Wild mushroom and chicken soup

(via)

(clockwise from top left: shiitake, oyster, chanterelle & crimini)

I made this for my significant other in our first month of dating; he still asks for it 5 years later. Soup seems unromantic, but this one is quite aphrodisiac (those ingredients:)) and earthy-cozy to boot!

And before I sign off, a big thank you to Amber Blue Bird for sweetly passing on blog awards! More soon:)...

~ Have a cozy and wonderful weekend! ~

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WILD MUSHROOM AND CHICKEN SOUP (Serves 4)
Adapted slightly (by omitting time-consuming morel soak) from a Great Soups feature in New York Magazine's 1996 Food Issue, with top chefs' recipes (though I sadly can't find the chef's name.)

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, stems discarded, or ~1-1/4 teaspoons (~1/5oz or 6g) dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cups (1.5 litre) chicken stock
• 8 chicken drumsticks and/or thighs, skins removed
• 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1/2-inch-wide (~1.5cm-wide) strips
• 1/2 pound (8oz or 240g) crimini mushrooms, with stems, sliced in half
• 1 cup (~225g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced 1/4-inch (~0.5cm) thick
• 1 cup (~225g) oyster mushrooms, stems removed, quartered
• 1 cup (~225g) chanterelles, tips of stems removed, quartered
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons (~10ml) balsamic vinegar
• Optional: 1-2 cups (~225-450g) peas
• Optional: 1 bunch chives, finely chopped

Bring the first 7 ingredients to a boil in a soup pot. Add drumsticks and thighs, simmering for 30 minutes. Remove drumsticks and thighs; set aside. While soup continues to simmer, debone chicken when cool enough to handle, discarding bones.

Add chicken breast and peas to soup. Simmer until the breast meat is cooked, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and the meat from the drumsticks and thighs. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until mushrooms soften a bit (a few minutes or so); stir in vinegar & chives and chow!

Little notes:
As always, feel free to play with the recipe! If you have leftover wild rice, that's also nice to add; if you're pressed for time, you can easily skip the chicken breast, etc.