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Simply-made Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Soup makes an easy weeknight dinner that's paleo, gluten free, low carb, dairy free, nut free, keto-friendly, and Whole30.
The soup obsession continues. This chicken and leek soup with mushrooms perfectly exemplifies how easy soups can be — making healthy meals delicious and leftover-ready.
This post was originally published 11/13/2019 and has been republished 1/14/23 with revisions.
How to make stellar homemade soups
This is by no means an expertly-crafted guide for homemade soups. Still, I can give you a few basics that will get you well on your way towards awesome soups from scratch!
First, start with aromatics.
Now, that's the type of cooking term that used to make me turn off the stove and order pizza. But don't jump to that yet. In fact, you probably already know what aromatics are!
Aromatics are vegetables, herbs, and/or spices cooked in fat at the start of a dish.
As they cook, the veggies/herbs/spices tend to smell heavenly (thus aromatics!) and create a strong foundation of flavor for a dish. Soups, sauces, stir-fries, casseroles, and skillet meals often start off with aromatics.
The most basic example is onions and olive oil, but onions aren't the only aromatic! Ginger, garlic, carrots, celery, peppercorns, and more are all considered aromatic. In this recipe? Leeks and garlic take the reins.
My next tip? Don't overcook the soup.
This tip has two parts.
Most soup recipes will have you simmer the soup for at least 20 minutes. Don't mistakenly think you can just bring the soup to a boil for 5 minutes and call it good. Boiling and simmering are not the same!
On the other hand, don't completely blow past that 20 minute mark and let the soup simmer endlessly on the stove.
Now, I'm not saying the soup won't still be edible... but you'll end up with mushy vegetables, and that's not how most soups are meant to be!
After all, if you check the soup at 20 minutes and find the veggies aren't cooked enough, you can always cook it a little longer. You can never reverse time once you've overcooked the soup.
What's in Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Soup
Soup recipes are sometimes too easy to name; the main ingredients are right in the title!
That said, there are a few ingredients that make this soup extra-special.
Besides the obvious ingredients (leeks, mushrooms, and chicken), this soup features fun things like
- coconut aminos (or gluten free tamari if that floats your boat)
- turmeric
- cumin
- coconut milk
Turmeric gives the soup that lovely yellow color — but trust me, the flavor doesn't overpower the soup. That's my biggest complaint with many turmeric recipes!
Coconut aminos provides a unique flavor profile for this otherwise savory soup. Coconut aminos is on the sweeter side (but I definitely wouldn't compare it to sugar).
Because of those two ingredients, I wasn't sure how my spouse would react to this soup the first time I made it. But I shouldn't have worried; he LOVED it!
Suggested equipment for chicken, leek, and mushroom soup
I almost exclusively use my Dutch Oven for making soups. A good enameled Dutch Oven works so incredibly well for a huge batch of soup!
My Dutch Oven is a Misen brand — seriously my favorite mid-range kitchen essentials. It's like a Le Creuset but ⅓ of the price.
Shop my favorite kitchen essentials through my Amazon favorites storefront!
Get cozy with more healthy soup recipes
- Italian Sausage & Broccoli Soup
- Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup
- Loaded Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Silky Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
- Low Carb Slow Cooker Gumbo
📖 Recipe
Leek, Mushroom, and Chicken Soup
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.8 from 9 reviews
- Author: Chelsea at DoYouEvenPaleo.net
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Paleo
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Using simple ingredients and fuss-free cook time, this leek, mushroom, and chicken soup is paleo, low carb, keto, and Whole30-friendly!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2 leeks)
- 4 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms (about 1 pound)
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or tamari
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 cups bone or chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 cups cubed leftover boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add leeks and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened and vibrant. Add the mushrooms and garlic, continuing to saute for another 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut aminos and stir to coat. Add the coconut milk, broth, cumin, turmeric, ginger, red chili flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add chicken and stir to combine. Simmer for another 5 minutes, until chicken has warmed up. Serve immediately.
Notes
To poach raw chicken breast for this recipe: sprinkle chicken breasts with a little sea salt and pepper on both sides. Oil the bottom of a deep skillet or pot and place the chicken on in the pot in a single layer. Cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from poaching liquid and chop up for the recipe!
