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 made this soup for dinner last night and I loved it! It reminds me of chicken and wild rice soup, with no rice. Highly recommend!
I’ve made this soup at 5 times since Novembers 2021 and it is always a hit. My bosses love it. Thank you
I love this soup. My husband asks for it once a week. However I do one thing differently, after cooking the chicken thighs I cook the mushrooms by themselves, remove from pot and then add them back in with the thighs later. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
YUMMY! Used chicken breast and heavy cream as that is what I had on hand. I used Pink Hymalian salt to flavor each bowl DELISH! I will make again and add some black rice .
Really liked this soup. I partially cooked the carrots in the microwave with about 1/2C of water for about 4 mins. Then just added them (including the cooking water) to the soup.
I love mushrooms too. This soup was excellent.
This soup is delicious and quick to make! I did cheat a little and used rotisserie chicken. Will make this again. Side note. In the future I will sauté the carrots first for a few minutes before adding the other vegetables.
Wow! This is absolutely delicious!!! Wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you, this is a keeper!
This soup is delicious! It came out so good. I waited to add the half and half until 2 minutes before dinner time. I had made the soup early and just let it simmer on low for 40 minutes without the half and half until we were ready to eat. Again, it was amazing! Such a yummy flavor.
Tastes like Thanksgiving in a bowl and was a huge hit! Everyone loved this including a non-soup eater. I let the soup simmer for a bit longer before adding the half and half. Also added some small pasta at the end to bulk it up. So delish!
Wondering if I can freeze this?
Made this with leftover thanksgiving turkey and homemade broth. Doubled the recipe because we love soup. Used portobello mushrooms.
Didn’t have bay leaves so added a little marjoram and tarragon. Used rosemary in roasting turkey so that profile was already there but added extra. Finished with a 1/2 cup of heavy cream and a squirt of lemon juice.
Simmered the soup longer than the 20 minutes recipe.
It’s a keeper.
Great soup! I happen to have leftover chicken thighs and some carrots from a meal last night. I chopped some onion, Mushrooms, some more carrots and celery and cooked a bit with Olive oil and butter. Added the flour and chicken broth and a little bit of cream cheese and Presto! Amazing soup! Oh, and of course the Thyme and the bay leaf. Will be my go to cold weather soup here in the Pacific Northwest!
The recipe is delicious as is, but if you want it to be even thicker and creamier add a little cream cheese. This recipe was perfect for a chilly fall day and some awesome Hygge vibes. Thanks
I just made it and it ended up delicious! When I thought I finished, I realized my carrots and celery were not cooked enough! So I threw some rosemary in and boiled it on low for a few minutes and it ended up perfect! I added a tiny bit of creole seasoning, garlic powder, garlic salt, and a tiny bit of chili flakes! Delicious!
Delicious! Thank you for the perfect first soup of fall. Just as easy and quick as described. I used my food processor for all the veggies.
Absolutely delicious!
Incredible flavor with fresh parsley. I added red pepper drops which added color.
Definitely a hit
So delicious… No need to change this recipe up in any way shape or form… It is perfect just the way it is…..I am planning to have a soup Dinner party and this will definitely be one of the soups that I am choosing to serve along with some delicious crusty bread and butter And salad…… thank you damn delicious!
This soup was amazing! Rainy day lunch will never be the same, even in summer. I used 2 chicken thighs, which was about 13 ounces, but otherwise all the other ingredients were as written. I chopped the veg while the chicken cooked (I use an egg slicer for the ‘shrooms), and it was done in 30 minutes, as promised. The veg are important, but the broth is the real hero in this soup, so don’t skimp. Make your own or buy a high quality brand. My hubby and I discussed all the people who would love this soup for the next time we entertain. It is elegant and fancy enough for company, and light enough to do on a regular basis. A real winner. Thank you, Chungah!
My first attempt at following a recipe. What can I say, my wife absolutely loved it. She thinks I’ve been hiding my chef abilities all this time.. Thanks for making me look good!!
This was a delight to make and even better to eat. Correct about garlic bread, my guest loved it!