Thursday, February 12, 2009

Yield: about 2 quarts

Chicken Asparagus Soup

2 lbs. thin fresh asparagus
2 large potatoes, peeled & diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbs. veg oil
2 cans(141/2 oz.) chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups half-&-half cream
Shaved Parmesan cheese, optional
Cut tips from asparagus spears; set aside. Place stalks in a large skillet; cover w/water. Bring to a boil. Reduce hear; cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain, reserving 4 cups cooking liquid. Discard stalks.
In a Dutch oven, saute the potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, parsley and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in the broth, salt, pepper, bay leaf and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool slightly.
In a blender, cover and puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan. Add the chicken, cream, and reserved asparagus tips. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Garnish w/Parmesan cheese if desired.

I came across this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine. I made it yesterday for supper; and then after telling Mama about it, she requested I put it on the blog. This soup is very good...Kevin and I had never tasted soup broth as good as this one!

4 comments:

Anne said...

I am looking forward to trying this soup. Sounds scrumptious!!! Is it possible to use canned asparagus?

Candace said...

Yes, I guess you can...however, buy the fresh because the broth you gain from slow-cooking the asparagus stalks is what makes this soup so delicious.

Kristin said...

Well, my picky husband doesn't like chicken and he doesn't like asparagus, so I wont do this recipe...I did try the other chicken and rice dish and everyone loved it.

Katie said...

The last dish you gave us, Candace, was so delicious that I can't hardly wait to try this one! And it has one my most favorite vegetables in it...asparagus!! Wish it grew by the side of the road here like it does in beautiful Iowa.