Listen up chicken pot pie lovers, this soup was made for you!
I first made this recipe about 3 years ago as one of those throw-together weeknight soups and it turned out to be so ridiculously delicious that I was practically licking the bowl clean. Since my husband Tony LOVES my lightened up chicken pot pie recipe, I decided to recreate it but in soup form and of course, with a few healthy twists.
This healthy chicken pot pie soup is hearty, flavorful, and super creamy without using any cream or dairy. It seriously has that true chicken pot pie flavor and is absolutely delicious served with crackers or biscuits. Comfort food at its finest! Add this to your weeknight dinner list and get ready for an incredible meal that takes just about 30 minutes to make.
What’s in this healthy chicken pot pie soup?
This chicken pot pie soup is one of those recipes you can throw together in just about 30 minutes. Everything cooks in one pot, including the chicken, making it an easy weeknight dinner to meal prep, make for your family or simply slurp up the entire pot yourself. It’s made with plenty of veggies and no cream, making it perfect for just about anyone to enjoy — especially when you come down with a cold, or if you’re just craving a cozy bowl of soup. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken: you’ll need about a pound and a half of boneless skinless chicken breast, plus some olive oil to cook it with.
- Veggies: this chicken pot pie soup is loaded with carrots, cauliflower, onion & peas.
- Potatoes: the secret ingredient for making this soup creamy and hearty! I love using yukon gold potatoes for a buttery, creamy texture.
- Herbs & spices: you’ll need some dried or fresh thyme and plenty of salt and pepper to give the soup flavor.
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like. I prefer unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk to keep the soup dairy free, but you can use dairy milk if you prefer! Feel free to use whole milk for a richer soup.
- Broth: you’ll also need some low sodium chicken broth to cook everything together.
The key to super creamy chicken pot pie soup
As I mentioned, this healthy chicken pot pie soup is hearty and creamy, yet there’s no dairy or cream involved! The secret is to add both cauliflower and potatoes to the soup, and then to blend some of it up to create a lovely, thicker broth. Ever since I made my creamy lightened up cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup, I became been obsessed with pureeing cauliflower in soups to create a creamy base that adds additional veggies.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes, simply use chickpeas instead of chicken, and be sure to use a dairy free milk and vegetarian broth. This will make the soup both vegetarian and vegan.
Add some extra veggies
If you’d like some more veggies in this soup, I suggest adding 8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, which you can saute with the onion, carrots and potatoes. Fresh or frozen sweet corn is also another great option that can be stirred in with the peas. Yum.
Can I make it in my slow cooker?
Yes! This healthy chicken pot pie soup can be made in a slow cooker or crockpot with a few adjustments:
I hope you enjoy this chicken pot pie soup. If you make it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe — I really appreciate it! xo.
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Cozy, healthy chicken pot pie soup made deliciously creamy without any dairy! Instead, cauliflower and potatoes are pureed into the broth to achieve a rich, creamy thickness. This gluten free & paleo chicken pot pie soup is loaded with veggies and is the perfect lightened-up comfort food for colder months!
-
1
tablespoon
olive oil -
1 1/2
pounds
uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, diced - Freshly ground salt and pepper
-
1/2
tablespoon
olive oil -
1
white onion, chopped -
2
large carrots, sliced -
3
cups
diced yukon gold potatoes -
3
cups
finely chopped cauliflower florets -
1
teaspoon
dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme) -
2
cups
of unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk, skim milk, 2% (if you want a richer soup, you can use whole milk) -
3
cups
low sodium chicken broth -
1/2
teaspoon
salt, plus more to taste - Freshly ground black pepper
-
1
cup
frozen peas
-
Place a large dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Add in olive oil. Once oil it hot, add in diced chicken breast and generously season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 4-6 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Remove chicken from pot and transfer to a large bowl; set aside for later.
-
In the same pot, add in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, chopped onion, sliced carrots, diced gold potatoes, diced cauliflower and thyme. Saute for a few minutes until onion begins to soften, then add in milk, chicken broth and salt and pepper. Allow mixture to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
-
Next remove 3 cups of the mixture from the pot and add to a blender. Blend until completely smooth (be careful while you do this!), then transfer puree back to the pot. Stir in cooked chicken and frozen peas. Allow mixture to simmer for 5-10 more minutes to thicken up a bit. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with extra black pepper and fresh thyme, if desired. Great with biscuits or crackers, if you’d like.
To make this recipe vegan: if you want to make this recipe vegan or vegetarian, you can use chickpeas instead of chicken, and also be sure to use vegetarian broth and a dairy free milk.
Optional: Feel free to add ¾ cup of corn if not doing whole 30. If you’d like some more veggies in this soup, I suggest adding 8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, which you can saute with the onion, carrots and potatoes.
Nutrition
Servings: 4 servings
Serving size: 1 serving (based on 4)
Calories: 369kcal
Fat: 10.9g
Saturated fat: 1.6g
Carbohydrates: 30.5g
Fiber: 7.3g
Sugar: 7.1g
Protein: 41.9g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on September 22nd, 2019, and republished on February 14th, 2022.