Black Chicken Porridge

You see Chicken Porridge very often but using Black (boned) Chicken 乌骨鸡? I have not heard of anyone using it for porridge. For soup, yes but not porridge. At least not the people I know. Hopefully, I'm not the only one out there. Chinese always use this breed of chicken for double-boiled soup along with Chinese Herbs. The meat of this chicken is finer and sweeter compared to the regular chicken. It is believed that this breed of chicken is more nutritious and is a curative food. I can't confirm this but I do like making soup with Black (boned) Chicken as the soup is clearer. I have been using Black (boned) Chicken in place of regular chicken to make porridge for many years. It was first for my son when he was a toddler. If you follow my blog from the beginning, you would know he is a very picky and fussy eater. Now, my daughter likes it too. When they are younger, I would add Chinese Yam 山药 along with Wolfberries 枸杞子 and red dates 红枣 when I cook the black boned chicken porridge. Now that they are older, they are able to tell the taste difference with and without the Chinese Yam and preferred I not add it. Now I add a couple of dried scallops instead for it's sweetness and a few dash of Chinese Cooking Wine to bring out the taste of chicken porridge. In case you are curious, my method of making this is by cooking the whole (blanched) chicken with rice, together with the other ingredients. I feel it will be as waste if you only use the meat. The bone was pack with nutrition too. If you don't stir it too hard the whole chicken will be intact and you need not worry about have small pieces of bones in the porridge. When the porridge ready, slowly lift the chicken out with a large ladle or slotted spoon. You can then shred the chicken and add it to the porridge if you like. Then add in the Chinese Cooking Wine and salt to taste at the end and give it a last stir and it done.