Leek & Mushroom Chicken Soup

Adapted from Chelsea Joy Eats’ Leek, Mushroom & Chicken Soup | Paleo, Whole30, Keto

---

There are maybe five recipes in our house that we make every single month without fail. This soup is one of them.

It’s not flashy. It’s warm and savory, a little creamy from the coconut milk, and it comes together in under 45 minutes (if you don’t count slow cooking the meat overnight). We batch it on the weekend, divide it into containers, and pull from it all week. My husband loves it. I love it because I know what it’s doing nutritionally without having to think about it.

I originally came across this recipe from Chelsea Joy Eats, and it was already a solid gut-friendly meal. But I’ve swapped a few things over time to make it easier on us day-to-day and to tweak the flavor to where we actually prefer it now.

Here’s what we changed and why — plus the full recipe the way we actually make it.

---

Why I Modified the Original

The original calls for leeks. I love leeks. But they’re not always in my fridge, and they’re harder to find in our area than regular onions. So we swap in regular sliced onions when leeks aren’t available. You lose a tiny bit of that mild sweetness, but the prebiotic fiber benefit is comparable and sweet onions are the closest flavor profile. Both are high in inulin and fructooligosaccharides, which are what your good gut bacteria actually feed on.

The original also calls for fresh ginger root. I keep meaning to always have fresh ginger. I almost never do. Ground ginger is in my pantry 365 days a year. In a broth-based soup, it works just as well, and I’ve honestly stopped noticing a difference.

The original recipe is already a one-can-of-coconut-milk situation at its base, and we keep it that way even when we double or triple the batch. Scaling the coconut milk up with everything else tips it toward a coconut curry — which is great, but that’s not what we’re going for here. One can is the sweet spot for creaminess without changing the flavor profile entirely.

And chicken thighs instead of breasts. Always. Thighs stay tender through a simmer without turning into dry foam, and the extra fat helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins from the vegetables. It’s not just a texture thing — it’s functional.

---

Why Each Ingredient Is Here

Avocado oil or tallow — We use avocado oil or tallow for the sauté. It has a high smoke point so it handles medium heat without oxidizing, which matters a lot — oxidized oils are pro-inflammatory, which is the opposite of what we’re going for here. Avocado oil is also rich in oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat that makes olive oil so well-studied for brain health. 

Onions (or leeks) — This is your prebiotic fiber. Onions are rich in inulin and fructooligosaccharides — the prebiotic compounds that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Think of probiotics as the seeds. Prebiotics are the water and soil. Without regular prebiotic intake, your good gut bacteria can’t maintain their populations — and that directly affects the quality of signals your gut sends to your brain via the gut-brain axis.

Whole mushrooms — We use whole mushrooms in this soup instead of canned. The texture is better in a broth, and they hold up through the simmer. Mushrooms are rich in beta-glucans and contain compounds that support nerve growth factor, a protein your brain needs to maintain and grow neurons. Regular whole mushroom intake is one of the most consistent things I recommend to my clients.

Coconut aminos — Adds depth and a slight savory sweetness. We use this in place of soy sauce or tamari. It’s naturally gluten-free and lower in sodium, which makes it easier on the gut lining.

Coconut milk (one can) — Anti-inflammatory fats from the medium-chain triglycerides in coconut milk help keep the gut lining calm and reduce systemic inflammation. One can is enough to make this soup creamy without tipping it into curry territory.

Bone broth — We use bone or chicken broth. Bone broth specifically adds collagen, glutamine, and glycine — all of which directly support gut lining integrity. A healthy gut lining is foundational to everything we’re trying to do for the gut-brain axis. If you’re using store-bought, look for one that’s actually simmered low and slow (the label will usually say so), not just flavored stock.

Turmeric — Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, is one of the most studied anti-inflammatory compounds in nutrition research. Specifically for the brain, curcumin crosses the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to reduce amyloid beta aggregation — one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease pathology — in preclinical research. It’s a small addition to the soup, but across hundreds of meals, it adds up.

Ground ginger — We almost always use ground ginger instead of fresh because it’s easier, and in a simmered soup, it works beautifully. Ginger supports gut motility — the muscular contractions that move food through your digestive tract. When motility is sluggish, toxins and undigested food hang around longer than they should, which increases gut inflammation. Ginger keeps things moving.

Garlic — Prebiotic and antimicrobial. Garlic feeds beneficial bacteria while creating an inhospitable environment for the pathogenic ones. It’s also a source of allicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties throughout the gut lining.

Chicken thighs — As I mentioned above, thighs stay tender in a broth without drying out. The fat helps with fat-soluble vitamin absorption from the vegetables in the soup. And from a practical standpoint, they’re cheaper and more forgiving than breasts if you overcook them slightly. We usually use leftover cooked thighs from a previous meal — this soup is a great way to use up leftover chicken.

---

---

The OAKLEY Method Connection

The “O” in the OAKLEY Method is Optimize the Gut — and this soup is basically a gut-optimization bowl.

You’ve got prebiotic fiber from the onions feeding your beneficial bacteria. Bone broth supporting the gut lining. Coconut milk providing anti-inflammatory fats. Mushrooms contributing beta-glucans and NGF-supportive compounds. And ginger keeping motility moving so everything gets cleared efficiently.

All of that gut support translates directly to better signaling along the gut-brain axis — clearer thinking, more stable mood, fewer afternoon crashes, and a brain that feels more like your own again.

That’s not hype. That’s the two-way communication pathway between your gut and your brain responding to consistent, intentional nourishment.

---

Want to Learn How to Build Every Meal This Way?

If you want to be able to look at any recipe and know exactly what to swap, why it matters, and how to make it work for your brain and gut — that’s what my mini course teaches.

How To Make Any Recipe Healthy is a quick, practical walkthrough of the framework I use for every meal I cook. No more guessing. You’ll use it immediately.