Healthy Chicken Stroganoff Soup

Healthy Chicken Stroganoff Soup is probably the most delicious soup I’ve made all season long. (Well, it’s at least right in line with Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and this Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Tortellini.) Packed with hearty mushrooms, flavorful chicken meatballs, and a stroganoff-flavored broth, this soup will keep you warm and happy all winter long. 

Healthy Chicken Stroganoff Soup

I’ve always had this weird infatuation with beef stroganoff. There’s something about twirly egg noodles swimming in a tangy, creamy beef broth-laced sauce that sends my stomach into a happy tizzy. 

However, I’m not really a fan of the beef part of beef stroganoff. Go figure. And on occasion, I find myself literally drinking the creamy sauce with a spoon in between generous dunks of bread. Clearly I needed to refigure this whole beef stroganoff thing. 

Enter: Healthy Chicken Stroganoff Soup. Where all my beef stroganoff dreams come true. 

We  transform the tangy sour cream and beef-laced sauce into a truly intoxicating and addictive broth. It’s packed with hints of beef flavor without the actual beef, tanginess from Greek yogurt and little bit of umami from a splash of Worcestershire sauce.

Instead of chewy beef, I whip up easy chicken meatballs so tender, they practically melt in your mouth after gently poaching in the broth. These two swap outs alone turn a classic beef stroganoff into a healthy chicken stroganoff, with all the flavor and richness of the original.

Oh! And we can’t forget about another star player here. Sautéed cremini mushrooms. Even if you’re not a mushroom fan, when you sauté mushrooms in just a touch of butter, hit them with a little bit of salt, and then let them steep in the chicken stroganoff broth, you will become a convert. Mark my words. 

Ingredients in Healthy Chicken Stroganoff Soup

Butter. Because the title of the recipe is healthy chicken stroganoff, a little butter goes a long way here. You just need one tablespoons to sauté the onions and mushrooms. Once you add a little bit of salt, it helps to bring out the moisture in the veggies, making them a little bit easier to sauté. 

Mushrooms. I like to use cremini mushrooms for their heartiness and flavor. Plus, they really hold up nicely in a soup. 

Onions and garlic. Because don’t all good things begin with onion and garlic? 

Flour. As much as I didn’t want to add an extra flour, you really do need a little bit to thicken up the broth. 

Beef broth. I like to use low-sodium so I can control the amount of salt that goes into the soup. 

Beef bouillon. A little bit of beef bouillon adds just a touch more savoriness and saltiness you can’t get with just beef broth and salt. I like to buy this kind in the jar, and just store it in the fridge. 

Milk. My kids only drink whole milk, and I don’t drink any at all, so that’s what I used. You could absolutely use 2% milk. 

Seasonings. Dijon mustard for tanginess, Worcestershire sauce for depth of flavor and savoriness, and nutmeg for just a hint of warmth and spice. 

Pasta. I used about 1 cup of bow tie pasta, but feel free to use whatever noodles you want. 

Greek yogurt. This replaces sour cream. It adds a hint of tanginess you absolutely have to have in healthy chicken stroganoff without adding a lot of additional fat and calories. 

How to make Healthy Chicken Stroganoff

Sauté the onions and mushrooms. As mentioned before,  a little bit of butter will do. Start by melted the butter in a big pot and then add the onions and mushrooms. Saute them over a medium heat until both are slightly softened. It should take about 5 minutes or so.

Remember they will continue to cook in the broth later, so you don’t want them to completely wilt down. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. 

Stir in the broth ingredients. Stir in a little bit of flour. Cook for a minute or so. Slowly whisk in the beef broth, milk, remaining salt, dijon, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and then add the noodles. 

Make the chicken meatballs. While the soup simmers and the noodle cook, make the chicken meatballs. It’s really difficult. Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and use your hands to mix just until everything is combined. 

Use a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to spoon the meatballs into small balls. 

Cook everything together. Gently drop the chicken meatballs into the healthy chicken stroganoff broth. Simmer until the pasta is aldente and the meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. 

Can I make this in advance?

YES! Absolutely make all of healthy chicken stroganoff soup in advance. Cool completely and then store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, transfer to a large pot and re-heat over a medium heat. You an also microwave individual bowls of healthy chicken stroganoff. 

Can I make this with beef? 

If you still really want beef in this healthy chicken stroganoff, you can use lean ground sirloin in place of the chicken in the meatballs. 

Can I make healthy chicken stroganoff soup with chicken stock? 

So if you don’t want to use beef stock, you CAN use chicken stock. However, it will alter the flavor profile of the soup. It will still be delicious, it just won’t mimic the taste of beef stroganoff as much. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Use whatever pasta you’d like! Keep in mind, bow tie pasta takes longer to cook and soaks up more liquid than most other pastas, so you may have a more brothy soup if you switch it up. It will still taste delicious! 
• Use whole milk or 2% milk – whatever you have on hand. 
• I like to grate my onion because it adds moisture to the chicken which can innately be a little bit dry. I just use a handheld cheese grater to do this and grate the onion directly into the bowl.
• 1 teaspoon of beef bouillon is equal to one beef bouillon cube. If you don’t have beef bouillon, just make sure to add a little bit extra salt. 

Other great stroganoff recipes

• If you want something a little bit more rich and pasta-heavy, this Cheesy Beef Stroganoff Casserole would be perfect. Plus, it’s all made in one pan! 
• These Beef Stroganoff French Bread Pizzas from my friend Lauren’s cookbook are SO good! All of that awesome stroganoff flavor in pizza form.