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!
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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, mirepoix with garlicky-thyme brothy-goodness.
reasons to make creamy chicken mushroom soup
- Quick, cozy weeknight meal. This chicken soup uses pantry staples like chicken stock, and comes together lightening fast (certainly weeknight worthy).
- Clean-out-the-fridge meal. This is an ideal recipe to throw in any veggies (ex. peas, corn, green beans, broccoli or spinach) on hand that need to be used up ASAP, the most perfect opportunity for those picky eaters.
- Best soup for dunking. What a great excuse to whip up some crusty bread off to the side to dunk into this cozy pot of earthy, wholesome comfort food.
tips and tricks for success
- Repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken. To cut down on prep time even more, substitute rotisserie chicken for the chicken thighs.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Use heavy cream for more richness. Heavy cream will have a higher fat content than half and half, yielding a thicker, more velvety smooth consistency. On the flipside, use milk over half and half for a lighter soup.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Freeze without the dairy. Skip the half and half prior to freezing to avoid graininess and separating, adding it in right before serving.
what to serve with creamy chicken and mushroom soup
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.
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.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
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
Equipment
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.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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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
This looks so good! I love mushrooms and I bet they add so much flavor to the broth!
This recipe is only 6 servings how much more chicken for 8 servings??and ingredients should I add more??
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. Sorry, Katrina!
How many cups is one serving ?
About 1 – 1 1/2 cups.
Increase by 1/4 or .25 for 8 servings
Just increase by 25%. It’s called MATH. LOL.
Actually you would increase it by 33% (6 x 1.33 = 7.98) Increasing it by 25% would only give you 7.5 servings
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6 being 75% of 8 maybe 25% more ? Just to say …
1/3 of 6 servings is 2 servings; if you want 2 more servings, you need to increase by 1/3 of the initial measurements, ideally. However, aromatic herbs may not need the same increase in measurement.