The Chicken and the Egg Soup — Yes, I totally dropped the egg!

This morning I woke up with a scratchy throat, aching joints, and just that general fall cold overall malaise where you wish someone would tuck you back into bed and bring you a big comforting bowl of homemade chicken soup. Unfortunately, even if MashupDad ever made homemade chicken soup, he’s out of town — so what’s a girl to do but get busy scratching up her own comfort food? Thus: The Chicken and the Egg Soup was born.

Which came first?

I had just a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast thawed in the fridge, no carrots in the house, and didn’t feel up to the all-afternoon process involved in my favorite homemade chicken soup. And then I started thinking about how I also like the egg drop soup at my favorite Chinese restaurant, and about how comforting ginger is when you’re not feeling well. So, I decided to mash up the two ideas and incorporate some chicken, some complementary veggies I did have on hand, and additional spices into a more traditional egg drop soup recipe.

(I usually use this quick & easy egg drop soup recipe, but sometimes add a little sesame oil for more depth of flavor. So here I incorporated that sesame oil while sauteing the mushrooms, and also added in a little turmeric, garlic, and cayenne for what ails ya.)

SO GOOD, you guys. This soup is salty, filling, comforting, just spicy enough, and just… Well, it’s all the things. (This Aneto broth I used is amazing, too — I picked up a sample carton in the exhibit hall at a conference I attended recently, and have been waiting for just the right occasion to use it.)

But where’s the egg?

I’m the first to admit that this yellow-green soup recipe is not overly photogenic, and you might also note the absence of lovely egg threads in my soup pictures.

Well, that’s kind of a funny story, see! Just as I was starting to slowly swirl the eggs into my pot of soup, the “first Tuesday of the month” test of the emergency sirens went off here, causing my hand to jerk and the entire bowl of egg to get dumped and stirred into the soup in a flash. Sooo… two whole eggs are actually completely incorporated into my The Chicken and the Egg Soup, even though the final product doesn’t look at all like egg drop soup.

But yours will be prettier, I am quite sure. 😉

The Chicken and the Egg Soup

Ingredients

– for the chicken

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

– for the mushrooms

1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil (optional, but recommended)
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced

– for the soup

32-34 oz chicken broth
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 large eggs
4 oz spinach
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Directions

Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Slice chicken in half lengthwise (to help it cook through more quickly — I had thin sliced breast to start with, so skipped this step). Season chicken with salt & pepper, then sear it in your Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just barely cooked through (about 3-4 minutes a side). While chicken is cooking, wash and slice mushrooms.

Remove chicken from the pot with tongs and set it aside to cool off a little, then shred.

Reduce heat to medium, then add 1 tsp canola oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to the same pot you used for the chicken Add garlic and saute for just a few seconds, then stir in mushrooms and saute until they just begin to soften & brown, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken broth, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, and soy sauce to the pot with the mushrooms, stir in the shredded cooked chicken, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a few minutes.

This, if you want to try to make yours more “egg drop” looking than mine…

While soup is simmering, beat eggs in a separate small bowl. Stir the soup in one direction so that it starts swirling, then slowly stream in the eggs while continuing to swirl the soup gently. (Do as I say, not as I do…! See the note on what happened to my eggs, above. If yours get stirred in too, though, don’t worry — it’s still going to be darn tasty.)

Let soup sit for a minute to allow eggs to set, then wilt in spinach. Serve topped with chopped green onions.

I do feel a little better now!

Although The Chicken and The Egg Soup didn’t come out looking exactly as I expected it to (so much prettier in my head, guys), it came out tasting exactly as I expected it to — and that’s what really counts, especially when you have a cold. Bonus: This comforting soup only takes about 30 minutes to make, so it’s a great choice for a quick weeknight dinner or the next time you’re also feeling a little under the weather.

This soup is naturally low carb, and optionally gluten free if you use GF soy sauce.

The Chicken and the Egg Soup, printable recipe

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5 from 1 vote

The Chicken and the Egg Soup

This soup is salty, filling, comforting, just spicy enough, and just... Well, it's all the things. Naturally low carb and optionally gluten free (if you use GF soy sauce).

Course dinner

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

- for the chicken

• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

- for the mushrooms

• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional, but recommended)
• 1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced

- for the soup

• 32-34 oz chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 4 oz spinach
• Chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions

• Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Slice chicken in half lengthwise (to help it cook through more quickly -- I had thin sliced breast to start with, so skipped this step). Season chicken with salt & pepper, then sear it in your Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just barely cooked through (about 3-4 minutes a side). While chicken is cooking, wash and slice mushrooms.
• Remove chicken from the pot with tongs and set it aside to cool off a little, then shred.
• Reduce heat to medium, then add 1 tsp canola oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to the same pot you used for the chicken Add garlic and saute for just a few seconds, then stir in mushrooms and saute until they just begin to soften & brown, stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken broth, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, and soy sauce to the pot with the mushrooms, stir in the shredded cooked chicken, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a few minutes.

This, if you want to try to make yours more "egg drop" looking than mine...

• While soup is simmering, beat eggs in a separate small bowl. Stir the soup in one direction so that it starts swirling, then slowly stream in the eggs while continuing to swirl the soup gently. (Do as I say, not as I do...! See the note on what happened to my eggs, above. If yours get stirred in too, though, don't worry -- it's still going to be darn tasty.)
• Let soup sit for a minute to allow eggs to set, then wilt in spinach. Serve topped with chopped green onions.

Notes

No egg threads in my photos because: Just as I was starting to slowly swirl the eggs into my pot of soup, the "first Tuesday of the month" test of the air raid sirens went off here, causing my hand to jerk and the entire bowl of egg to get dumped and stirred into the soup in a flash. Sooo... two whole eggs are actually completely incorporated into my The Chicken and the Egg Soup, even though the final product doesn't look at all like egg drop soup. Yours may be prettier.

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