This healthy chicken pot pie soup is super rich, creamy, and comforting. Made in the Instant Pot, it’s paleo, Whole30, dairy free, and gluten-free, too, without skimping on any flavor. This healthy soup comes together in about 30 minutes and is good enough to eat all week!
This recipe is from my digital cookbook The Paleo Instant Pot, which you can buy for $25 by clicking here! It includes over 30 Whole30-approved recipes designed for the Instant Pot and focused on flavor. It’s the perfect last-minute Christmas gift for a healthy food lover, and it’s a must for anyone you know getting an Instant Pot under their tree!
Let’s be really clear:
My husband is the winner here.
We’re testing new, healthy recipes daily, usually Whole30 and paleo, but always as flavorful as I can dooty them up to be. When he does a Whole30? It’s like this: he comes home from lawyering all day and sits down to either a brand new dish or one of our regular faves, like egg roll in a bowl, zuppa toscana, or – let’s face it – the chicken zucchini poppers from One Lovely Life.
Got the context? He tries a lot of really good food. So when he tried this soup and said,
“Definitely the best Whole30 soup you’ve ever made.”
I knew we had a seriously good healthy chicken pot pie soup on our hands.
Why we love this healthy chicken pot pie soup
There’s no surprise, really:
- This healthy chicken pot pie soup is made creamy with a coconut-cashew cream, doubling down on the richness of the soup with no dairy at all.
- It’s made in the Instant Pot, and it’s quick and easy.
- This creamy Whole30 soup is insanely comforting and satisfying.
I was inspired by one of my all-time favorite dishes–chicken pot pie–to make a healthier version that I could eat on a Whole30 or our paleo diet.
Variations
- Use fresh herbs, like thyme or rosemary, if you prefer.
- If you can’t eat coconut or are worried about a coconut flavor, you can simply replace the coconut cream with water, almond milk, or chicken stock. However, the coconut cream is delicious in this recipe and doesn’t leave a coconutty flavor!
- Make this healthy chicken pot pie soup in the slow cooker or on the stovetop instead. See directions below.
Use cooked chicken to make this paleo and Whole30 recipe even faster
To do this:
Simply sauté the mirepoix (the onion, carrots, and celery) and garlic on the stovetop instead of the Instant Pot as detailed in the first step of the recipe, then add the potatoes, chicken broth, and thyme to your pot.
Make your cashew-coconut cream as directed in the recipe.
Bring to a boil and boil until potatoes are fork-tender. Add your chicken and cashew-coconut cream to the pot and stir well. Finish with plenty of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Is this recipe dairy free?
It is if you use olive oil in the place of ghee. Most people don’t have a problem with ghee, even if they’re lactose intolerant, but if you’re avoiding all, even minute, instances of lactose, or cow’s milk proteins (for a breastfeeding sensitivity, for example), use the olive oil.
What is coconut cream?
It’s more complicated than it sounds. In this recipe, coconut cream means just the white, solid part of a can of coconut milk or coconut cream. Wait, what? Here’s the deal: “coconut cream” in a can means it contains more of the rich, solid cream than a can of coconut milk does. I like to buy cans of “coconut cream” (unsweetened, of course) since I can get nearly a cup of pure coconut cream from those. You may need 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk to produce 1 cup of coconut cream.
Can I substitute something for the cashews?
Sure! Try 1 cup of steamed cauliflower blended together with the coconut milk in place of the cashews if you have an allergy. If not, use the cashews! They are so, so important to this recipe.
How to make this Instant Pot healthy chicken pot pie soup
Start by sautéing your onions, carrots, and celery in ghee or olive oil in the Instant Pot on Sauté mode until onions are soft. Add the garlic and sauté briefly, about 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the potatoes, chicken broth, chicken, and thyme to the Instant Pot. Seal the lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. It’ll take about 10-15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
In the meantime, make your cashew-coconut cream. In a high-speed blender, blend your cashews and coconut cream until very, very smooth. If you do not have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews in hot water for a few hours then drain and proceed with the directions.
After the Instant Pot is finished cooking, Quick Release and stir in the cashew-coconut cream. Season with lots of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
How to make this healthy chicken pot pie soup on the stovetop
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can absolutely make this recipe on the stovetop!
Heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until the onions are soft, then sauté the garlic about a minute or until fragrant. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and thyme to your pot.
Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes.
Add your chicken breasts and cook 6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender.
Meanwhile, make your cashew-coconut cream as directed in the recipe.
Add your cashew-coconut cream to the pot and stir well. Finish with plenty of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
How to make this chicken pot pie soup in the slow cooker
Heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until the onions are soft, then sauté the garlic about a minute or until fragrant. Transfer the sautéd mixture to the slow cooker. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, chicken, sage, and thyme to your pot.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6.
In the meantime, make the cashew-coconut cream as directed in the recipe. When the slow cooker time is up and potatoes are tender, stir in cashew-coconut cream and season with plenty of salt and pepper.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Instant Pot Chili with Butternut Squash (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
- Perfect Whole30 Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Whole30, Paleo)
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Paleo, Whole30)
A super-rich and creamy chicken pot pie soup is so comforting and satisfying. It's made in the Instant Pot, and it's dairy free, grain free, gluten free, paleo, and Whole30.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 Tbsp. ghee or olive oil
- 1 onion diced, 1 cup
- 3 carrots diced, 1 cup
- 3 stalks celery sliced, 1 cup
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound red potatoes diced
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut cream or milk
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried sage
- freshly cracked black pepper
- fresh parsley leaves chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Melt ghee in the pot, then add onion, carrots, and celery, stirring regularly. Cook until onions are soft, then add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add potatoes, chicken broth, chicken, dried sage, and fresh thyme to Instant Pot. Secure lid with the valve in Sealing position and cook Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add coconut milk and cashews to a high-speed blender. Blend until very, very smooth.
- When time is up, Quick Release, then stir in the coconut-cashew mixture and add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
If you do not have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews in hot water for a few hours then drain and proceed with the directions.
If you don't have an Instant Pot:
On the stovetop:
- Heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until the onions are soft, then sauté the garlic about a minute or until fragrant. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, sage, and thyme to your pot.
- Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes.
- Add your chicken breasts and cook for 6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, make your cashew-coconut cream as directed in the recipe.
- Add your cashew-coconut cream to the pot and stir well. Finish with plenty of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
In the slow cooker:
- Heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until the onions are soft, then sauté the garlic about a minute or until fragrant. Transfer the sautéd mixture Add the potatoes, chicken broth, chicken, sage, and thyme to your pot.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6.
- In the meantime, make the cashew-coconut cream as directed in the recipe. When the slow cooker time is up and potatoes are tender, stir in cashew-coconut cream and season with plenty of salt and pepper.
My boyfriend and I are major “foodies” which doesn’t always mesh well with a clean-eating lifestyle. Being the main cook in the house, I am always trying to keep our dinner menu fresh and different so we don’t get bored and resort to unhealthy choices. That said, I have made this soup at least 3 or 4 times in the last 45-days (mostly because my BF keeps requesting it)! It is so rich and creamy and each time I make it he asks “how is this healthy?” I have made a few alterations, such as subbing cauliflower for the potatoes, and I prefer it with coconut cream over coconut milk. Such an amazing recipe and great for meal prep. Love your blog!
I was wondering if you could use almond milk instead of coconut and cashew ls? If so how much would you suggest?
I think this was the most delicious soup ever! Followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much for sharing it. I will be making it a LOT!!!
Curious can you use almond milk in place of the cashew and coconut milk? If so how much would you recommend? Thank you looking forward to trying this soup.
Absolutely delicious! I could eat the whole pot myself! Probably the best soup recipe I’ve ever had…YUM!
Can I use dried thyme? If so do I still use 2 tablespoons?
We always recommend using fresh herbs as much as possible, but yes, dried thyme would work! It may not carry the pungent flavor as fresh thyme, though.
I am OBSESSED with all your recipes. Currently doing a 21 day low carb mostly plant based eating plan with no sugar or processed food and was just really craving something creamy. This was PERFECT. I’m also taking this idea of cashew coconut cream to replace cream in other recipes. It was just so good.
I’m not a big soup fan, but I’m following the week 1 Whole30 meal plan so I decided to try it. This is the best soup I think I have ever eaten, it’s so warm and delicious and taste like the best part of the chicken pot pie! I will keep this recipe on hand to make often!
This soup is amazing!! My whole family enjoyed!
Dude. This was such a hit! We added a LOT of salt at the end, but it tasted exactly like a chicken pot pie. Great comfort food for a gal on Whole 30 in the middle of dark, rainy Seattle!
This was SO GOOD! My husband said this is a definite make again! Thanks for the awesome healthy recipe that tastes amazing!
This recipe! A little bit of work but worth it. Does it freeze well?
Absolutely! Just thaw to room temperature when ready to reheat. 🙂
Hi, is there a substitute for cashews you could recommend? We are a nut allergy family so avoiding all nuts can be so challenging!
You could try cooked cauliflower!
Maybe I don’t not know now how to use use ip; but every time I make this the liquid has evaporated and pot is burned. When I quick release it releases for over a half hour. Do I quick release and then turn off pot after manual cook for 10 so I n open lid vs a 45 min quick release?
Christine, I’m so sorry you keep having issues with the IP! So, quick release only after the 10 minute cooking time! Add the cashew mixture and pepper, and then it is ready to be eaten!
Hope this helps.
LOVE this soup! Question, though: is there a reason you don’t add the salt until after it has been in the pressure cooker? It seems like the chicken and veggies would benefit flavor wise from cooking with the salt. Would that work?
We just add it at the end to determine the amount of seasoning we prefer!
Easy and delicious!!
I added peas near the end too 🙂
Made this soup this evening and it is INCREDIBLE!! So excited to try out more of your fabulous recipes!!
Thank you for this recipe! Made it tonight for dinner and my husband , I haven’t told him it’s a whole30 recipe 🙃 Will be keeping this recipe on a winter soup rotation! Blessings to you and thank you for your creativity 🙂
Very good! Definitely tasted like coconut though; I used dairy free sour cream the second time I made it and it was perfect! Also substituted chickpeas and corn for the chicken 🙂 delicious