Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup (NO Condensed Soup!)
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup 🍗🍄🟫 is almost like a stew because it’s thick and rich, and loaded with tender chicken and hearty mushrooms in every bite! You won’t find any condensed or canned soup in this 100% homemade soup recipe that’s comforting, easy, and ready in 45 minutes!
Easy Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup Recipe
- When you’re in the mood for a hearty soup with deep rich flavor, this creamy chicken and mushroom soup is just what the doctor ordered! It’s high protein, filling, and glorious.
- Chicken is seared to lock in the juices and mushrooms are cooked down with garlic, herbs, and broth. Simmer it all together to marry the flavors and hit it with half-and-half at the end for extra indulgence!
- It’s a pretty thick soup, almost like a stew, and you can serve it over mashed potatoes or rice. If you want to thin it out, it’s easy to add more broth or half-and-half.
- It’s so much better than canned cream of mushroom soup or condensed soup! Homemade is always better though, right! In case you’re wondering though, I would not substitute this soup for recipes that call for cream of mushroom soup as a 1:1 swap since that stuff is so incredibly thick with a gelatinous texture and tons of artificial thickeners. Recipes that call for it, usually mean to use only that.
- I’ve got an 40 Easy Cozy Soup Recipes ebook to check out! It’s chock full of so many great soups! Soup is the ultimate comfort food this time of year. Or maybe it’s always soup season in your house.
Ingredients in Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs for extra flavorful chicken. You can also keep this recipe vegetarian and simply omit the chicken.
Olive oil + Butter: For sautéing the chicken, and later the butter mixes with all purpose flour to create a roux, which helps thicken the soup.
Mushrooms and Onions: I use cremimi (AKA baby portabella mushrooms or baby bella which are what I used in the best Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms) because I prefer a heartier flavored mushroom. You can also use shitake mushrooms if you like chewier mushrooms and white button mushrooms have less flavor (they’re less mature) than brown cremini mushrooms. White or yellow onions are recommended.
Seasonings: Garlic, dried thyme, dried parsley, kosher salt, pepper.
Liquids: Chicken broth (you can use either reduced sodium chicken broth or regular and adjust the salt, half-and-half (you do not need heavy cream), and Worcestershire sauce create a velvety broth.
Fresh herbs or greens/veggies: I finish the soup with fresh parsley. If you want to add more nutrients and fiber, add a couple handfuls of fresh spinach or kale, or frozen peas, in the last 5 minutes of simmering.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Mushroom and Chicken Soup
- Dice the chicken into bite-size pieces and season it well with salt and pepper. Transfer it into a high sided skillet, Dutch oven, or pot, and sauté it with oil, and just sear it – don’t overcook. Remove it and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the butter, mushrooms, onions, and sauté for about 7 minutes or until vegetables are soft and tender.
- Add the various seasonings, garlic, evenly sprinkle flour over the top, and cook for 1 minute to create a roux.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, half-and-half, Worcestershire, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken back in, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
- Taste the soup and make sure that it’s properly seasoned, garnish, and serve. Some crusty bread like sourdough is amazing with this creamy chicken mushroom soup!
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces (boneless skinless chicken thighs may be substituted)
- Salt and Pepper, for seasoning the chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 16 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced (also known as cremini or baby bella mushrooms; shitake or white button mushrooms or a combo may be substituted)
- 1 cup white onion, diced small (or yellow onion)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups chicken broth, plus more if desired (reduced sodium or regular may be used; if you want a thinner soup and not as stew-like/thick, add more broth at the end)
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and black pepper, for seasoning the soup
- 2-3 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves or kale leaves, optional
- 1 cup frozen peas, optional
- Fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
- Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
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To a large, high-sided skillet (makes sure it can hold the liquid volume that you’ll be adding later) or Dutch oven, add the olive oil, chicken, generously season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat to sear the chicken; flip and turn frequently. Tip – You are not cooking the chicken through so don’t overcook it at this stage or it will be tough later! Remove it after it’s seared on all sides and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the butter, mushrooms, diced onions, reduce the heat to medium-low, sauté for about 6-7 minutes or until the mushrooms have shrunk in size and are tender; stir very frequently.
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Add the garlic, thyme, dried parsley, evenly sprinkle the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes. There should be no visible clumps or lumps of flour; stir with a wooden spoon nearly continuously.Tip – The flour is going to create a roux when mixed with the butter, and this is necessary to help thicken the soup later, so don’t short-change this step. Apart from that, you want to make sure to cook it long enough that you won’t taste raw flour later.
- Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring continuously. Note that it will bubble up.
- Slowly add the half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, simmer for 3-4 minutes over medium-low, or until it has thickened slightly; stir very frequently.
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Add the chicken back in, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes covered, or until done. Note – At this point the chicken needs to be completely cooked through. Simmering Tip – Make sure it’s a simmer and not a fast boil because anytime there’s dairy involved, you need to treat dairy proteins with caution so that they don’t separate or “break” which creates a very unsightly and curdled appearance.
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Uncover, taste the soup, and as necessary, add salt and pepper. Seasoning Tips – Depending on if you used reduced sodium chicken broth or regular broth, and your general preference for saltiness, you will probably want to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 to 1 teaspoon pepper. If the soup tastes at all flat, bland, or boring, it’s an indicator that it needs more salt, so don’t be afraid to add it. The same can be said for pepper, but salt is more crucial.
- Extra Veggies: Optionally, if you’d like to add greens or veggies, feel free to add a few handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, kale, chard, or frozen peas (they don’t have to be thawed) and allow them to soften and wilt for about five minutes; stir frequently.
- Thickness Tips: Depending on how thick you like your soup, you can either simmer uncovered for a few minutes to encourage it to thicken more. Or, if it’s too thick for your liking, feel free to add additional chicken broth and/or a splash more of half-and-half, as desired.
- Optionally, garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately. You can either serve it in bowls like a stew; add mashed potatoes or rice to your bowls first and then top it with the soup or place the soup “next” to the carbs, or whatever works best for you.
Storage: Leftover soup will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as desired, taking care not to overheat because anytime there is dairy in a soup you need to be mindful that the dairy proteins do not become overheated. I don’t love the idea of freezing soups with cream in them, but I think you will be fine with this one. Take care when you are thawing/reheating not to overheat it.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 344cal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 474mg, Potassium: 1128mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 515IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 102mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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