This Italian Chicken and Mushroom Soup recipe is warming to the soul and is totally easy to make a big batch of on a chilly night! Packed with flavor and hearty ingredients, you'll love this soup on fall and winter nights when all you want is something cozy and comforting.
Chicken and Mushroom Italian Soup Recipe
I don't know about you, but I believe there's nothing more comforting than a big bowl of steaming, rich soup on cool evenings. And this soup pretty much takes the cake. It is so delicious and packed full of hearty flavors and ingredients, like fresh herbs, noodles, shredded chicken, onion, celery, mushrooms, and plenty of roasted garlic. Have you roasted garlic before? Oh my goodness, it's a must for this soup -- and for life in general. Roasting it takes that sharp tang out of garlic and turns it into a buttery, almost-sweet and creamy flavor that you could literally eat by itself. (Okay, so maybe I do eat it plain... Don't judge.)
You don't need to be a 5-star chef to make roasted garlic OR this soup, either. It's so, so, so simple, and beyond worth the 45-ish minutes of cook time (much of which is spent simmering or roasting things, aka it's hands-free time for you). It makes amazing leftovers, and it's also a goodie for cold season because it's got antioxidants and healthy nutrients that boost your immune system. To say this soup is a multitasking machine would not be an overstatement, and I know you'll just love it.
How do you make a good soup?
A great soup is all about flavor and texture. You don't want anything to be too mushy, and you want to have a few different components going on. That's why I love this soup -- you have a variety of vegetables, plus chicken, beans, and herbs to give it great flavor and enough texture.
How long does Italian chicken and mushroom soup last?
This soup will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (make sure you let it totally cool before popping it in the fridge), or much longer frozen, up to 3 months. This is a great freezer meal contender to make a huge batch of and then freeze half for a later date!
How do you make soup more flavorful?
Soup naysayers often don't like it because there isn't enough flavor, but this soup certainly doesn't have that problem. Between onion, two heads of roasted garlic, chicken stock, and some great herbs, it will be full of flavor that you'll love.
What do you serve with soup?
This soup goes amazingly with toasted crusty bread. Add a little butter to your bread and dunk away!
Italian-Style Chicken and Mushroom Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Italian Chicken and Mushroom Soup recipe is warming to the soul and is totally easy to make a big batch of on a chilly night! Packed with flavor and hearty ingredients, you'll love this soup on fall and winter nights when all you want is something cozy and comforting.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 whole heads garlic (this means the entire bunch!)
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned
- 1 cup orecchiette pasta, or other small pasta shapes such as bow ties or elbow macaroni
- 1 cup canned cannellini or navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 8 cups firmly packed spinach, washed, drained, and stems removed
Instructions
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add the celery, and cook about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
- Add the broth, chicken, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium to medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Place both heads of garlic on a small sheet of aluminum foil, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Wrap tightly and place in the oven to roast at 450 degrees F., about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the garlic is soft.
- Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the remaining olive oil in a baking dish (or some more foil), place in the oven, and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown, stirring once or twice during cooking to coat evenly.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven, and add to the soup. Remove the garlic from the oven, peel the cloves, and add to the soup, leaving them whole.
- Add the orecchiette to the soup and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes longer, just until the pasta is al dente. Add the beans and heat through.
- Add the rosemary and parsley, and stir to mix. Remove soup from the heat.
- Add the spinach, and stir until wilted.
- Serve hot with crusty bread.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: easy soup recipe, chicken and mushroom soup recipe, how to make chicken and mushroom soup, easy mushroom soup, best mushroom soup
More chicken recipes to try:
- Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Quick, Easy, and Healthy White Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
- Crispy Sheet Pan Baked Chicken Taco Meat
- The Best Baked Chicken Legs
- Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken Legs
- Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini with Mushrooms
- Orange Chicken with Stir-Fry Veggies
- Crunchy Baked Chicken Tacos
- Easy Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
- The Best Chicken Tostada Recipe
This post was originally published in 2010, and has been updated and rephotographed in October 2019.
Stephanie
I’m surprised that you claim to have written this recipe since it is exactly the same as the soup by nearly the same name published in The Fosters Market Cookbook by Sara Foster.
Melissa
Definitely could be! I think I got the recipe from my neighbor Steffanie sometime around 2009 and I wrote about it in 2011 for the blog, it just got updated recently.
Erryn
WhaT do you do with the whole chunks of garlic? Do u eat them if they end up in ur bowl? That would be a large garlic bite?
Melissa
Because they are roasted, they are really sweet! You do eat the whole piece, but it's totally different from any kind of garlic you are thinking of... sweet and nutty! You'll love it!
candice
My garlic usually ends up pretty mushy. It kinda "melts" into the soup in my experience. But if you do get a "chunk" it is very mild and sweet. Not at all like raw garlic! This is my absolute favorite soup of all time!!!!!! I make it very regularly. 🙂
Brittney
Loved the soup, and so did my husband and he hates soup! Great recipe!
Candice
This is SOOOOOO GOOD!!!! I almost never make the time to come back and comment, but this is so wonderful. A little time consuming (for a mama of 4 under 6 yrs old) but I made it on a day hubby was home so that helped. I will definitely double next time and freeze half. My sister in law was here for dinner and she loved it too. Enough that I sent her home with lunch for the next day! Made enough for 3 adult dinners, 2 small (1/2 cup maybe?!?) kid portions and 3 large servings for lunch. Only substitution was baby portabella mushrooms as that's what was on sale so that's what I had! Seriously - this tastes like it's from a nice restaurant, but better because I know exactly what is in it! Thank you and can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Oh, and I love your clean eating philosophy and honesty!
Melissa
You tried it in spite of that awful picture! I'm so impressed with you and I'm so pleased that you liked it! Yea for successes in the kitchen and great comments. You totally made my day!
Michelle
Any subsitute ideas instead of mushrooms? Making this tonight! Thanks!
Melissa
Oh man... that's a hard one since this soup has so many. I'd say you'd be better off just to leave them out if you don't like them! Let me know how it turns out...
Emily
How many servings is this recipe?
Melissa
A bunch - I would plan on 8-10 large servings.
Rachel
Are there any calorie amounts for this soup? I just had my first bowl and it was AMAZING!!!!!!
Melissa
I don't have any numbers but I think it's pretty low. Sometimes I leave out the pasta and it's totally healthy in my mind 🙂