Throat Coat Tea-Poached Chicken and Rice Soup
A gentle, soft-textured chicken and rice soup poached with Throat Coat Blend, built for comfort on a day when your throat — or your spirits — need a little coddling.
This soup leans into the same demulcent, soothing qualities that make Throat Coat Blend a go-to herbal tea, simmering shredded chicken and rice directly in a strong brew of the tea instead of plain stock. The licorice root lends a faint natural sweetness to the broth, while the slippery elm and marshmallow root add body without any added thickener.
Brewing the tea extra strong is essential here — you want enough flavor to carry the broth, since the soup will be diluted with additional water and aromatics. A 10-minute steep with double the usual amount of blend gives you a concentrated base worth building on.
Keep the rest of the ingredients gentle: soft-cooked rice, finely shredded chicken, a little ginger, and a few drops of sesame oil at the end. This isn't a soup that wants bold chili or heavy garlic — it's modeled on the same soft, undemanding logic as congee, just with a Throat Coat twist.
Serve it warm, ideally in the evening or whenever a scratchy throat or a long day of talking calls for something gentle. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and reheats easily on the stove with a splash of water to loosen the rice.
Ingredients
- 2 Throat Coat Blend tea bags (or 2 tbsp loose blend)
- 6 cups water, divided
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3/4 cup white rice, rinsed
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Salt and white pepper to taste
How to make it
- 1Bring 2 cups of water to just off the boil. Add the tea bags or loose blend and steep, covered, for 10 minutes. Strain and set the concentrated tea aside.
- 2In a pot, bring the remaining 4 cups of water to a simmer with the ginger and garlic. Add the chicken thighs and poach gently for 12–15 minutes until cooked through.
- 3Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot along with the rinsed rice and the brewed tea concentrate.
- 4Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft and the soup has thickened slightly. Add water if it gets too thick.
- 5Stir in soy sauce, season with salt and white pepper, and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and the sliced green onions just before serving.
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What to Eat with Throat Coat Blend
Thick, faintly sweet, and earthy from slippery elm and marshmallow root, Throat Coat Blend pairs best with soft, warm, gentle foods rather than anything sharp or spicy.
Throat Coat Honey-Steeped Rice Pudding
A soft, slow-cooked rice pudding steeped with Throat Coat Blend and sweetened with honey — a soothing, gently spiced dessert built around the same mucilage herbs that make the tea so comforting.