12 May 2020
43 Comments
Some of my favorite recipes to share are the comfort foods I grew up eating, especially when they’re quick AND easy to whip up with ingredients you likely have on-hand. When we first immigrated to the US, corn egg drop soup was a beloved budget and pantry dish that only took minutes to get on the table. The combo of sweet corn in savory, peppery broth with thin ribbons of egg is oh so simple yet comforting. It was always a favorite amongst the kids (my grandma made it for us with sliced hot dogs, which doesn’t sound so appetizing now, but it was quite the treat back then!). I still find myself craving this soup every so often but try to use better quality ingredients where I can.
And a quick note – we just updated all the recipes on this blog to be printable and rate-able, so if you’ve tried any of them, please take a minute and leave a quick star rating right on the recipe card! I’ve really loved hearing your thoughts on these dishes, as well as any substitutions and modifications made.
A+F sweatshirt xxs (my review), Everlane high rise jeans 25, hems cut (same washed grey color on sale; my review). Nori is in Stokke high chair (my review)
Egg allergy note: Since my kids have egg allergies, I just take portions out for them beating in the egg. Nori always gobbles this soup up, and it can easily be pureed a bit to make it even more baby-friendly.
We also love Just Egg brand liquid egg substitute which works really well in almost all recipes that call for egg. Just FYI that while my kids have not had a problem with it, Just Egg is produced in a facility that also processes egg products.
Print Recipe
4.85 from 96 votes
Chinese Corn Egg Drop Soup
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 can cream style corn; do not drain* (cream style corn is dairy free)
- 2 cups good broth** 1 can or half a large box of broth
- 1 to 2 eggs beaten in a bowl with a fork
- Salt, black pepper, & white pepper to taste
Optional
- 1/3 lb uncooked ground chicken my preference - see quick marinade below, or use any cooked chicken you have, like shredded rotisserie chicken.
- 2 teaspoons corn or tapioca starch***
- Sesame oil, scallions or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Note: In the photos here I had doubled this recipe to make a full pot, but added 2 cups of frozen corn instead of a second can of cream style corn.
Pour broth and corn in a pot and heat it up over medium heat until it reaches a low simmer. If using a mix of frozen corn and canned corn like in these photos, I put the frozen corn in first and let it simmer longer before adding in the canned.
Add in optional chicken. If you're using uncooked ground chicken, add it to the simmering soup and quickly try to break it up into small pieces using a spatula, as it cooks within the pot. It takes about 5 minutes for ground chicken to cook through while the pot is simmering. If you're adding chicken that's already cooked, it will only take a few minutes to heat up.
Mix in optional starch slurry. Mix starch with a little cold water in a separate bowl until well dissolved. Stir this into the soup.
Beat eggs with a fork. Then use the fork to gently stir the soup in a circular motion (not too rigorously) while slowly pouring the beaten eggs into the soup to create egg drop "ribbons."
Season to taste with salt and pepper. I love lots of pepper on this and add more when serving! I also like to add a dash of optional fish sauce to this soup. Finish by garnishing with scallions or cilantro and a drizzle of sesame on top.
Optional ground chicken marinade
If you're using uncooked ground chicken, do this step in the very beginning. I quickly marinade the ground chicken directly in the tray that it comes in. I do about 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, drizzle of sesame oil. Mix with a spoon and set aside until Step 3 above.
Notes
* Corn type: Traditionally, this soup uses cream style corn (dairy free) which contains a little added sugar, salt, and starch that give the soup a consistency I love. If needs be, you can use regular canned corn or frozen corn, but I really highly recommend using cream style corn for best results. Sometimes I'll defrost a bag of frozen corn and blend it up very briefly in my smoothie blender to "cream" it up a bit.
** Broth: My favorite broth these days is Imagine brand low sodium chicken broth which has such a nice aroma, but you can use vegetarian or homemade broth.
***Starch is a key thickening agent in Chinese soups (like corn, egg drop, hot & sour), so if you have some available, then I do recommend this step. If you are only using cream style canned corn here, then that already contains some starch in it (compared to regular canned corn or frozen corn which has no added starch).
If you’re adding in uncooked ground chicken, marinate and stir it into the simmering soup, breaking it up quickly into small pieces. This ground meat cooking tool is perfect for this purpose, along with making taco filling or bolognese sauce!
Stirring in the optional starch slurry, and then adding the beaten egg at the end. I gently stir around the pot in circles (not too quickly!) while pouring in the beaten egg to create ribbons of egg “drop.”
Serving suggestion: in Chinese culture soups are usually served alongside a meal and not as the main dish, but I’ve been making a quick meal out of this served with shortcut scallion pancakes! I usually double this recipe (it freezes well) and make several pancakes in advance, and just reheat the pancakes before eating with a quick pan sear.
Do you have any favorite childhood meals that you still love making?
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43 Comments
Hope wrote:
I’ve used your recipe several times and our family loves it! We have a 2 year old and 9 month old who gobble it up, especially the chicken. I always make extra! Thanks for a great recipe!Posted 5.18.22Reply
Jenna wrote:
Amazing! Just had it for dinner with a side of dumplings. So very comforting xPosted 2.24.21Reply
Lindsay wrote:
Really nice comforting soup that came together so quick. I didn’t have cream corn so I used frozen corn and a couple teaspoons of sugar along with the corn starch slurry. My husband liked this soup as well!Posted 12.28.20Reply
Sharon wrote:
Sooo good! Thank you so much for the recipe, Jean! I didn’t think the extra step of marinating the chicken would do much, but you can really taste it in the final product! And the recipe comes together SO quickly. This will definitely be a new staple in our house!Posted 12.4.20Reply
HK wrote:
Made this the other night and the kids gobbled it up. I browned up the quick marinated ground chicken first then added the rest of the ingredients. Also threw in some chopped frozen spinach at the end so that I could tell myself I fed my family something nutritious 😋
Posted 11.11.20Reply
Adria wrote:
I made the egg drop chicken corn soup this evening. Very delicious, even used a dollop of fish sauce and the sesame oil drizzle. However, though using your precise measures we found the soup too thick. I added another two cups of broth and it was much better – thinned it out to be more like a soup than a stew.Posted 10.24.20Reply
Jenny Bacon wrote:
How do you keep the outside (lid and pot) so clean?
Posted 8.26.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Hi Jenny, we don’t do anything special to clean it, but we previously had an electric stove which doesn’t really leave marks. If you have a gas range it’s typical and normal to have more flame marks on the outside.
Posted 9.9.20Reply
Jillian wrote:
Hi! What’s the guidance on freezing this? Is it ok to freeze with the ground chicken? I can’t wait to try this.
Posted 7.28.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Hi Jillian! I freeze this after it’s cooked, with ground chicken and all. I take it out of the freezer a day or two before planning to eat it and let it thaw slowly in the refrigerator. Then heat up in the microwave or on stove top as normal. Enjoy!
Posted 7.31.20Reply
Alisha wrote:
Going to give this a try. What size is your Le Creuset Cast-Iron Dutch Oven? I’ve been eying it for awhile now but I can’t decide on the size.Posted 6.20.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Hi Alisha, we absolutely love ours and use them all the time! I included information about the sizing of ours in this post: https://www.extrapetite.com/2020/04/le-creuset-dutch-oven-sale-size-comparison.html
Posted 6.22.20Reply
Jimmy wrote:
I just made this with ground turkey instead of ground chicken (the store was out) and it was still super yummy! So quick and perfectly Chinese. Hit all the right spots. Thank you for posting all these great recipes, Jean!Posted 6.13.20Reply
Kainat wrote:
Hi, random question, but what’s the bowl Nori is holding in the picture? I have the Tripp trapp too and can’t seem to find an infant bowl or plate that will suction on the tray and the bowl she’s holding looks like it’s a suction one?
Posted 6.1.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
It’s by Beaba and is part of this 4-piece silicone dining set (https://amzn.to/2U2S6Jc) and it is a suction one! We love the size and depth of it and use it often.
Posted 6.1.20Reply
Anonymous wrote:
Can anyone speak to how well this keeps and reheats? Thanks!
Posted 5.31.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
We typically make extra to refrigerate for leftovers and even freeze when we make this soup and never have any issues reheating!
Posted 6.1.20Reply
Jill wrote:
Looks so yummy, I have an egg allergy, but have discovered a substitute and can’t wait to try it in this soup. Do the leftovers keep and reheat well?
Posted 5.31.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Hi Jill! This keeps and reheats very well, we often make more for leftovers and have even frozen this without issues.
Posted 6.1.20Reply
Lori wrote:
I’ve never had egg drop soup before but I decided to give it a try. It turned out sooo good. My husband who has tried egg drop soup said it was delicious!! This is definitely going to be a staple in my recipe book. Thank you so much for sharing quick, delicious and easy recipes.Posted 5.21.20Reply
Christy Ahmed wrote:
Please keep posting more of your recipes! I’ve admired your fashion for years… Now I have a toddler and love all your mommy posts. We love to eat so these simple recipes are really great for our busy lifestyle 🙂
Posted 5.21.20Reply
Michelle wrote:
I Love your content, and as an extra petite in my 50’s I love finding ways to stay fresh and up to date adding to my new styling apparel business. I look forward to following!
Posted 5.18.20Reply
Skip wrote:
This is so interesting! I’ve never had egg drop soup with corn in it but I can’t see how that would be a bad combo! Growing up, we had tomato & egg drop soup. Stirfried tomato & scrambled egg is also a super basic dish that I still love. I really love the uniqueness of your cooking posts and how you blend you and your husband’s heritage together through food!
Posted 5.15.20Reply
Annabelle wrote:
Thanks for the inspo for last night dinner. I had leftover homemade chicken stock so made my version of corn soup with fake crab. I also tooked your advice not adding any corn starch. Thank you for sharing your stories & recipes. I looked forward to your daily posting. Love how you keep it real during this crazy time. Keep it up! 👍🏼Posted 5.14.20Reply
Anonymous wrote:
So simple!Posted 5.14.20Reply
Hannah wrote:
These recipes have been SO helpful during quarantine!! Just actually made your congee again today and will def try this one out! Please keep the recipes coming!
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Michelle wrote:
I’ve been following you for many years and love the variety of content! I initially tuned in for the fashion advice–you were the first petite blogger I came across and I always found tons of relevant and practical inspiration here. When I became a full-time mama four years ago and wasn’t dressing up as much, I still came to experience fashion vicariously through you! Now that you’re including kid-gear, recipes, and mama-friendly fashion advice into the mix, I couldn’t be happier! These recipes have been amazing. My husband is Chinese, and while he has some tough memories from growing up, many of these comfort food recipes you have been sharing were the only good memories he had. Thanks to you I’ve been able to bring these foods back into his life. Thank you for this incredible gift. Much love to you and your growing, beautiful family!
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Julie wrote:
Discovered your blog recently and love it! Great fashion and the recipes are perfect. My whole loves them. They’ve really transformed my quarantine cooking so thank you for that.
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Anonymous wrote:
I absolutely love your recipes and cannot wait to try this. My sister and I have followed you on IG for years and though we live in 2 different states, we always bond by cooking your recipes and share our latest creations through our family chat group. It’s been giving the joy, entertainment and connection we’ve needed during these past couple of difficult months. Please keep up the cooking posts..and ignore those haters that criticize the lack of fashion posts on your blog. I always appreciate the realness and honesty you provide on your blog and social media!
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Hearing this just about made me week … thanks so much for taking the time to share and for the uplifting words. Many of these simple recipes are special to me in some way as they make me nostalgic for my family or childhood so I’m so happy to hear how you and your sister have been utilizing them. xx
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Celia wrote:
Can’t wait to try this! I can’t seem to find ground chicken here in Australia – can I use minced chicken instead? Or diced chicken?
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Hi Celia, actually the traditional name for this is minced chicken corn soup using any cut of chicken that you mince up yourself at home with a big knife, so that would work perfectly!
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Mona wrote:
Thanks for sharing this, brought back wonderful memories of my childhood.
Congrats on your pregnancy! Wish you & family all the best!
Love your blog & IG account- very helpful, although some clothing are harder to source/purchase in Canada.Posted 5.13.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
Thank you, Mona! I appreciate that. Ah I know unfortunately, our retailer selections just aren’t the same and even the same stores offer a lot of different product and deals for US vs Canada : /
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Tiffany wrote:
This looks amazing! My family loves egg drop soup. This will be on my menu plan next week.Posted 5.13.20Reply
Ral wrote:
Hi, thanks for posting! Brings back great memories – my family also made this quite often when I was growing up. We often added a pinch of dried chili flakes to each bowl just before serving. Nice touch on pairing with scallion pancakes!Posted 5.13.20Reply
Tracy wrote:
I had canned corn egg drop soup as a kid too! Now when I make it, I add cream of coconut, about a tablespoon or two. It depends how much cream of coconut is on hand. My kids love it!Posted 5.13.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
That sounds like a very tasty addition!
Posted 5.13.20Reply
Anonymous wrote:
This post brings a smile to my face. I’m Chinese and my dad makes a nearly identical corn egg drop soup, just sans chicken. It’s always been a hit amongst the kids growing up and to this day, it’s still one of my favorite easy-to-make soups. My kids now love it, too! Thank you for sharing!Posted 5.13.20Reply
Jean | Extra Petite wrote:
My family always made it without chicken too just to keep things simple! It’s always these simple dishes that bring back the most nostalgia isn’t it 😊
Posted 5.13.20Reply
