3 hours.

Check the reservoir at each restart and top it up if needed. The reservoir water and the soup water are separate, so keep them straight.

Season and serve. The broth should look clear and amber, and the meat should pull from the bone. Salt it at the end, a little at a time, because the dates and longan already make it sweet.

The hourly restart is the one catch, but the steamer frees up a burner and you only need to step in twice. For the stovetop version, set a covered ceramic jar on a rack in a large pot of simmering water for 3 hours and top up the water as it drops.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers so they cool quickly, and discard any soup left out for more than two hours. Health Canada lists soups at 2 to 3 days in the fridge and 4 months in the freezer. Reheat leftovers to 74°C (165°F).

The fat sets on top once chilled, so it's easy to lift off for a lighter broth. Strain out the herbs before freezing if you'd like.

Variations

Young chicken: The soup works the same way, but expect softer meat and a milder broth.

Warmer version: Add a couple of slices of fresh ginger, a move that appears in several of our silkie soups.

Less sweet: Reduce the longan first, since it's the sweetest thing in the pot.

Silkie chicken: This changes the character of the soup, so compare your options here.

Soup	Main herbs	Method	Choose it when
This old hen soup	Codonopsis, astragalus, mai dong, yu zhu, cordyceps flowers	Double-boil, 3 hours	You want a rich, clear broth
Chinese Herbal Silkie Chicken Soup	Chinese yam, red dates, goji	Simmer, about 90 minutes	You want something simple
Dendrobium Silkie Chicken Soup	Dendrobium, astragalus, codonopsis	Simmer, 2 hours	You want a more herbal pot

Optional Add-Ins for Extra Umami

Old hen soup is already rich, but a little dried seafood gives it the deep, savoury flavour Cantonese soups are known for. Pick one or two, because more than that tends to muddy a clear broth. The stew pot doesn't have much spare room, so every add-in also cuts into the water you can fit.

瑤柱 Dried Scallops: These are the easiest place to start. Soak 3 or 4 scallops until softened, then add them along with the soaking water for extra flavour. They bring a gentle sweetness that suits the red dates and longan.

響螺乾 Dried Conch: This gives the broth a deeper, more seafood-forward flavour. Soak it well ahead of time, ideally overnight, then slice it so it fits the pot. You'll find the same pairing in our Silkie Chicken Cordyceps Fish Maw Conch Soup.

花膠 Fish Maw: Fish maw adds body more than umami and gives the broth a silkier feel. It needs the longest prep, so soak it for at least a day. Our Fish Maw Crab Soup covers it in more detail.

冬菇 Dried Shiitake: This is a good choice if you don't eat seafood. Soak 3 or 4 mushrooms until soft, then trim off the tough stems.

蠔豉 Dried Oysters: These have the strongest flavour of the group, so 2 or 3 is plenty. Rinse them well because they can hold grit.

瘦肉 Lean Pork: Many Cantonese soups add a piece of lean pork for extra depth. Blanch it with the hen.

Dried seafood adds its own saltiness, so taste the broth before you season it. Skip the seafood options if anyone at the table has a shellfish or fish allergy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Old hen soup is simple once it's in the pot, but a few questions come up before you start. Here's what to know about the bird, the herbs and the steamer.

Related NOMSS Recipes

For another 燉 double-boiled recipe, try Double-Steamed Snow Pear with Fritillaria Bulb. Steamed Chicken with Cordyceps & Black Goji is a faster way to use cordyceps flowers. For the bigger seasonal picture, read our Dongzhi Winter Solstice Foods guide.

For the seasonal reasoning behind easing into tonics, read the Start of Winter (Lidong) guide.

Have you tried this TCM soup recipe? Share your experience and any adaptations you've made in the comments below. For more traditional Chinese medicine recipes and health tips, subscribe to our newsletter and never miss a post!

I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.

> Recipe Card

Print

Pin the above image to your Chinese TCM Recipe Pinterest Board to bookmark this page. We are so excited to share our recipes with you!

More Chinese Recipes

Chinese Steamed Chicken With Shiitake Mushroom 冬菇蒸雞

Air Fryer BBQ Pork Char Siu 氣炸鍋蜜汁叉燒

Red Bean Soup (Instant Pot) 蓮子百合紅豆沙

Braised Beef Brisket & Tendon 柱侯蘿蔔炆牛筋腩

Best Postpartum Pig Trotter Black Vinegar and Ginger 豬腳薑醋