Family Friday: Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen makes A LOT of soup. It helps that Kevin works at a bakery, and is always bringing home fresh baguettes or dinner rolls. And what goes better with fresh bread than soup? 

It's been cold and blustery here in Wisconsin. We've needed a lot of comfort food to help see us through until spring. And when you think comfort food; you can't help but think of chicken noodle soup. Well, this is chicken soup on steroids. Think rich chicken thighs, tender vegetables and a creamy broth. Mmmm... Hungry yet? Bonus points for this being an easy dinner to make during the week.

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Recipe courtesy of: http://damndelicious.net/2015/01/10/creamy-chicken-mushroom-soup/

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup half and half, or more, as needed*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 sprig rosemary


Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. 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 garlic, mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

 Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. 

Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaf and chicken thighs, and cook, whisking 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 and rosemary, if desired.

This recipe was like magic- a whole pot of soup disappeared in less than an hour (so much for leftovers!). It was a dinner all three members of the Test Kitchen could agree on. Give this hearty soup a try on the next cold day- it's guaranteed to warm you up.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew