Cream of Chicken & Asparagus Soup - Tutorial

Back again, back again...with yet another soup! The weather, here in CO, just calls for it and I enjoy them so much that I hardly go a day without having a bowl! This soup could be easily become vegetarian as well; just omit the chicken and use vegetable stock/broth instead.

Ingredients:

350 gr Green Asparagus

2 tbsp Butter

1 Chopped onion

4 tbsp Rice (I use Arborio rice)

4 cups of Chicken Stock (I use water and a heaping tbsp of my homemade bouillon)

1 Bay leaf

2/3 cup of Milk Cream (I had sour cream so I used it)

170 gr of Chicken (cooked and cubed)

Salt & Pepper

Here are all of the ingredients, lined up and ready to go. The jar behind the sour cream is my homemade chicken bouillon. I always use it as my base for soups instead of buying broth. It's super cheap and easy to do. Find the recipe here. 

In a stockpot I sauteed the onions, in a bit of butter and extra virgin olive oil, until translucent.

While I was waiting for the onions to cook, at medium-low for 3-4 minutes, I washed the asparagus and cut off about 2 inches from the bottom (discard this part as it is too woody). I then sliced off the tips and put them in a small pan, with a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, to sauté until tenter (a good 15-20 minutes on low heat). 

While the asparagus and the onions were sautéing, I quickly chopped the remaining asparagus stems in small chunks. I added the asparagus, the rice, some salt and the bay leaf to the stockpot. I stirred and cooked for 2-3 more minutes.

I then added 4 cups of water and 1 heaping tbsp of chicken bouillon and brought to a boil. I lowered the heat and simmered the soup, covered, for about 30-35 minutes.

While the soup was simmering, I checked on the tips and removed them from heat when done.  

I then proceeded to chop the chicken. I used thighs that I had seared the night before in some EVOO with some rosemary, salt and pepper. Tip: you can use leftover turkey as well. This is a great recycling recipe after the holidays, when the remnants of the celebratory dinner are ready and sitting in the fridge!

When the soup was ready, I removed the bay leaf. Don't forget this step or you'll have crunchy soup ;)

I then used my immersion blender to get the soup to a creamy consistency.

I added the sour cream (milk cream, heavy cream or half & half all work equally great) and incorporated it well.

I returned the soup to low heat and added the asparagus tips...

...and the chicken chunks...

...I gently stirred all ingredients together and adjusted with salt and pepper.

I then served it in pre-heated soup plates and used some asparagus tips and chicken cubes as a garnish.

This is a super delicious soup that lasts well for a few days in the fridge. I hope you enjoy!