Creamy chicken mushroom soup

Simmer chicken, veggies, herbs, broth & cream

I think soup is one of the best things about fall, really. It's warm, comforting, can be healthy, and you can make a big batch that'll last you for days or even weeks in the freezer. Chili is usually my go to — something with lots of veggies, or (for a crowd) turkey chili that can be stretched even further by adding noodles (yum!). But when I saw this creamy chicken and mushroom soup from Damn Delicious, I knew it would be next on my list of soups to try. 

Boy am I glad I did! This soup has just the right amount of cream (hardly any, so you don't feel guilty digging in!), and I love chicken and mushrooms together. It's best made a day or two before you're going to eat it, so the flavors can really mingle. I also added more herbs than the original recipe called for, because why wouldn't you want the most flavor you can get? 

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CREAMY CHICKEN MUSHROOM SOUP

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

1 TBS olive oil

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 TBS butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. cremini or baby bella mushrooms (slice a bit if needed)

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced 

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 and 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme

1/4 cup flour

4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

springs of rosemary

sprigs of thyme

salt and pepper

WHAT YOU'LL DO

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chunked chicken, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Cook until golden, then remove chicken from the pot.

2. Melt butter in the pot over medium heat. Add chopped mushrooms, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. *Note: The carrots will take longer to become tender. I first cooked the diced carrots in some olive oil in a separate pan so they would start to get tender, before adding them to the pot with the other veggies. 

3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about one minute. Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaf, dried/minced thyme, chicken thighs, and extra springs of rosemary and thyme (two of each, or so — just feel it out!). Cook, whisking constantly, for about five minutes. 

4. Stir in half-and-half until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. *Note: I added a lot of salt and pepper. I generously seasoned about eight times (for a double batch, so try generously seasoning maybe four times for a single), tasting the soup between each addition. Don't get discouraged — just keep seasoning until the flavors start to pop, and know that the flavors will really sing after the soup has rested for several hours or overnight.

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This soup got rave reviews from everyone in my family — save the mushroom-hater, but everyone knows mushroom-haters can't be trusted (sorry Kev). The original recipe says you can eat this soup right away, but it really is so much better once the flavors mingle for a day or two. I also left the sprigs of herbs and bay leaves in the tupperware when I stored the soup (it can't hurt, right?). 

Another thing to note: The measurements above are for a single recipe. When I made this soup, I actually doubled the recipe and ended up with six hearty, dinner-sized servings. I also froze the soup for about a week, and it thawed out fine. I took it out of the freezer the night before I wanted to eat it, then heated the still-kinda-frozen soup on the stove. Once it was all heated through, it tasted just as wonderful — reminiscent of Thanksgiving, what with all those wonderful herbs. My mouth is watering just thinking about it — get cookin'!