I tried a wonderful new soup recipe that I saw in The Epoch Times newspaper a couple of weeks ago. I condensed the instructions so they are easier to follow. This is a time consuming soup--mainly because the onions must be watched and stirred as they are cooking for 35-45 minutes, but it is very worth the effort.
French Onion Chicken Soup
For the Soup:
3 pounds yellow onions (4 large or 6 medium)
6 T. Butter, divided
1 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
2 1/2 tsp salt, divided, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots
3 medium stalks celery
3 cloves garlic (or 3/4 tsp garlic powder)
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 T. Dry sherry (I used Marsala wine as substitute)
1/4 c. Flour
6 c. Chicken broth
For the cheesy toasts (optional)
1/2 baguette or loaf of Italian/French bread
2 oz. Gruyere (or Swiss) cheese (about 1/2 heaping cup)
- Peel, and thinly slice the yellow onions (about 10 cups)
- Melt 4 T. of butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, dried thyme , bay leaves, 1 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Cook stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to prevent burning until the onions are soft and amber brown, 35-45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and slice carrots and celery into 1/4 inch slices. (About 1 to 1 1/4 C. each) Mince the garlic. When onions are done add remaining 2 T. butter to the onion mixture. When melted, add carrots/celery/garlic and cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Add wine and sherry to mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally until mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Continue stirring as you pour in the chicken broth.
- Season the chicken breasts (I use chicken tenders) with rest of salt. (If breasts are thick, butterfly them by slicing longwise through thickest part.)
- Add the chicken in a single layer on top of onion/carrot/wine mixture. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a lively simmer. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
Prepare cheese toasts:
Arrange oven rack 3-4 inches below broiler unit and set oven to broil. Cut baguette crosswise on a bias into 1 inch thick slices (about 8). Place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Grate the Gruyere cheese. Sprinkle the bread evenly with the cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- When chicken is well done, remove and shred with 2 forks, return to soup mixture. Remove bay leaves. Add more salt/pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls
- Top each bowl of soup with a piece of cheese toast.
- Serve immediately.
Soup can be refrigerated 4-5 days or frozen for 3 months.
