Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup
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Velvety creamy mushroom soup! So cozy, comforting, hearty. A 30 min recipe, truly weeknight-dinner worthy!
Don’t mind me as I drown myself in this epic creaminess in the middle of winter. A fun spin on chicken soup, this is made even creamier with a quick roux, along with all the little cremini mushrooms, tender carrots/celery/onion, garlicky-thyme brothy-goodness.
With pantry staples like chicken stock, this comes together lightening fast (definitely weeknight worthy). All you need is some crusty bread off to the side to dunk into this cozy pot of earthy, wholesome comfort food.
Feel free to add a splash or more of that half and half, giving that luscious creamy texture we all love and need sometimes (definitely fewer calories than cream). If freezing, omit the dairy completely to avoid graininess and separating, adding it in right before serving.
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the half and half (dairy soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding half and half when serving.
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup half and half, or more, as needed*
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Melt butter in the stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, bay leaf and chicken, and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in half and half until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I just made this soup for dinner. It was really good and reminded me of a soup I enjoyed in Quebec City. iIt did take me longer than the 30 minutes to prepare, however. Guess I am a slow chopper!
I made this tonight and want to let you know that this was an excellent recipe. The soup had a lot of flavor. I would give it 5 stars!
DELICOUS! This will go into my folder. Thank you
I could most def go for a gigantic bowl of this right about now! PS – I don’t believe apologies are necessary for amazing mushroom recipes! =)
Love all your recipes. I just tried this one and its great! For my taste, I feel like its missing something, a kick. Any recommendations?? Thanks.
Are you looking for more of a spicy kick to it? If so, smoked paprika or crushed red pepper flakes would be a great addition!
ps: your photos are dreamy!
Another fantastic recipe that my husband loved!! Thank you Chungah for sharing!
Ooooo girl! I’m totally addicted to mushrooms! Gonna make this asap!!!
Not only are your recipes simple to make, and absolutely delicious, but your food photography is among the best I’ve seen! Mind me asking where you learned this part?
Thank you! I am actually self-taught with a lot of trial and error!
No one in my family likes mushrooms, any thoughts on a substitution? This looks and sounds delicious. Has anyone tried it just omitting the mushrooms? That is what I usually do, but it sounds like the “star” of this recipe. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Carole, if your family is not a fan of mushrooms, then I just don’t think this recipe is for you – it really is the star of this dish. But please feel free to try out this lemon chicken orzo soup and/or this chicken and potato chowder. They are sans mushrooms!
I know this is old, but I’ve always disliked mushrooms (although I like the idea of them and I’m trying to learn to like them), and I LOVED this soup.
Be sure to clean the mushrooms very well, since any dirt will give a “dirty” taste, which is one of the major things I dislike about mushrooms. Sauteeing them also improves the texture, and these particular mushrooms are sort of firm and meaty, not slimy. I used less than half the amount of mushrooms, and added a bit more of the veg, and added peas at the end to make up for it. If the mushrooms are sold loose, I suggest getting the smallest ones- if you are not quite there with the liking mushrooms, you will probably prefer it in smaller bites, and imo the smaller ones are just better for some reason.
This soup is MAGICAL. So flavorful, just a celebration of umami in your mouth. It’s everything I hoped mushrooms could be! I ended up using dried tarragon, and added fresh thyme & rosemary while cooking, and the flavors were amazing, although I’m sure it would be amazing as written with half the mushrooms. It would be easy to eat around the mushrooms if you find you don’t like them (although I’m enjoying them!), but I bet even the most ardent mushroom haters would be surprised at how wonderful this soup is. And if you’re trying to get into mushrooms, this might be the thing that gets you over the hump!
Making this for dinner tonight!! I’m so excited, I make your recipes often and they are all amazing! Thank you 🙂
Oh yum! I love mushrooms…and the cold has finally arrived in Texas. Perfect time for some creamy soup!
Just finished a bowl of this soup and it’s just delicious. 20 degrees where I am, so this was a perfect comfort food for our cold, cozy Sunday lunch! Thanks!
I’m going to try this recipe with a Thai twist-a variation of Tom Kha Gai; use coconut milk instead of half & half, and add lemon grass and eliminate the rosemary & thyme-maybe grate in a little fresh ginger and lemon zest and/or lemon juice to give it some acidity.
Doug that sounds like a great Thai twist… did you do it… how did it turn out?
I did! It turned out great, somehow feels less heavy. I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to brighten the whole thing up.
I’m going to try with coconut milk too! Here’s hoping it turns out. 🙂
Have started making all homemade soups, ( no more cans for me ) This one will work very well for my(add a) cream soup recipes. Thank you
This is my kind of dinner! So comforting and delicious!
Can’t wait to try this. It’s 28 degrees here in Kentucky. I was wondering do the carrots get soft with this cooking time. Thank yall
You were smart to think of this BEFORE cooking! Just made this soup and it was absolutely delicious, but the veggies were crunchy. Yuck! I boiled the leftover soup for ten minutes and veggies became “soup tender”. Next time, I would boil for around 15 min after adding the broth but before adding the half and half. Hope you enjoy it.
JulieMac, it seems that your vegetables were cut into huge chunks. They should be diced small to ensure they are cooked through in the time frame listed in the recipe.
Did I miss when the bay leaf is to be removed?
The bay leaf should be discarded prior to serving.
This was very, very good! Thank you!
Do you know if this can be made in the crockpot instead of the stove top ?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Yes prepare veggies and chicken as normal. Add to crock pot or slow cooker with 2 cups veggie stock. Cool on high for 2-3 hours or low 4 -5hours. Stir in cream before serving
After I cut my carrots I cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Softens them enough.
Also a good splash of Marsala wine would be yummy
Yes, the carrots should become tender in this time frame but it is best if they are diced small.
My sister made this soup last weekend and it was absolutely delicious but the carrots were not soft they were still quite crunchy. I would steam or cook the carrots ahead of time for sure.
CS, it may be best to dice them as small as possible.
I practically minced the carrots and they still were quite hard. I think it might help to sauté the carrots for a couple of minutes, first, to soften them before adding the remaining veggies. Except for too crunchy carrot bits, this soup was quite good!
The truck is to sauté them at the bottom of the pot with the onion, celery and carrots first. Then add your mushrooms last. Then move on to making your roux.
Yes. I’ve made it three times.
E. – Your comment is from 2017 — I am wondering if you still make this – and if you have any changes, additions, etc. now? I just found this and am looking forward to making it. Thank you! Linda
I grate my carrots and find that it helps!
Thank you Chungah for the lovely soup recipe.
You and I think the same when it comes to “clean” eating…teehee…there are vegetable in there so they do counterbalance the half and half…….
This sounds amazingly simple and delicious. I’m making a pot of this for Sunday Supper.
I’d love it if you shared this at What’d You Do This Weekend tomorrow with Tumbleweed Contessa.
Linda