5 Free Chicken Mushroom Soup Recipes

5 chicken mushroom recipes featuring Chinese mushrooms cooked using different cooking methods: simmer, stew, stir-fry and steam. 

What are Chinese mushrooms?

To me, Chinese mushrooms meant mushrooms with a fleshy black roundish cap and a tough stem. In mandarin, it is called 香菇 (xiang gu) or 冬菇 (dong gu) or 花菇 (hua gu).

Growing up, we only know dried Chinese mushrooms. These have to be soaked for at least one hour to hydrate. Now, fresh mushrooms are easy to find. The older folks still prefer the dried version as the flavour is deeper.

Unsurprisingly, Chinese mushrooms have medicinal properties according to traditional Chinese medicine. It is commonly paired with chicken to make soup for people recuperating from pneumonia or asthma. 

It is a popular ingredient and used widely in Chinese cuisine including in soups. Here are 5 recipes for chicken mushroom soup featuring different cooking tools and methods. Did I mention that chicken goes really well with Chinese mushrooms?

Chicken Mushroom Soup Recipes

Recipe 1: Chicken mushroom soup recipe using rice cooker

Make sure you have a rice cooker that is big enough to hold the ingredients and still be only 70% full. Having said that, you do not have to use a rice cooker for this. Any soup pot, slow cooker, instant pot, and even a thermal cooking pot will do. 

Chicken, Chinese mushrooms and carrots are good complementary ingredients in a Chinese soup. They offer a good range of vitamins and minerals as well as proteins and carbohydrates. They are also not exotic ingredients where you need to hunt high and low for in an Asian grocery store. They are readily available in most supermarkets.

You can soak the dried mushrooms the night before to ensure complete re-hydration. If you don’t have time, you can use fresh Chinese mushrooms. The flavour and texture will not be the same but that’s okay. 

Ingredients

• Half a chicken
• 6 dried Chinese mushrooms
• 2 carrots
• Salt

Directions (for the rice cooker)

1. Rinse the dried mushrooms and soak in warm water until they re-hydrate
2. Clean the chicken and place it into the inner pot of the rice cooker. Remove the skin if you want a less oily soup
3. Wash and peel the carrots and cut into bite-sized cubes
4. Drain the mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces
5. Place the mushrooms and carrots into the rice cooker
6. Ass water or stock sufficient to cover the ingredients
7. Cover and press the cook button to start the cooking process
8. When the soup is done, add salt to taste
9. Turn the cooker off and let the soup sit for another 10 minutes before serving

Recipe 2: Clear chicken mushroom soup

A light and quick chicken mushroom soup. 

Ingredients

• 10 Chinese fresh mushrooms
• 1 boneless chicken thigh 
• 20g ginger slices
• 1 stalk of spring onion, chopped
• 1 litre water
• 2 tablespoon rice wine
• 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• Salt

Method

1. Wash the Chinese mushrooms
2. Cut the chicken thigh meat into smaller pieces and parboil
3. Heat the cooking oil and fry the ginger and mushrooms till fragrant
4. Add the water and bring to a boil
5. Add the chicken
6. Lower the heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes or until chicken is done
7. Add salt and rice wine to taste
8. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion before serving

Recipe 3: Chicken mushroom soup recipe for nursing mothers

When preparing food for nursing mothers, the Chinese avoids anything that is considered cold or cooling. The dishes need to be warming but not heaty. 

Chicken and ginger are a golden pair in Chinese dietary practice. A mild and warming combination. Adding mushrooms makes it a golden trio. Most beneficial for nursing mothers.

Dried Chinese mushrooms impart a woody, smoky flavour to this chicken and ginger stew. It has a stronger flavour than fresh mushrooms and is more suitable for stewing.

Ingredients

• 1 free range chicken
• 10 dried and large Chinese mushrooms
• 2 stalks of spring onion
• 2 pieces of old ginger
• 2 tbsp garlic

Seasonings

• 2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp rice wine
• Dash of sesame seed oil

Directions (for claypot)

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in room temperature water until they re-hydrate
2. Cut the chicken into sections and parboil for about 5 minutes
3. Score the caps of the mushrooms (optional)
4. Wash and cut the spring onions into smaller sections
5. Place the chicken pieces, mushrooms, ginger and garlic in a claypot
6. Add enough water to cover the chicken pieces
7. Bring the pot to a boil
8. Lower the heat and cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes
9. Add the spring onions and cook for a further 5 minutes
10. Add the seasonings before serving

If you don’t have a clay pot, use a dutch oven or a slow cooker

Recipe 4: Garlic chicken mushroom soup recipe (video tutorial)

The chicken is pan-fried to crisp up the skin. I thought it will increase the oiliness of the soup but I was wrong. Frying the skin leave some of the oil in the pan which you can then pour away. 

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken thighs
• 16 dried Chinese mushrooms
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 5 slices of ginger
• Salt
• Water

Method

1. Soak the dried Chinese mushrooms until they are rehydrated. You can substitute with fresh mushrooms
2. Heat a pan to middle heat, add the chicken meat skin down to brown and crisp up the skin. You don’t have to add oil before adding the chicken
3. Remove when the skin turns golden brown. Let it cool
4. Remove the stems of the mushrooms. They are quite tough
5. Cut the cooled chicken thighs into smaller pieces
6. Heat the chicken oil left in the pan and fry the mushrooms until they turn fragrant
7. Add the chicken pieces, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a few minutes
8. Add sufficient water to cover all the ingredients. You may also add the water used to soak the mushrooms
9. Let the whole pan simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes
10. Add salt to taste before serving

Recipe 5: Steamed chicken and mushroom soup (video tutorial)

The soup comes from the chicken and mushrooms after steaming. It’s not a big bowl of soup but it is potent.

Ingredients

• Half a fresh chicken, chopped into small pieces
• 5 slices of ginger, julienned
• 20 fresh Chinese mushrooms

Marinate

• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder

Method

1. Place the chicken into a mixing bowl, add the ginger and the marinate 
2. Mix well and let it stand for about 20 minutes
3. Wash the mushrooms well and halve them
4. Parboil the mushrooms for about a minute
5. Add to the marinated chicken and mix thoroughly
6. Place the mixture in a serving plate
7. Steam the chicken for about 15 minutes
8. Drizzle a bit of sesame seed oil before serving

Where can you buy dried Chinese mushrooms?

Dried Chinese mushrooms can be found in many shops in Singapore. From small mum and pop shops, medicinal shops, and large supermarkets. In the West, they are most likely found in Asian supermarkets. They are also available in Amazon [https://amzn.to/46xOMbI]

Featured image: 【新社】2011新社花海節行前踩點試吃團 – 阿亮香菇園 @跟澳門仔凱恩去吃喝玩樂 (kahnmacau.com)

We have come to the end of this post. I hope you found what you are looking for. If you have found it useful, let me know. It is a form of encouragement to me.

Happy cooking!