Chinese corn soup is a perfect dish for your weekday dinner because it’s so fast and easy to put together. The silky chicken soup is loaded with egg ribbons, chicken and corn – it’s so rich and satisfying that it can be served as a light main dish. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
Chinese corn soup is called “corn stew” (玉米羹, yu mi geng) in Chinese. It is a different form of Chinese egg drop soup. Loaded with corn kernels and chicken meat, the dish features a thick, silky broth with a richer taste than that of the average egg drop soup. Egg drop soup might be the most popular soup at Chinese restaurants in the US. But Chinese corn soup was my favorite soup growing up because it is richer and contains more goodies.
My mom makes egg drop soup and tomato egg drop soup a few times a week, because she found the corn one to be a bit much to prepare. It is a dish we’d often order at restaurants for a treat. But in fact, corn soup only takes one extra step to make, and you only need 20 minutes to prep and cook it. The soup is so satisfying that I usually serve it as a main dish for a light one-bowl dinner.
Ingredients for making Chinese corn soup
Ground chicken vs chicken pieces
In my Chinese corn soup, I always opt to use ground chicken instead of sliced chicken pieces. Because it takes less time to prepare this way, and the ground chicken releases more flavor into the soup to make it richer.
Restaurant Chinese corn soup often uses thinly sliced chicken pieces in the soup. If you prefer to make it this way, you can simply replace the ground chicken with chicken breast or thigh. Slice it into thin bite-size pieces and follow the recipe as it is.
Choose a good chicken broth
Since Chinese corn soup uses very few ingredients to season the soup, it’s important to find a good quality broth base. My favorite chicken broth is the Kirkland Organic Chicken Stock from Costco. It is so much richer than the many other brands I’ve tried.
My other favorite is Better than Bouillon Roast Chicken Base and I always keep a jar of it in the fridge. It has a super rich taste and I like to use it as a base for soup and stew, and sometimes stir fries. For this recipe, simply use 1 heaping tablespoon of the chicken base dissolved in water to replace the chicken broth.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Beaten eggs
- Corn kernels, drained
- Cornstarch slurry
- Salt
- Sesame oil
- Sliced green onion
- Ginger
- Chicken marinated in cornstarch, wine and salt
- Chicken broth
To Make a meatless version
You can skip the chicken to make a meatless version. It makes a perfect side dish to wash down your dinner.
I personally like the version with ground chicken, because the browned bits add tons of flavor to the soup. If you add a small handful of noodles and green vegetables such as spinach, the soup makes a hearty full meal.
How to make Chinese corn soup
Making Chinese corn soup is so easy:
- Brown the ground chicken
- Add the chicken broth and ginger, then bring to a boil
- Skim the foam from the top once the soup starts to boil
- Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup
- Drizzle in the egg to make egg ribbons
- Stir gently, finish up with sesame oil and green onion
How to make perfect egg ribbons
To make the perfect egg ribbons, make sure to:
- Beat the eggs very thoroughly, so there’s no lumps in the mixture.
- Properly thicken the soup using the cornstarch slurry before adding the eggs.
- Turn the heat to low or off, so the soup is at a very low simmer.
- Very slowly drizzle a thin stream of the egg mixture using a pair of chopsticks or a fork against the bowl.
- Once you’ve added all the eggs, wait for a few seconds to let the egg set before stirring.
How to serve Chinese corn soup
You can serve Chinese corn soup along with other main dishes for a full dinner. Although the soup itself is quite filling, so sometimes I serve it by itself as a light lunch.
Here are some dishes to serve it with:
- Chinese Okra Salad, Two Ways (凉拌秋葵)
- Scallion Beef Stir Fry (葱爆牛肉)
- Air Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)
- Authentic Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)
- Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir Fry
Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken (鸡蛋玉米羹)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (225 g) ground chicken (or ground turkey)
- 1 teaspoon salt , divided (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch , divided
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 large slice ginger
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup canned or frozen corn , drained (*see footnote 1)
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder (for color, optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 eggs , beaten
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 green onion , chopped (and extra for garnish)
Instructions
- Combine the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, Shaoxing wine and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch in a small bowl. Mix well and let marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
- Heat the oil in a big pot until warm. Add ground chicken. Let cook as you chop the chicken into smaller pieces. Keep cooking until the chicken is almost cooked through and the surface is lightly browned.
- Add chicken stock and ginger. Turn to high heat. Cook until brought to a boil. Skim and discard the foam from the top of the soup. Then add the corn and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn to medium-low heat.
- While boiling the soup, combine the remaining cornstarch, turmeric powder, and pepper white pepper with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Swirl the cornstarch starch slurry into the soup. Stir until the soup thickens. Turn to medium-low heat so the soup comes to a low simmer.
- Put a spatula (or a fork) against one end of the bowl with the egg in it. Slowly drizzle the egg into the soup in a swirling motion. Let the egg sit for 15 seconds, then stir the soup again to mix everything together. Taste the soup with a small spoon. If the soup is not as thick as you’d like, mix a bit more cornstarch slurry and add it into the soup. Add more salt to adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Drizzle with sesame oil and add green onion. Serve hot.
Notes
- You can use 2 cups of corn to make a more substantial soup (almost like a stew) and serve as a light meal.
This looks delicious! Why in some recipes do you use cornstarch and in others potato starch?
Hi David, both cornstarch and potato starch can be used in my recipes, and they yield same results. I switched to potato starch lately because it’s slightly healthier than cornstarch, although a bit more expensive. Hope this is not too confusing.
Have a great weekend 🙂
Perfect for the coming cold weather. A warm bowl of soup always saves the day for me!
This is the only soup I get from takeout and I could live on it. I can’t wait to try this.
OMG, yes! I’m Chinese too (my parents are immigrants from Canton and I was actually born and raised in the U.S.) and when my family and I were visiting Beijing a few years ago, my brothers and I were constantly requesting “egg drop soup” (we LOVE IT!) and my parents had to keep telling us it’s actually called 玉米羹 there!
I love this recipe, I am SO making this soon.
Hi Cali, thanks for taking time to leave a comment and I’m so glad to hear you like this recipe! I used to live in Beijing and just moved to the US 2 months ago. This dish makes me feel like home 🙂
Happy cooking and let me know how the cooking turns out!
I love egg drop soup and this is a new twist for me. Especially the fact that you call it traditionally a corn stew. It’s such a soothing soup. A must try and with the slurry, too.
my boyfriend loves egg drop soup as well..so i will be making this very soon at home. thank you.
I’m not sure what we call this in the UK, but I’ve always loved it. I love that you’ve given us a simple recipe to make it for ourselves, like you always do!! Where do you find potato starch, by the way? 🙂
chicken & sweet cornsoup is what Chinese restaurants/takeaways call it here!
And this is why I love your blog so much! Not only are your recipes and photos amazing, but I ALWAYS learn something new! Egg Drop Soup is also one of my favorite comfort foods, but I’ve only had the ‘America version’. I had no idea that traditionally it’s made with corn! It looks and sounds wonderful! Gotta try this real-deal recipe.
Hi Maggie,
Stumbled onto your website and coincidentally found this recipe! I was looking for something to cook for my wife.
I will try making this egg drop soup for her…
😀
I’m Glad to hear you like the recipe William! Let me know how the dish turns out. And if you take a picture, please feel free to share it (tag me on Instagram or post on my Facebook page) 🙂
Happy cooking!
This looks delicious! Quick question: do you use ground ginger or fresh ginger? Hope that makes sense, can’t wait to try your recipe 🙂
Hi Abby, I used fresh ginger in this recipe. It always works better than ground ginger powder.
Happy cooking and hope the soup turns out great 🙂
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! It went together quickly too! I have never had ground meat in egg drop soup before, but I followed the recipe and used ground chicken. My husband and I both loved the flavor! We don’t eat meat on Fridays, so I am eager to try this soup again without meat. This is going to to be something I make all the time!
Hi Giselle, thanks for taking time to leave a comment and I’m glad to hear you like the recipe! I love using ground meat in my egg drop soup, because it infuses the soup more flavors than using large piece of chicken. Next time when you do not use ground chicken, use 100% chicken stock instead of blending water, so your soup will be rich.
Hope you have a great week ahead Giselle 🙂
I had to use veggie stock because we had no chicken, but it still tasted yummy! Definitely trying again with chicken stock soon 🙂
Thanks for leaving a comment and glad to hear you enjoyed the dish! Yes I think a vegetable stock definitely works for this dish 🙂
Dear Maggie,
It turned out Amazing. My grandmother had to have eye-procedures for her macular degeneration today, so I stayed home to cook dinner for everyone while my mom went with her. It tastes so good and soothed the family.
Thank you!! ??
Hi Dominique, thanks for taking time to leave a comment and I’m so glad to hear your family and you enjoyed the dish! It is very sweet of you to make a nice dinner for your family 🙂 Hope you have a great week ahead!
I LOVE YOU MAGGIE! Thanks for sharing.
This looks great. Can this soup be reheated? Not sure I’ve ever reheated a soup with egg in it.
It’s ok to reheat the soup as long as you use a medium to medium-low heat without overheating the soup to a full boil. Although the texture of the soup will usually thin out because cornstarch will lose the binding power when you reheat.
Wonderful recipe thank you! Another thing you can add to get even more corn flavour in it is use what we call creamed corn in Australia. There is no cream in it and has no added fats just seasonings and thickened, it’s basically just pureed corn and comes in a can. Not sure if it’s available anywhere else or not but I love it in my version.
Hello! I am so excited to try this soup! I loved it growing up but have since moved away from the very predominantly Chinese area that I grew up in. I didn’t see anyone else ask, but can I replace the frozen corn with regular fresh corn? Would I need to adjust the cooking time?
I know this is one of your older recipes, but hopefully you are still looking at comments and provide some guidance. Thank you!
Hi Jasmine, yes you can totally use fresh corn to make the soup. I don’t think the cooking time varies a lot. What you can do is to boil the corns for 5 minutes or so and check on them before adding any other ingredients. When the corns are cooked, you can proceed to the next step to add the cornstarch slurry. Happy cooking!
I’m glad I made double the recipe since this soup is so addicting! It also reminds me of one of my favorite soup from my childhood in Jakarta (it was an asparagus soup, but it must’ve used the same base as this corn soup of yours). Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Excellent! I boiled some rice noodles I the chicken stock then added the rest. Also used cream coke…. yummy
Perfect timing for this recipe as I just picked up fresh sweet corn and peas! This soup took no time to make and is really delicious!!! I added a big handful of fresh spinach and some enjoy mushrooms at the end to bulk it up for a filling meal. Thanks for another amazing recipe!!!