Chicken Gizzard Mushroom Soup

Growing up in Ukraine in the ’90s, I used to fight over the gizzards in this chicken gizzard mushroom soup with my family. Can you imagine – little Natalya fighting over gizzards!? Now, with so much more abundance here (in the U.S.), we can buy them in packs anytime we want. Maybe it was the scarcity that made me love gizzards as a little kid, but it’s the taste and flavor that keeps me loving them to this day. And now, my entire family loves this chicken gizzard soup, too.

If you like the taste of dark meat, you will love chicken gizzard soup. The meat morsels have a depth of flavor that is perfect for a steaming broth filled with potatoes, carrots, rice, and mushrooms. Make sure to add this to your soup rotation!

What Are Chicken Gizzards?

A gizzard is a tiny muscle found in the digestive tract of chickens. When a chicken pecks at its food, it sometimes picks up bits of gravel and debris as well. The gizzard acts as a net that catches this stuff. What’s even cooler about the gizzard is that it then uses the ingested gravel to grind up the chicken’s food before passing it onto the stomach.

You may be cringing right now, but don’t! When cleaned properly, these bad boys are dynamite. It is customary in Ukraine to use all the parts of an animal. It is a show of respect, and also a way to stretch a dollar and make as much food as possible. This comes in handy when you have a lot of little mouths to feed!

How to Clean Chicken Gizzards

Some of you may purchase pre-cleaned gizzards and that’s awesome! Less work is great! But, if you need to clean your gizzards, here’s an easy step-by-step guide. It’s actually really similar to cleaning and deveining shrimp!

• Get a knife: The gizzard is a muscle, so make sure to find a knife with a sharp blade. (If you know me, you know these are my all-time favorite knives!)
• Rinse: Open the bag of gizzards and thoroughly rinse them in a colander to remove any blood or debris.
• Cut: Slice each gizzard in half lengthwise. Make one smooth cut through (this is where the sharp knife comes in handy). A dull knife can be dangerous to use on such a slippery muscle.
• Rinse again: Rinse the inside of each sliced gizzard under cool water. Use your finger to rub against the interior flesh to find any stubborn debris. Keep gently scrubbing until the surface feels completely smooth.
• Remove the membrane: When the interior of the gizzard is completely clean, there will be a yellow-ish membrane lining the inside. Remove this by gently pulling it away from the gizzard flesh. It should be fairly easy to remove, but you may need to cut away at it gently to aid in the process.
• Rinse a final time: Give the gizzards a final rinse and lay them out to dry. Pat them with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid.

How to Cook Chicken Gizzard Mushroom Soup

This soup makes about eight servings and takes about 1.5 hours to make from start from finish. Let’s get started.

• Soak the mushrooms: Place the dry white mushrooms in boiling water to soak for 20 minutes. Then, drain the water and slice the mushrooms.
• Cook the gizzards: In a pot, boil the chicken gizzards for about 10 minutes, then rinse them. Pour out the water, then refill with four quarts of fresh water. Place the gizzards in the fresh water, season with salt, and add a few bay leaves.
• Sauteé the aromatics: In a separate pan, sauteé the carrots and onions in cooking oil until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Then, add them to the pot.
• Add the mushrooms, rice, and potatoes: Toss the mushrooms and rice into the pot and all it to simmer for 15 minutes. Then, add the potatoes and boil for an additional 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Top with herbs: Add in the fresh parsley and green onions. Ladle into a bowl and serve!

Chicken Gizzard Soup Tips

I find soups to be one of the easiest meals to make – and they’re so forgiving for any mistakes or substitutions. Here are a few tips I’ve learned over time that make this soup the best each time.

• Use a good dried mushroom: My favorite mushrooms for this soup are porcini mushrooms. You can find them at Whole Foods or here. In a pinch, you can try fresh mushrooms.
• Substitute with broth: If you want even more flavor, use chicken broth instead of water.
• Simmer long for more tender gizzards: Gizzards can sometimes be a little tough, and if you have large gizzards, you may need to cook them for a bit longer until they become tender.
• Add in hearts (optional): If you have both chicken gizzards and hearts, combine and cook them together. Yay – even more protein!

Storing & Reheating Chicken Gizzard Soup

Like many soups, this soup tastes even better the next day. Here’s how I store and reheat my soup leftovers.

• Refrigerator: Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to four days.
• Freezer: To freeze the whole soup for up to three months, under-cook the potatoes so that they don’t become mushy when reheating and store in a freezer safe container.
• Reheating: For the best flavor, I like to reheat my soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat. In a pinch, the microwave works, too.

More Classic Slavic Soups

• Russian Meatball Soup – Homemade meatballs in a light veggie broth
• Split Pea Soup – Creamy chicken and potato soup
• Cabbage Soup Recipe – Orange broth filled with veggies and beef bites
• Classic Borscht Recipe – The classic Slavic beet soup

Recipe

Chicken Gizzard Mushroom Soup

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Servings

8 servings

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin

This chicken gizzard soup is truly a rich experience. The gizzards taste like a delicacy, combined with the potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and rice. It's a must-try!

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken gizzards
• 2 dry white mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 cup white rice uncooked
• 2 medium potatoes sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 large onion finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
• 2 tbsp green onions finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp salt to taste
• 1 tsp pepper to taste
• 2-3 bay leaves

US Units – Metric

Instructions

• Place the dry white mushrooms into a cup of boiled water. Let them soak for 20 minutes. Then, drain the water and slice them into small pieces.
• In a small pot, boil the chicken gizzards for about 10 minutes, then rinse them. Add the gizzards back to the cooking pot, then fill it with 4 quarts of water. Season with salt and add a few bay leaves.
  
• Sautée the carrots and onions with four tablespoons of oil. Sautée until vegetables are soft (7-10 minutes).Add them to the boiling gizzards.
  
• Add the mushrooms and rice, then let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in the sliced potatoes and boil for 10-15 minutes. Season with ground pepper and salt to taste.
  
• Add parsley and green onions. Remove from heat and serve.
  

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Gizzard Mushroom Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 190 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 154mg51%

Sodium 532mg22%

Potassium 378mg11%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 1456IU29%

Vitamin C 12mg15%

Calcium 34mg3%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.