As the weather is finally turning into a crisp autumn, it’s the perfect time for Mike vs Jeff – Soup Challenge. Jeff will be making a hot and sour soup while Mike is serving his favorite chicken and mushroom soup.

Growing up in Taiwan, I remember there is soup at almost every dinner and sometimes at lunch. For me, I prefer my soup to be at the end of the meal to cleanse the palate and bring a nice closure to the savory portion of the meal before moving on to fruits and dessert. There are so many types of soup in Asian cooking, it’s almost like wine pairing. There is always a perfect soup to compliment your meal, whether that’s a light broth or a heavier pottage.

My favorite type of soups are light broth made from either chicken, beef, pork, or seafood and simple ingredients so I can taste the broth and ingredients separately and individually. I don’t prefer heavier soups but, depending on the meal, heavier soups can be a better choice.

One of the most interesting soups I had was during my senior trip in college. We went on the Big Red Boat for a cruise in the Bahamas and one of the course served chilled cantaloupe soup. Up to this point, I’ve always had savory soups and anything sweet was considered dessert. I’m not exactly sure what the soup was made of. Obviously, it’s not just a cantaloupe smoothie. Maybe it had some cream and herbs. It was very mild and lightly sweetened. So good that I asked for another bowl.

For this challenge, I decided to make my favorite chicken and mushroom soup because it’s so simple yet so delicious. It’s amazing that when these ingredients combine makes a beautifully aromatic yet light broth that just warms the soul in this cold weather.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken wings
• 8-12 dried shiitake mushrooms
• ½” ginger sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup rice wine
• water

Traditionally, this dish requires using a whole chicken chopped up – but who has time to chop up chicken? The reason for whole chicken is because the bone, fat, and skin adds a lot of flavor to the soup. Pro Tip: Using chicken wings is a perfect substitute and easily bought and prepped – even comes in a frozen 10 pound bag at Costco.

The mushrooms must be dried and then reconstituted with water instead of using fresh mushrooms. Why? you ask. I’ve heard that during the drying process, the mushrooms product a layer of flavor that you can’t get from fresh ones. You can always give it a test and put fresh mushrooms next to reconstituted ones and you’ll notice a dramatic difference in flavor and aroma. Since it might be hard to find dried shiitake mushrooms unless you go to Asian supermarkets. I’ve actually bought fresh organic shiitakes from Sprouts supermarket and then just set them out to dry in the hot sun for 2 days. Just be aware, once dried, they are smaller than ½ of their original size.

There are other variations of this soup. You can add Chinese herbs like dried dates or goji berries for extra health benefits and brings sweetness to the soup. You can also add somen – thin noodles – and make this a Chinese version of the hearty chicken noodle soup.

Directions

First, we need to reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of water and let it sit covered for about 2 hours or overnight. If you are in a hurry, you can use hot water which will speed up the process.

Fill a pot with about 1 quart of water and add salt, ginger slice, and rice wine. Next add the mushrooms and also the mushroom water. Pro Tip: The mushroom water has a lot of flavor so it’s a waste to throw it away.

Add the chicken wings and bring water to a boil. After boiling for a few minutes, there will be scum that floats to the top. Go ahead and skim away so that you are left with a clear broth. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-30 minutes depending on your taste preference. The longer you cook the chicken, the more flavorful the soup becomes but the less tasty the chicken becomes. I find that between 15 to 30 minutes work out well for both the soup and the chicken.

Enjoy your Chinese mushroom and chicken soup.

4.7 from 3 reviews

Chicken and Mushroom Soup (香菇雞湯)

 

Author:

Mike Hsu

Recipe type: soup

Cuisine: Chinese

Serves: 2-4 servings

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Print

 

When the weather is cold outside, have a bowl of Chinese chicken and mushroom soup to warm your heart and soul. Simple 5 ingredient recipe that is read in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken wings
• 8-12 dried shiitake mushrooms
• ½” ginger sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup rice wine
• water

Instructions

1. Reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of water overnight
2. Fill pot with about 1 quart of water
3. Add salt, ginger slices, rice wine, and mushroom with mushroom water
4. Add chicken wings
5. Bring water to boil and skim away the scum
6. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes
7. Ready to serve

3.5.3208