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Indian

Clear Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Clear chicken and mushroom soup keeps the broth unthickened so the ginger and mushroom stay in the foreground.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Clear Chicken & Mushroom Soup

35 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Forty minutes, mostly the stock. Using ready-made stock brings it down to fifteen, though the flavour is flatter.

Method

  1. Boil the bone-in chicken in the measured water for 20 minutes to make a fresh stock. Remove the chicken, shred the meat (discard bones), and strain the broth to get the clear stock.

    20 min

  2. In a pot, bring the strained clear stock back to a gentle boil.

  3. Add the julienned ginger and minced garlic to the boiling stock. Let it simmer for 2 minutes to infuse the flavors.

    2 min

  4. Add the shredded chicken to the simmering broth. Stir gently to combine.

  5. Add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for another 3 minutes until the mushrooms soften.

    3 min

  6. Stir in the light soy sauce, freshly cracked black pepper, and salt to taste.

  7. Turn off the heat. Drizzle the sesame oil over the soup and toss in the spring onion greens.

  8. Serve immediately while piping hot.

How to tell it's done

A crystal-clear, incredibly aromatic broth filled with tender chicken shreds and soft earthy mushrooms.

Getting it right

Tip

A gentle simmer keeps the chicken slices tender and prevents the freshly made broth from turning cloudy.

What to serve it with

Perfect as a light, comforting starter or for soothing a sore throat.

Common mistakes

The broth goes cloudy.
Simmer the stock gently and strain it, as the first step directs. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat and drives the scum back into the liquid, and this soup is named for being clear.
The mushrooms make it grey and slack.
Add them near the end and slice them thickly. Button mushrooms release water and colour fast; three minutes is enough, and longer leaves them limp in a dull broth.

Substitutions

  • Shop-bought chicken stock replaces the homemade, though a bone-in piece simmered fresh gives a cleaner, lighter broth. Shiitake or oyster mushrooms work in place of button and bring more perfume. Tamari replaces soy sauce for a gluten-free bowl. Leave out the sesame oil rather than substituting it — its job is the aroma at the end.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge. The stock alone keeps four days and freezes for three months. Reheat without boiling, and add the sesame oil and spring onion fresh each time — both fade overnight.