Chicken Asparagus Soup
Posted by Tara on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
When Richard’s cousin Renee posted a Facebook status that she was preparing Chicken Asparagus Soup for dinner recently, several people asked for her recipe. I am so thankful she was willing to share it, because chilly nights are here now, and we all could use a new soup recipe for the long cold months ahead. I made this soup tonight and shared it with the in-laws. It was fabulous, filling, and nutritious with all that asparagus. If you’ve never prepared asparagus – give it a try. You’ll be glad you did!
- 1 broiler fryer chicken (3 to 3 1/2 lbs.) ( I used 4 large chicken breasts, with skins and ribs)
- 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water ( I used 2 quarts of water + 32 oz chicken broth)
- 2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules (I use NO CHICKN bullion – because it has NO MSG)
- 1 stalk celery, cut into thirds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion, cut in half
- 5 bacon strips, diced (I used natural cured bacon and fried 7 strips)
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces ( I used 2 bunches of fresh asparagus tops, and upper stems)
- 2 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 T. salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream (I used organic)
- 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
Place chicken, water, bouillon, celery, onion and bay leaf in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Cover and bring to a boil; skim fat (I didn’t skim the fat, there wasn’t much to skim). Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and let it cool. Strain broth to remove vegetables and bay leaf. Remove 1 cup broth and set aside; return remaining broth to Dutch oven or kettle.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp.(I used the microwave). Remove bacon; drain and discard all but 2 T. drippings (I saved ALL the drippings for sautéing J). Saute carrots, onion and asparagus in drippings over medium heat until crisp-tender.
Add to the kettle along with potatoes, salt, thyme and pepper; return to a boil (This is where I added the extra chicken broth. Most of mine boiled away when I cooked the chicken breast). Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Combine flour and reserved 1 cup broth; stir into soup. (I ran this through a strainer first because mine was lumpy). Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Debone chicken and cut into thin strips; add to soup along with cream and parsley. Heat through (do not boil). Sprinkle with bacon just before serving.
Yield: 16 to 18 servings (We had 7 at dinner tonight, served this with bread and salad, and only had 1 bowlful left over! Everyone had seconds though.)
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