Chicken and Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Method7 steps · about 1 hr 55 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms, cover with warm water and soak 20–30 minutes until fully hydrated. Rinse away any trapped grit and strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve. Reserve 500 ml of strained liquid for the soup; add a little water if needed to reach 500 ml.

   Soak mushrooms · 30 minUses 20 dried shitake mushroom (if you use larger sizes, use 10 or 12) · Warm water as needed for soaking dried shiitake mushrooms

2. 2

   Step 2: Cut the chicken into serving-size bone-in chunks, removing any unwanted parts and patting the pieces dry.

   Uses whole chicken

3. 3

   Step 3: Fry the chicken: add 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the chicken chunks with ginger until slightly browned. This will enhance the flavor of the soup.

   Uses Prepared chicken chunks · 2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil · One piece of ginger

4. 4

   Step 4: Once the chicken is seared, add the 1.5 litres boiling water, white peppercorns (10), hydrated dried shiitake mushrooms,500 ml strained mushroom-soaking liquid and scallion whites (4).

   Uses Seared chicken with ginger · 1.5 L hot boiling water · 10 whole white pepper · Hydrated dried shiitake mushrooms · 500 ml reserved strained mushroom liquid · 4 scallion whites

5. 5

   Step 5: Bring it to a boiling and then simmer for 1 hour. You can also use instant pot to fasten the process.

   Simmer soup 1 hour · 60 minUses Chicken and shiitake soup ready to simmer

6. 6

   Step 6: Optional: add 3-4 flower cut fresh shiitake mushrooms for a better looking only. And continue simmer for 15 minutes.

   Simmer 15 more minutes with optional fresh mushrooms · 15 minUses Soup after first 1 hour simmer · 3–4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, optional for garnish

7. 7

   Step 7: Add salt (to taste) to taste and serve with chopped green onions sprinkled on top

   Uses Finished chicken-and-shiitake soup · Salt to taste · Chopped scallion greens for serving (quantity unspecified)