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.
On our free Whole30 meal plan.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
- Immune Booster Shot Recipe (Maximum Strength!)
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Mango Habanero Wings
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
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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.
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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.
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Meanwhile, add coconut milk and cashews to a high-speed blender. Blend until very, very smooth.
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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 husband and boys are pretty picky, especially and don’t always love my Whole30 creations. My husband said this soup was his favorite I’ve ever made and probably best he’s ever had, ever. He LOVES it and I am shocked. Bravo! I will definitely be trying more recipes 🙂 thank you for sharing!
Delighted that it was such a hit! Hope our other recipes go over equally well, Amanda.
This is one of the best soups and Whole 30 meals I have ever made. So delicious and doesn’t feel like you’re trying to eat healthy. I adore chicken pot pie and have been wanting a substitute while on Whole 30. This is absolutely IT!
Delighted you loved it so much, Stacy!
I love this recipe. I always add in a bag of frozen peas to it as well. It freezes really well too. This is one of my go to recipes for lunches. I freeze it in small containers and grab one as needed.
Glad you love this one Joy!
Can I use almonds instead of cashews? (I don’t have cashews handy)
And I made this once and the kids love it too!
Thank you!!
This recipe is soooo good! And, it is ready quickly. I made it twice in a row. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly and served it with steamed broccoli. When I reheated the leftovers, I served it with steamed cauliflower. The second time I made it, I added diced jalepeno, kale, and frozen corn and served it with sauteed zucchini. I added the jalapeno and the diced stalks of kale in the first step and the kale leaves and frozen corn in the last step. I also added an extra cup of cashews to the mix, because I had them, which mellowed out the coconut flavor and made the soup thicker.
This is one of my favs too! I love that you can always change it a little for what you have on hand!
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I really appreciate you including steps for the stove top since I realized that I lost the cord to my Instant Pot right before I started cooking. We will definitely have this again and again. I’ve already passed it on to family! Again, thanks for a delicious recipe!
Thanks for the great review! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
This soup was phenomenal!!! I’d struck out the past few recipes I’d tried during covid, so I’m really happy this one was a hit.
Is this recipe freeze-able?
Absolutely! It should keep in the freezer 4-6 months.
This soup is amazing! I’m not a soup person so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I loved this soup. I’m making again tonight for dinner! I usually add extra of everything so I can have lots of left overs!
So glad you loved it Jessica!
Winner!!!!
Glad you loved this!!
Amazing recipe! I’ve made it 4 times in the past month! I actually skip the cashew part because I didn’t have any cashews on hand. I just pour the can of coconut milk in at the end! Still so good! I also do a mixture of sweet potato and regular potatoes. Yummm! Thanks for the recipe.:)
You are so welcome! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying it!
I have a 5 month old that I am nursing and have to be DF/GF for him. Unfortunately, chicken pot pie is my all time favorite meal and I was missing it so much – until I found your recipe for chicken pot pie soup!! It is SO GOOD! If I could give 100 stars I would lol. Every recipe we’ve made from 40 aprons has been incredible, and we make at least one thing from you once a week so that says a lot for us. Thank you, Cheryl, for making healthy eating so easy and delicious.
Glad we could fill that gap with something you love, Lauren!