Poached-Chicken and Mushroom Soup with Ginger Broth

Poaching boneless chicken breasts is one of the simplest methods of cooking up juicy meat while making a tasty broth at the same time. Here, the broth has a water base, but the addition of smashed garlic cloves, spicy chiles, shiitake mushrooms, and lots of fresh ginger brings deliciously warm flavors to the finished dish.

The key is to poach, not hard-boil, the chicken. That means keeping it gentle: a light simmer, then low heat, and a covered pot. The chicken simply turns white and tender—the broth will take care of the rest.   

Tip: For the thin Thai rice noodles, all you need to do is steep them in hot water for a few minutes. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the noodles, remove from the heat, and cover. Let stand five minutes, then drain and rinse. They’re ready to go.

Thin Rice Noodles 

Steeped Noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 5 oz shiitake mushrooms 
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets, about 5 oz each
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-inch piece of ginger, cut into fourths, plus 2 tsp finely chopped peeled ginger
• 1 tsp finely crushed sea salt, plus more
• 2 Thai chiles, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 oz thin Thai rice noodles, steeped and drained
• thinly sliced scallions and cilantro leaves, for serving

Vegetables and Herbs 

Finely Chopped Ginger and Chiles

Preparation

1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms (do not discard) and thinly slice the caps.
2. Place the mushroom stems, chicken, garlic, bay leaves, 4 ginger pieces, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium pot. Add 6 cups of water, cover, and bring to a light simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, depending on thickness.
3. Remove the chicken from the stock and cool until easily handled, then shred.

Sliced Caps and Removed Stems

Aromatics in the Pot 

Chicken and Water Added

Beginning to Poach

Poached Chicken

Shredded Chicken

1. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve over a clean pot. Discard the solids.
2. Add the sliced mushroom caps, chiles, 2 teaspoons chopped ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce to the stock and bring to a light simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
3. Add the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook until the chicken is warmed throughout, 3-4 minutes.

Strain the Stock

Stock Mixture

Chicken Added

To serve, divide the noodles among 4 shallow bowls and divide the soup on top. Garnish with scallions and cilantro and serve hot.

Poached-Chicken and Mushroom Soup with Ginger Broth