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!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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.
269 Comments on “Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup”
Super quick to come together and great taste. It was a perfect way to use up our Thanksgiving leftovers. My whole family enjoyed it.
Love this soup. Easy to make and my family loves it. Will make again.
Made this with leftover thanksgiving turkey and it was awesome! Another perfect recipe from Mary!
Woo hoo – so glad you enjoyed it and were able to put your leftover turkey to good use!!
I’ve been making this one once a week! It’s so simple to throw in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner on a busy weekday. The flavor of this soup is so much better than regular chicken soup. I look forward to having the leftovers for lunch all week. We can tolerate some dairy, so I’ve been using the heavy cream, but I am going to make my next batch with cashew cream. Mary, thanks for another delicious recipe!
Thank you! So glad you enjoy this soup so much, Michele!
This is soooo good!
Made this tonight and it was awesome 🤩!! Perfect for this chilly Tuesday night. A winner in our house.
Where has this been all my life? I can’t wait to try it.
You did it again Mary!! So flavorful!! Thanks for another keeper.
Thank you, Megan!
Made this the other night and it was super simple and tasted AMAZING! I was skeptical about the cashew cream but it was the perfect consistency. My husband and 2 young kids and I loved it! Will definitely be making this again
Thank you, Ally!
I made this last week and loved it! I am blown away by the cashew cream. Total game changer. I also made your Cheeseburger Soup recipe this week. It was so good!
Amazing!!!! It’s one of the very few foods that my picky eaters will eat! Made this for a gathering and they LOVED it!!!
More delicious than you can imagine. I knew I’d love this recipe but every bite was a wow, that’s good! So comforting yet clean and lighter than having actual pot pie. (Though Mary, please work your magic!)
Subbed frozen peas for green beans, no potatoes, and chose coconut cream. I think the slight sweetness of the coconut really makes the wow factor. I’d encourage that for the dairy free cream choice.
Once again an attainable, delicious recipe!
Our favorite soup for fall and winter!!! I made it a ton last year and am getting ready to make it again tonight.
Delicious! My husband and two 8 year olds all loved it! I made the recipe stovetop and added cauliflower gnocchi.
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! This was the first time I’ve ever made cashew cream and was so thrilled with how easy it was and how well it turned out. I’ll probably add a little less sage next time, but that’s just my preference. Thank you so much for a healthy and delicious recipe.
So yummy!
This soup was absolutely delicious. I just ate two huge bowls and I want another. Haha. I added potato AND cauliflower gnocchi, because both sounded good, and it was the bomb. I didn’t have cooking sherry so I omitted it. Will definitely make again!
We have made this recipe twice now and have loved it each time! Absolutely delicious and you cannot even tell that the creaminess comes from cashews! Fantastic recipe!
We LOVE this soup! And it’s a great meal to take to a friend too. So easy and delicious. The best healthy comfort food.
Kids and adults loved it!