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Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Chowder | Perfect for a cold weeknight meal, this chicken and mushroom chowder is thick, creamy and rich, plus it cooks in about 30 minutes! | https://thechunkychef.com | #chowder #souprecipe #mushrooms #potatoes #chowderrecipe #weeknightmeal
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4.84 from 12 votes

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Chowder

Perfect for a chilly weeknight meal, this creamy chicken and mushroom chowder is thick, savory, and loaded with plenty of chicken, mushrooms and potatoes!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Entree, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 348kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 8 oz cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken stock (reduced sodium)
  • 4-5 medium red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
  • 2 cups shredded chicken
  • additional black pepper, for garnish
  • minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over MED heat.  Add olive oil and butter.  Add mushrooms, garlic, onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until soft.  
  • Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme.  Add flour and stir to coat, cooking 1 minute.  Stir in chicken stock, scraping bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits.
  • Add potatoes and bay leaf, and bring to a low boil.  Boil for 12-15 minutes, until thickened and potatoes are fork tender.  If chowder is getting too thick, add additional chicken stock or water as needed.
  • Stir in cream and shredded chicken and cook 2 minutes, or until heated through.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, then serve.

Notes

SLOW COOKER VERSION:
  • Saute vegetables (celery, onion, carrot, garlic and mushrooms) in a skillet as written in recipe (this develops some great flavor).
  • Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and add 2 chicken breasts to the bottom.  Top with cooked veggies, then stir in chicken stock, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Top with a bay leaf.
  • Cover and cook on LOW 7-8 hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours.
  • Whisk together flour and cream, then add to slow cooker during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
  • Remove chicken breasts to a large mixing bowl, shred, then return to slow cooker to serve.
OTHER CHICKEN OPTIONS:
  • Buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it
  • Use leftover chicken from another meal 
  • Before step 1 of the recipe, slice chicken breasts across horizontally, so you have two thinner chicken breasts.  Add a drizzle of olive oil to the dutch oven and add chicken breasts (or thighs) and cook until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove to plate, shred and set aside.  Start recipe as written (don't clean the pan out in between the chicken and the veggies - it'll add good flavor).

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal