Chicken and Mushroom Soup (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 bouquet garni:

                1 bay leaf

                1/8 teaspoon thyme

                3 sprigs parsley

2kg (4 lb 6oz) chicken, cut into eight pieces

2 medium onions, quarted

2 peeled carrots, coarsely chopped

90g (3oz) celery, chopped

1 tbsp butter

125g (4oz) button mushrooms, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

30g (1oz ) chopped fresh parsley

Steps

1.  To prepare the bouquet garni, wrap the bay leaf, thyme and parsley in cheesecloth and tie with a string to create a little bundle.

2.  In a medium-size saucepan, combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery and bouquet garni.  Add water to cover and bring to a simmer.  Skim off any impurities that rise to the top.  Simmer uncovered until the chicken is tender, about 2 hours.

3.  Remove the chicken from the saucepan and pull the meat from the bones.  Cut the white into a small die and set aside.  (Discard the dark meat, or save it for another use).  Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; discard the vegetables; set the meat and stock aside.

4.  Add the butter to a medium-size saucepan over medium heat.  When the butter begins to bubble, add the mushrooms and cook until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the reserved chicken stock, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and the fresh parsley to finish the soup.  Serve in warm bowls and garnish with the diced chicken meat.

From : Low-Carbo Cooking