If you have leftover chicken sitting in your fridge, put it to work in Chicken Mushroom Soup – the perfect dish for the winter months. The rich and creamy broth epitomizes all things comforting and cozy, and the tender chicken and mushrooms make it a hearty meal that keeps tummies satisfied. Whether you use your stovetop or your slow cooker, this will quickly become one of your favorite soups this season.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Mushroom Soup Recipe:
- Perfect Way to Repurpose Chicken: Avoid food waste and give any leftover chicken in your fridge a second life in mushroom chicken soup. Suspended in the creamiest of broths, you’ll have to dive in for seconds.
- Picky-Eater Approved: With a rich, velvety broth, deep and savory flavors, and tender bits of chicken, even picky eaters will enjoy it. It’s a great recipe to get your protein and nutrients.
- Convenient Comfort Food: There’s nothing like a bowl of cozy, comforting soup during the colder months. Make a big pot over the weekend and enjoy the leftovers as quick, easy, and extra hearty lunches and dinners throughout the week.
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients
Onions - Serves as the base of chicken and mushroom soup recipes, providing a complex flavor foundation to build off of. I use white onion, but if you have red or yellow onion on hand, they work equally as well. You’ll need just one, diced up.
Butter - To soften and caramelize the onions on the stovetop. I find butter gives the best flavor for caramelized onions, but you can swap in olive oil if you're out.
Mushrooms - Not only are they packed with vitamins and nutrients, mushrooms also add bulk and texture to the soup. Any mushroom you have available will work in my chicken mushroom soup recipe – cremini, portobello, or button mushrooms are a few options.
Better Than Bouillon - Making creamy chicken mushroom soup is a job for Better Than Bouillon. Mixed with water, this paste makes an exceptionally flavorful broth base. If you don’t have it in your pantry, chicken stock will complete the task – just be sure to omit the water from the recipe.
Seasonings - Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning join forces for a flavor fusion.
Cornstarch - This thickening agent thickens the sauce slightly, making it creamy and silky. Mix with water to create a slurry before adding to the soup to prevent clumping.
Leftover Chicken - Put your leftovers to work! If you don’t have any sitting in your fridge, you can always use shredded rotisserie chicken. Raw chicken is also fine, we'll just add it earlier in the cooking process.
Heavy Cream - A dash of heavy cream makes the broth extra thick, creamy, and decadent.
Parmesan Cheese - No dish is complete without a sprinkle of cheese. Parmesan melts right into the mushroom chicken soup as a final step, infusing even more incredible flavor into the dish.
Equipment:
Knife - A sharp knife makes chopping up the onions and mushrooms that much easier.
Cutting Board - To protect your countertops from getting dinged.
Big Pot or Slow Cooker - Pull out a large pot or Dutch oven to cook this creamy chicken and mushroom soup in. It should be spacious enough to hold all the ingredients without spilling over. Or, if using the slow cooker, you'll need a skillet large enough for caramelizing the onions, and a 6 qt or larger slow cooker.
Wooden Spatula or Spoon - A sturdy spoon that can handle the task of mixing all of the hearty ingredients together.
How to Make Chicken Mushroom Soup
Carmelize Onions
Combine onions, butter, and salt in a pot and cook on medium-high heat until lightly caramelized, about 20-25 minutes, reducing the burner to medium heat once most of the onions moisture cooks off.
Incorporate Mushrooms and Seasonings
Add mushrooms, chicken broth or Better Than Bouillon and water, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook another 5 minutes (about 10 minutes total).
Add the Chicken
Make a slurry with the cornstarch and a bit of water. Add the chicken and the cornstarch slurry to the soup and cook until the chicken is heated through and the soup has thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
Final Touches and Serve
Turn off the heat and add heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir into the soup until melted. Garnish with chives if desired and enjoy!
Making It in the Crockpot
Not wanting to babysit the stove in the evening? You can enlist your trusty Crockpot to help you cook chicken with mushroom soup! Follow these directions and let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting.
- Step 1: Combine onions, butter, and salt in a skillet and cook on medium-high heat until lightly caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. Alternatively, you can make caramelized onions in the slow cooker the day before.
- Step 2: Add mushrooms, broth or Better Than Bouillon and water, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
- Step 3: Make a slurry with the cornstarch and a bit of water. Add chicken and cornstarch slurry to the soup and switch the slow cooker to HIGH until thickened, about 30 minutes, adding more time as needed.
- Step 4: Stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Once melted, serve, garnishing bowls with chives if desired.
Recipe Success Tips
- If you’re using raw diced chicken, add it in Step 2 with the broth and mushrooms. I’ve made my chicken mushroom soup recipe with both leftover and raw chicken, and it turned out perfect both ways.
- Don’t skip the heavy cream. With its high fat content, heavy cream is essential if you’re aiming for a thick, luscious broth. You can use half and half in its place, but the broth will be lighter.
- Don’t boil the cream. Prevent curdling by adding the heavy cream after you’ve removed the pot from the heat.
- For extra flavor, add a tablespoon of sherry cooking wine. Yum!
Serving Suggestions
Chicken mushroom soup is best served hot, with a chunk of crusty bread to soak up any last traces in the bowl. Grab a loaf from the bakery section at your grocery store, or make my Pizza Dough Focaccia Bread if you’re wanting semi homemade. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, try out this easy, no-knead bread recipe you can make easily in a Dutch oven!
While I often stop at just bread, you can round out the meal with a side salad or a vegetable dish, like roasted potatoes and broccoli, and air fryer zucchini and squash. The soup is quite versatile!
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration/Storage: Store leftover cream of chicken and mushroom soup in an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Allow the soup to cool completely before moving to a freezer-safe container and storing it in the freezer. The soup will keep frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator or over low heat on the stovetop.
- Reheating: Warm up leftovers in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat, or covered in the microwave on gentle heat.
FAQs
I rely on leftover chicken to make my chicken mushroom soup, but you can definitely use raw chicken – just add it in Step 2 of this recipe to cook up with the broth and mushrooms.
Garlic powder, thyme, oregano, and rosemary marry the flavors of chicken and mushroom in this soup. But for convenience, I use Italian seasoning. It’s easy, balanced, and tastes so good.
Caramelized onions bring mushroom soup to life, Italian seasonings and garlic enhance the flavors, and a cornstarch slurry and a bit of heavy cream make a velvety-smooth broth that you won’t be able to get enough of!
More Easy and Comforting Dinner Recipes
Enjoy!
I hope you love this chicken mushroom soup, and that it becomes one of your favorite uses for your soup pot! Let me know in your review what you had with it, and if you went with the stovetop or slow cooker.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Mushroom Soup
Equipment
- soup pot or skillet and slow cooker
- knife and cutting board
- stirring spatula or spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 ea onions diced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb mushrooms sliced
- 1 ¼ tablespoon better than bouillon or 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water skip if using broth
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon corn starch plus water for slurry
- 10 oz leftover chicken about 2 cups
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 oz parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 chives optional, for garnish
Instructions
Stovetop instructions
- Combine onions, butter, and salt in pot and cook on medium-high heat until lightly caramelized, about 20-25 minutes, reducing the burner to medium heat once most of the onions moisture cooks off.1 ea onions, 2 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add mushrooms, broth or better than bouillon and water, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook another 5 minutes (about 10 minutes total).1 lb mushrooms, 1 ¼ tablespoon better than bouillon, 4 cups water, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Make a slurry with the corn starch and a bit of water. Add chicken and corn starch slurry to soup and cook until chicken is heated through and soup thickened, about 5-10 minutes.3 tablespoon corn starch, 10 oz leftover chicken
- Turn off heat and add heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir into soup until melted. Garnish with chives if desired and enjoy!½ cup heavy cream, 4 oz parmesan cheese, 1 chives
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Combine onions, butter, and salt in a skillet and cook on medium-high heat until lightly caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.1 ea onions, 2 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add mushrooms, broth or better than bouillon and water, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.1 lb mushrooms, 1 ¼ tablespoon better than bouillon, 4 cups water, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Make a slurry with the corn starch and a bit of water. Add chicken and corn starch slurry to soup and switch slow cooker to HIGH until thickened, about 30 minutes.3 tablespoon corn starch, 10 oz leftover chicken
- Stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Once melted, serve, garnishing bowls with chives if desired.½ cup heavy cream, 4 oz parmesan cheese, 1 chives
Notes
- Refrigeration/Storage: Store leftover cream of chicken and mushroom soup in an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Allow the soup to cool completely before moving to a freezer-safe container and storing it in the freezer. The soup will keep frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator or over low heat on the stovetop.
- Reheating: Warm up leftovers in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat, or covered in the microwave on gentle heat.
- If you’re using raw chicken, add it in Step 2 with the broth and mushrooms. I’ve made my chicken mushroom soup recipe with both leftover and raw chicken, and it turned out perfect on both tries.
- Don’t skip the heavy cream. With its high fat content, heavy cream is essential if you’re aiming for a thick, luscious broth. You can use half and half in its place, but the broth will be lighter.
- For extra flavor, add a tablespoon of sherry cooking wine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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