Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
This dairy-free, healthy chicken pot pie soup has all of the flavors of the classic comfort food casserole served in soup form! Creamy, hearty, & delicious, this gluten-free chicken pot pie recipe is one you don’t want to miss!
What Makes This Recipe Great
There is nothing better than creamy, chicken soups that fill you up, warm you up, and taste so good you want seconds! It’s even better when they’re healthy! This soup is healthy comfort food at its finest. It tastes decadent and absolutely delicious, but won’t leave you feeling sluggish or bloated after eating.
My healthy chicken pot pie soup is packed with tender chicken, carrots, celery, onion, green beans, and potatoes in a dairy-free creamy broth. Featuring all the flavors of classic chicken pot pie, but is made with clean, better-for-you ingredients!
Recipe Highlights
- Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, & Stovetop instructions
- Nut-Free & Low-Carb alternatives
- Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free!
- An easy, 30-minute recipe!
Ingredient Notes
Ghee: This is clarified butter where most of the dairy has been removed. If you have a dairy allergy, you can also use olive oil or vegan butter.
Chicken Breasts: I love getting organic chicken from Butcher Box.
Chicken Broth: My favorite is Kettle & Fire. Code MARY gets you 20% off their site!
Cashews: Raw, unsalted cashews work best for the cashew cream.
Recipe Step by Step
Instant Pot
- Press the “sauté” button on your Instant Pot. Add the tbsp of cooking fat along with the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant. Add in the chicken pieces, potatoes, green beans, chicken broth, sherry, and spices/herbs. Give everything a good stir. Lock the lid, turn the vent to “sealing”, and cook on manual high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Drain your cashews (if you soaked them) and add them to the blender along with 3/4 cups of water. Blend on high for 1 minute or until very thick and creamy.
- Once the soup is done, manually release the steam. Use a fork to shred the chicken right in the pot. Add in the cashew cream and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of sherry, if desired.
Crockpot
- Add all of the ingredients (minus the cashews and water) to your slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- Shred the chicken right in the pot. Right before you are ready to serve, add the cashew cream and stir well. Stirring on high heat for a few minutes will help it to thicken up.
Stovetop
- Heat your cooking fat of choice in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant. Add in the chicken pieces, potatoes, green beans, chicken broth, sherry, and spices/herbs. Bring the soup to a boil and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Make the cashew cream while the soup cooks. Shred the chicken, add the cashew cream and stir well.
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
Soaking the Cashews: Soaking the cashews in hot water for a couple of hours prior to blending can help to make the creamiest version possible. It’s not totally necessary if you have a good, high-speed blender, though! However, if you don’t have one, I love this blender!
Storage: This gluten-free chicken pot pie makes amazing leftovers. It can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can simmer it on the stove or pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Keto Version: To make this Keto-friendly, omit the potatoes. You can also sub in radishes or cauliflower.
Using Leftover/Pre-Cooked Chicken or Turkey: Rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey also works well with this recipe. Simply follow the directions and omit the chicken. Add the pre-cooked chicken or turkey at the end with the cashew cream and stir over medium heat (or on sauté mode in the IP or on high heat in the slow cooker) until the meat is warmed through.
Vegetables: Peas can be used instead of green beans! Corn would also be delicious; however please note that it is not Whole30-friendly.
Cauliflower Gnocchi: A while back I shared that I used Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi in this gluten-free chicken pot pie. It tastes exactly like healthy chicken and dumplings! If you want to try this method, simply add them at the same time as the cashew cream at the end! Stir and let them cook on “saute” mode (or high heat for the slow cooker, or just medium heat on the stove) for 2-3 minutes until they’re heated through.
Recipe FAQ’s
If you aren’t able to have cashews, you can sub in 1 cup of coconut cream (or just use the thickened part on top of a can of full-fat coconut milk).
Yes, feel free to sub 3/4 cup of heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2 instead of the cashew cream.
Yes! It will stay good for up to 4 months. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for optimal freshness.
These Gluten Free Dairy Free Drop Biscuits would be amazing with this soup!
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Whole30, Paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
- 1 large russett potato (or 2 small – should be about 2 cups diced), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup frozen cut green beans
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp sherry cooking wine, omit for Whole30
- 1.5 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp sea salt, more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
Cashew Cream * (see nut free option below)
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- ⅔ cup water
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Instructions
- Add cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak while you chop your veggies and prep the soup.
Instant Pot
- Hit the "saute" button on your Instant Pot. Add in the tbsp of cooking fat (ghee or olive oil). Add in the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant. Add in the chicken pieces, potatoes, green beans, chicken broth, sherry, and spices/herbs. Give everything a good stir. Lock the lid, turn the vent to "sealing", and cook on "manual" high pressure for 12 minutes.
- While it's coming to pressure, make the cashew cream. Drain the cashews and add them to a blender along with 1/2 cup of water. Blend on high for 1 minute or until VERY thick and creamy.
- Once the soup is done, manually release the pressure. Use a fork to shred the chicken right in the pot. It should be very tender! Add in the cashew cream and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh chopped parsley and an extra drizzle of sherry, if desired. Enjoy!
Stovetop
- Heat cooking fat in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add in the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and beginning to soften. Add in remaining soup ingredients (except cashew cream). Stir. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 25-30 minutes until vegetables have softened and chicken is cooked through. While it's simmering, make your cashew cream using directions above. Use a fork to shred the chicken right in the pot. Add your cashew cream and stir. Serve with fresh chopped parsley and an extra drizzle of sherry, if desired. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- Add all of the ingredients (minus the cashews and water) to your slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Shred the chicken right in the pot. Combine the cashews and water in your blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Right before you are ready to serve, add the cashew cream and stir well. Stirring on high heat for a few minutes will help it to thicken up. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This post was originally published on November 11, 2021 and updated with new copy on July 29, 2022.
256 Comments on “Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup”
This soup is delicious!! We made it for lunches and tastes just as good re-heated. We swapped frozen peas for the green beans and added kale once the soup came to a boil. I only wish I had tripled the recipe! Can’t wait to make it again 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Soooo delicious!! Used coconut cream instead of cashews and used the Instant Pot. Holy cow, it tastes EXACTLY like chicken pot pie. Leftovers were even better! Will definitely be making this again.
Thanks Allison! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Best soup ever! I’ve made it 4 times already and my family is obsessed with it. Such a great healthy alternative especially if you can’t have dairy. Amazing!!
Thanks, Kate! Glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this tonight. Whole family loved it! Great recipe!!! Easy too😊👍🏻
Awesome! Thanks Lynda!
The healthy chicken pot pie soup was AMAZING! The cashew cream was a perfect substitute for dairy without giving the soup an off taste. Even my husband said the soup was great – he didn’t even notice the difference! Will definitely be making this multiple times this winter.
Woo hoo – love when it’s husband approved! Thank you!
Made this soup yesterday, used already cooked chicken and it was quick and easy!
Husband loved it and we will make it again. Love the cream of the cashews.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So yummy! Hearty but light… perfect for a cool, fall evening. I have a hard to please three year old and even he ate it! I did the stove top version with coconut cream instead of cashew cream and it was delicious. I’ve never used coconut cream, so I was worried about there being a sweet taste, but it was perfect and not sweet at all! Will definitely make this again 🙂
Happy you loved it! Thanks!
The perfect soup for a cold night! It’s so yummy and no one even knew it was dairy free.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
WOW! This recipe is AMAZING! While I was cooking my husband came out and saw the cashews soaking and made the comment, “what are you making again??” 🤣 However, once it was served he loved it. My kiddos (3 & 1) also devoured it.
Yay! I am so glad you all enjoyed it!
This soup is amazing!! My 2 & 4 year old gobbled it up, my husband who is not GF/DF LOVED IT and even my mother in law said it was delicious (win, win)! This will definitely be a winter stable in our house. So easy to make and really SO delicious!
Hi Katrina! Thank you! I am so glad you liked it!
I loved this!!! I didn’t have cashews on hands Ana I was looking for something quick so I used an immersion blender to get the creaminess. So good!! I also threw in some broccoli that was on its last legs. This is going to be a great winter staple for us!!!
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
What a great comfort soup for these fall days!
Thanks! Yes, I will be making this often!
Absolutely delicious! I’m super excited that I found this and will become a regular menu item! I soaked my cashews for an hour in warm water !!! Dynamite!!
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it <3
I made this for supper tonight and it was a huge hit!! I loved it. Easy to prep ahead and it tastes amazing.
Thank you, Hope! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup is seriously so good! I love soup and I’m pretty particular about it and this one impressed me! Cashew cream is such a great addition and I’m so glad Mary made this recipe for everyone to enjoy!
Thank you, Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVE this soup!! Really easy to make and the cashew cream works so well. It’s definitely becoming a staple in our house. Baby loves it too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you, Kelly!!
This soup was full of amazing flavour. It was easy to make too! Thanks for all you do.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you, Jean!
Could you add in some crockpot instructions?
Hi Judith, I added stove top instead of slow cooker since I am worried that the potatoes may get too mushy cooking all day in the crock pot. You can certainly try it. My recommendation would be to do all of the “saute” directions on the stove top, then transfer to the slow cooker and follow the rest of the directions. Cook on low 8-10 hours and add the potatoes during the last 2-3 hours of cooking time, and stir in the cashew cream at the end. I hope it works out!
How is it Whole 30 if there are cashews in it?
I’ll reply to my own comment – I’ve done the whole 30 twice and thought cashews were OUT! this opens up a “WHOLE” new door!
Cashews and all raw nuts are fine on the Whole30.
Amazing!!! Who knew cashews would be a great substitute for a creamy base?? Flavorful and full of veggies! I can’t wait to make this again!
I’m so glad you liked it! Cashews are pretty amazing 🙂 Thanks Lindsay!