Day 19: Chicken and Wild Mushroom Soup with Greens

We are on day three of the kids being out of school this week due to snow and ice -- crazy -- in Texas especially. Who would have thought? And we're definitely on a soup roll around here with all this bone-chilling weather. Tonight I made another one of my favorite soup recipes. (And yes, I did have to break out and go to the store this afternoon. Unless we wanted to eat Dora SpaghettiOs for dinner, shopping was a must. I was too nervous to cross I-3O so I just headed down the street. Ahh, the fresh air of SuperTarget, the bare shelves, the long lines. Pure bliss. Cabin Fever has truly set in.)

This is one I made up so season to taste. My measurements may not be exact.

Chicken and Wild Mushroom Soup with Greens

Grocery List:

• 1 lb. or 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1 container of pre-sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 container of pre-sliced Baby Bella mushrooms (Some store sell containers of a wild mushroom mix. Any mushroom mix is fine as long as you have approximately 4 cups)
• 1 bag of pre-washed baby spinach greens
• 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 32 oz. box of fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (2 boxes if using slow cooker)
• 1 32 oz. box of vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 fresh lemon

Probably already have in pantry/fridge:

• Olive Oil
• Sherry wine vinegar
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Butter
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

4 hours in advance: If you're using chicken breasts, cook in slow cooker. Turn heat to high. Rinse chicken breasts and sprinkle generously with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. (I found a "French simmer sauce" that I used this time), but instead you could make your own simmer sauce using 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1/2 cup Sherry wine vinegar and 1 tsp. of minced garlic. Pour sauce over chicken breasts and cook in slow cooker for 4 hours or until chicken is tender and shreddable.

If you're using a Rotisserie chicken, pull chicken off bones and shred.

• Next saute all mushrooms on medium heat using 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 pats of butter, 1 tsp. minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until mushrooms reduce and are soft.
• In a stock pot, add one box of chicken broth and one box of vegetable broth to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to medium.
• Add 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
• Add 1 bag of baby spinach greens.
• Add cooked chicken and sauteed mushrooms.
• Lower heat and simmer for 30-minutes.
• 5 minutes before serving, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the soup to brighten the flavors.
• Taste before serving and season to liking.

Serve with a side of crusty French bread.

I'm so upset that I accidentally deleted the photo of this soup. I was trying to clear my card to make room for snow pictures since the kids finally got out in it.