Onion Chicken Soup with Sauteed Mushrooms

 Onion Chicken Soup with Sauteed Mushrooms

This was the most onion-y soup ever.  So much so that the shirt I was wearing when I made it was, well, stinky!  It smelled very strongly of onions and soup. But, wow oh wow, what a tasty soup, one of my all time favorites for sure.  If you like a flavorful soup or if you  like French Onion soup you will love this recipe. The soup is filled, I mean absolutely brimming with veggies, chicken, mushrooms, and of course onions.  cooking a whole chicken in water for several hours with fresh herbs lends the sou pa depth of flavor.  Sauteing the mushrooms and onions seals their tastes and assures that they will not be overcooked.

Onion Chicken Soup with Sauteed Mushrooms

1 small, whole chicken
3 large onions, I used one red and two yellow, cut onion in half and then slice into long strips
1 pound of mushrooms, quartered
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 russet potatoes, chopped
5 large leaves of chard, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste (more pepper for more spice, yum)
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
Tamari or soy sauce served on the side as needed

Crusty bread (see below for suggestions)

I start with a 5 quart soup pan, filling it 2/3 with water.  Add a whole chicken and some salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme, bring to a boil.  The pan will be full of water once you add the chicken, but not so full that it overflows while it boils.  Once the soup is boiling reduce temperature until it cooks at a slow boil.  Continue to cook chicken for 2-3 hours.

After 2-3 hours, remove chicken from water, place on a plate and take all the meat off the bones, to add to the soup later.  I give the fat and gristle to my dogs.  Set meat aside to add when soup is almost done cooking.

Run a strainer through the soup to fish out any bones.  Also discard bay leaves and thyme stems.  Now you can add the chopped carrots, celery, and potatoes.  Cook until soft then you can add other ingredients, read on...

Meanwhile, you can saute the onions and mushrooms.  I cooked them separately, the onions in one pan and the mushrooms in another.  You can cut the onions into long, thin strips.  Cook them until they are browned and somewhat soft.  Quarter the mushrooms and cook them in olive oil until soft, but not mushy, as they will also cook in the pot of soup.  Set aside, and add once the veggies- the carrots, celery and potatoes- are soft in the big soup pan.

the organic mushrooms and sauteed onions pictured with chicken and chard

Once you have added the mushrooms and onions, add the chicken and chopped chard.  The chard will cook in the hot soup liquid.  Let chard sit in soup for 10 minutes or more and then serve the soup with a crusty bread like Essential Bakery's Potato bread or Parisian bread, toasted.  Essential Bakery is located in Seattle Washington, and offers delicious bread fresh every morning in many stores (including locally here in the Star Store and at Payless) and in their cafe. 

fresh chard

 

Essential Bakery's Potato Bread

This recipe will serve many people, a whole party in fact, or freeze some and have dinner and/or lunch made for several days.  

I am also considering making a spicy jalapeno version of this soup.  I just love spicy soups!

~~ Enjoy ~~