Egg Drop Soup with Chicken

I wanted to try making an egg drop soup, but I wanted it to have some substance.  I researched several recipes and this is a culmination of many of them.  It came out great!  (Kuddos, to the chef.  I know, I'm patting myself on the back.)

Ingredients:

• 1 C. finely chopped green onions
• 8 shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 8 C. chicken stock
• 2 t. soy sauce
• 2 t. toasted sesame oil
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. white pepper
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ C. cornstarch
• 1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 6 eggs, scrambled

Directions:

1. Bring the chicken stock to a low boil in a Dutch oven and simmer
2. While stock is simmering, cut the green onions and mushrooms then add them to pot with the soy sauce
3. Allow the stock to simmer with the onions and mushroom for about 20 minutes
4. Toss the chicken in a small bowl with the sesame oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, and about 2 T. of the cornstarch
5. Add the coated chicken to the pot
6. Stir well and allow to simmer about 2 minutes
7. Add about ½ C. of water to the remaining cornstarch and stir until smooth
8. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and stir while the soup thickens, about 2 minutes
9. Slowly add the scrambled eggs while stirring the soup back and forth, ribbons of the eggs will form
10. Serve piping hot

Tips and Tricks:

• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• If you can't find shitake mushrooms, use cremini, which are the baby portobellos.
• When serving, grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top.  Yum!
• This soup freezes great!