Instant Pot Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Paleo, Whole30)
Posted: 12/19/18
Updated: 12/30/22
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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
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- Whole30 Beef Stroganoff
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, approximately 1-2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
- 1 onion diced, approximately 1 cup
- 3 carrots diced, approximately 1 cup
- 3 celery stalks sliced, approximately 1 cup
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound red potatoes diced
- 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut cream or coconut milk
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
- freshly cracked black pepper
- fresh parsley leaves chopped, for garnish
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other pressure cooker (see Notes for alternate methods)
- high-speed blender
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Melt ghee in 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 valve in Sealing position and set to Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. Once Instant Pot pressurizes, cook time will begin.
- While Instant Pot cooks, add coconut milk and cashews to high-speed blender. Blend until very, very smooth.
- When time is up, Quick Release, then stir in coconut-cashew mixture and add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Serve warm.
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.
- 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.
Video
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 645kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 26g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 1510mg, Potassium: 1524mg, Fiber: 7g, Vitamin A: 7851IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 6mg, Net Carbs: 35g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
So delicious! Seasoning adds a lot of flavor. I used almond milk instead of coconut. The almond, cashew blend was great! Really tasted like a creamy pot pie.
So glad you enjoyed, Ang! Thanks for letting us know the almond sub worked well! Thanks so much for your review!
This recipe is amazing. I followed the recipe exactly as is and I couldn’t be happier. New family favorite for sure.
That’s so good to hear, Brooke! Glad the whole family enjoyed! Thanks so much for the review!
I was skeptical about this recipe being super flavor as is….I was wrong..it’s AMAZING. The cashew coconut cream mixture just makes it! I really like sweet potatoes in soup so I did half red potatoes half yam. And added broccoli not celery. And chicken thighs instead of breasts. Everything else the same. Great recipe!
It’s one of my favorites too! Those additions sounds great! So glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for the review, Amanda!
Can you substitute a different nut for the cream?
Hi Kendyl, we haven’t tested out using another nut in this recipe, but we do recommend trying 1 cup of steamed cauliflower blended together with the coconut milk in place of the cashews!
Could I use cashew butter instead of actual cashews?
We didn’t test that so can’t say for sure how it would turn out. The cashews are used to make a cashew cream, which acts as a dairy-free heavy cream. If you try it with cashew butter instead, please let us know how it turns out!
This recipe is magic!
When you open the pressure cooker, the chicken is very tender (which is hard to do with breast meat). Then it was like a savory taste explosion when I tasted it after adding the cashew mixture! I love it so much I can’t wait to make it again! And thank goodness cause it’s my second day of W30 and I was struggling. So nice to have a very satisfying meal. Thanks for this recipe!
So glad you found the perfect recipe for you! It’s one of my all time favorites too! Thanks so much for the review, Rachael!
This was really good and my picky eaters bothe enjoyed it! It seemed like it was missing something though. I think next time I’ll add peas and/or green beans
Thanks, Julie! And yes, definitely feel free to make it your own!
Wow, I was aiming for a nice chicken and veggies stew and instead made a stellar one. The cashews and coconut cream added so much more than I thought they would! This is delicious. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Nadia! I’m so happy this soup recipe exceeded your expectations!
I am allergic to coconut, can you swap out the coconut milk with oat or cashew milk?
We didn’t test those swaps, but they should work fine.
This was a HIT for my whole family including my two boys 21/2 & 10 months old. We will make this again and again. Followed recipe but used chicken thighs instead of breast and turned out great. Thank you so much for this recipe.
We LOVE hearing that! Thank you for sharing, Stephanie!
This is one of my go to chicken soup recipes! Everyone loves it!