Gourmet Cooking on a College Budget
Creamy Chanterelle and Wild Rice Soup with Chicken, Bacon, and Homemade Bread
By Author Jonathan David
Watch the cooking shows
Part 1 · Start the homemade chicken stock
Part 2 · Make the soup and bake the bread
Part 3 · Thicken the soup and make cheesy garlic bread
I used the carcass from a whole chicken to make stock, then used a breast from that same bird in the soup. Button mushrooms fill out the pot, while thicker pieces of chanterelle give you something to bite into. I served the first bowl with warm, buttered bread. The next time around, I thickened the soup and turned the second loaf into cheesy garlic bread.
Homemade Chicken Stock
For the stockpot
1 chicken carcass and reserved bones, celery, about 4 carrots, 1 quartered onion, peeled and crushed garlic, about 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, about 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 bay leaves, optional dried parsley, salt to taste, and enough water to cover.
- Cut the celery and carrots into chunks. Add them to the pot with the bones, onion, garlic, and seasonings.
- Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. I described a simmer of roughly 4 to 8 hours on the show. Add water as needed to keep the solids covered while the stock cooks.
- Strain the stock and use what you need for the soup. I set aside about 4 cups for another meal. Divide extra stock into shallow containers and refrigerate or freeze it promptly. FoodSafety.gov storage guidance ↗
Chanterelle, Chicken, Bacon, and Wild Rice Soup
I built this pot by eye. Add enough stock to simmer the chicken and vegetables, then adjust the amount before adding the cream.
Ingredients
- About 3 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Onion, celery, and carrots, thinly sliced or chopped
- Button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Chanterelles, cleaned and cut into thicker pieces
- 1 chicken breast
- Cooked bacon, chopped, to taste
- Homemade chicken stock, enough to cover the soup ingredients
- 1 package precooked wild rice, drained if needed
- About 1 cup cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the roux, a couple tablespoons of butter, about ¼ cup flour, and up to about 2 cups of liquid ladled from the soup
Directions
- Sweat the vegetables. Heat the butter and olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, thinly sliced celery, and carrots. Cook gently until they begin to soften, then add the sliced button mushrooms.
- Build the soup base. Add the chicken breast, chopped bacon, and chanterelles. Let them cook briefly with the vegetables, then add enough stock to cover and bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
- Cook and shred the chicken. Simmer until the breast reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Lift it out, shred or chop it, and return it to the pot. Stir in the precooked wild rice. FoodSafety.gov poultry temperature guidance ↗
- Add the cream. If the pot already has more broth than you want, ladle some out and save it before adding the cream. Stir in about a cup of cream and return the soup to a gentle simmer. Taste before adding more salt, since the bacon and stock both contribute seasoning.
- Thicken it with a roux. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook briefly while whisking to take off the raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in hot liquid from the soup until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Stir it back into the pot a little at a time and simmer gently until the soup is as thick as you like.
Small Italian-Style Loaves
For the dough
1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, about ½ cup warm water plus a little more as needed, about 1¼ to 1½ cups flour, about 1½ teaspoons salt, and about 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm water and set aside until foamy. Whisk in the oil, salt, and about ¼ cup flour to make a loose batter.
- Stir in about another cup of flour and let it absorb the water. If dry flour still won’t mix in, add water a teaspoon at a time. Knead briefly into a ball, cover with a clean damp towel, and let the dough rise.
- Gently press down the risen dough, divide it, and shape it into two small oblong loaves. Put them on a lightly floured baking sheet and give them another rise until puffy.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) until the loaves are golden and baked through. I estimated about 12 minutes for my small loaves on the show. Start checking around then and give them longer if needed. Serve warm with butter.
Cheesy garlic bread with the second loaf
Split the loaf, spread the cut sides with butter, and top with fresh garlic and mozzarella. Bake on a sheet pan at 450°F (230°C) for about 5 to 10 minutes, watching for the cheese to melt and the edges to crisp.
Watch the Shorts
The Review and What I Changed
I loved the flavor of the homemade stock, chanterelles, chicken, and bacon, especially with a bite of warm bread and melting butter. The first bowl was thinner than I wanted for a cream soup.
- The change I’d make from the start. Finish the soup with a butter-and-flour roux. I proposed that in the review, then made it in the follow-up by whisking hot soup liquid into the roux before stirring it back into the pot. That gave the soup the thicker texture I wanted.
- What I liked about the first batch. The stock gave the soup its flavor, the wild rice held its texture, and the warm bread with butter was my favorite thing to eat alongside it.
- What I did with the second loaf. I reheated it with butter, fresh garlic, and mozzarella to serve with the thickened soup.
“And that’s the flavor.”