My Life is a Picnic
A Canadian Celiac Blog
Creamy Herbed Chicken & Mushroom soup (Dairy Free)
I know we're headed into summer and soup isn't really a summer thing, but this soup is so delicious, it will make light meals easy and delicious. I've made this dairy free using canned coconut milk, but feel free to use half and half, or even heavy cream if you can tolerate dairy. I know it will be delicious!
​
So, I buy gluten free bacon. There are two brands here that I've found are gluten free: The Schneider's Naturals and the Maple Leaf Natural Selections. These ones say GLUTEN FREE right on the packaging. Other bacons, while they have no ingredients listed that contain gluten, may be produced or packaged in a facility that uses gluten ingredients. I don't take chances. The Maple Leaf foods website (which is also the owner of Schneider's meats) states that they do not have a gluten free list because of the different processing and packaging plants. They are constantly trying to improved products so ingredients may change. They recommend we check the packaging and ingredients every time we buy. Are you using another bacon? Do you have a recommended product for me? Please, share your experiences! Ok... back to the recipe:
​
Be sure to cook the bacon until crisp, but without burning it. Undercooked bacon will kind of underwhelm the soup. It's going to be yummy. Whip up some of that gluten free focaccia as a side, and your meal will be amazing!
​
Creamy Herbed Chicken and Mushroom soup
​
4 slices of gluten free bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
3 chicken thighs, cubed (uncooked)
1 liter gf chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
dried thyme
salt and pepper to season
​
In a large stock or soup pot, cook bacon over medium to medium-high heat until crisp but not burnt.
Once the bacon is crisp, add onion, celery and carrot and cook until onions and celery are soft and translucent.
Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms soften and start to juice. Add chicken stock and cubed chicken. Add one sprig of each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme. Bring heat up to bring soup to a boil, then cover with lid and reduce heat to simmer for about 45 minutes until chicken is cooked and carrots are soft.
​
Once carrots and chicken are cooked, add coconut milk and season with salt and pepper and dried thyme to taste. Remove sprigs of herbs before serving. Fresh rosemary can be used as decoration on each plate if desired.
​
​
​
​
The finished soup, served with a couple slices of Gluten Free Focaccia.