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This nutritious Instant Pot recipe turns classic chicken pot pie into a rich and creamy soup that’s somehow even more comforting than the original dish. Loaded with vegetables, lean protein, and lots of flavor, but free from refined sugar, grains, gluten, and dairy (with a swap), accommodating a variety of dietary needs. Stovetop and slow cooker instructions included!
🥧 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- I absolutely LOVE chicken pot pie. It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes! So much so that, back when I was regularly doing Whole30 and eating paleo, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate it into my routine. And that’s what I did! This soup is inspired by my classic chicken pot pie recipe, and it’s got everything you’d expect from the original dish, minus the crust. Juicy chicken, tender vegetables, fresh herbs, a rich and savory gravy-like soup. Pure comfort food!
- There’s no gluten, no grains, no refined sugar, and no lactose. That makes this a deliciously lighter take on chicken pot pie and chicken pot pie soup. It’s also completely compatible with a Whole30 round or a paleo lifestyle! Not following any specific eating styles? No problem. You can still appreciate the lean protein and all the nutrients that come from the fresh veggies and herbs.
- Thanks to the Instant Pot, this chicken pot pie soup is ready to eat in less than 45 minutes. The whole process is practically hands-off, too. Can’t get to your Instant Pot today for whatever reason? No problem. We’ve also included instructions for a stovetop method and a Crockpot method in the recipe card below.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- For an even easier, faster chicken pot pie soup, skip the Instant Pot. You heard me. Make it on the stovetop with already-cooked chicken instead! Rotisserie or leftover chicken would overcook in the Instant Pot. Not ideal. Follow the stovetop instructions in the recipe card below. When you add the cashew cream, add your precooked chicken, too. I like to use shredded chicken, but you can chop it instead if you want. Stir everything together and let it simmer just until the chicken’s warmed through.
- It’s super important that you deglaze the Instant Pot insert after sautéing the mirepoix and garlic. What does that mean? Once the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic are soft and fragrant, stir in the chicken broth. While you’re stirring, be sure to scrape up any veggies or garlic that may have stuck to the bottom of the insert. Stuck food will almost definitely cause a BURN notice which will make the Instant Pot stop cooking.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup dairy free?
As-written, this recipe’s only lactose free. If you replace the ghee with olive oil, though, then it’s dairy free, too!
What is coconut cream?
In this recipe, coconut cream means the white, solid cream layer that forms when you put a can of unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream in the fridge overnight. Do NOT use coconut creamer or coco lopez! They aren’t the same as coconut cream and they won’t work here.
I have a cashew allergy. Can I replace them with something?
Sure! Instead of cashews, blend 1 cup of steamed cauliflower (cooled) with the coconut cream.
Does this soup taste like coconut?
Not at all! With so many other flavors in the soup, you don’t get any hint of coconut. If you’re worried about it, though, you can blend the cashews with almond milk, chicken stock, or water instead of coconut cream.
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Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Super rich, creamy, comforting chicken pot pie soup, made quick and easy in the Instant Pot. Full of veggies and protein for plenty of nutrients, and Whole30-compatible, paleo, lactose free, gluten free, grain free, and refined sugar free.
servings
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker, see Notes for alternate methods
- Large wooden spoon
- high-speed blender see Notes for standard blender
Ingredients
For the Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- 2 tablespoons ghee or 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced, approximately 2 cups
- 3 large carrots diced, approximately 1 cup
- 3 large celery stalks sliced, approximately 1 cup
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized chunks, approximately 1–2 pounds
- 1 pound red potatoes diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage see Notes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut cream see Notes
- 1 cup raw cashews see Notes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt more or less to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté on Normal mode. Add 2 tablespoons ghee to Instant Pot and let ghee melt completely, stirring occasionally to cover bottom of insert with ghee.
- When ghee is melted, add 1 medium onion, 3 large carrots, and 3 large celery stalks. Stir to incorporate, then sauté vegetables, stirring regularly, 3 to 5 minutes or until onions have softened.
- When onions have softened, add 5-6 cloves garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, 30 to 60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
- Pour 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth into Instant Pot and stir to incorporate, making sure to scrape bottom of insert with wooden spoon to dislodge any bits of food that may have stuck to insert.
- Add 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 pound red potatoes, 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves. Stir to incorporate.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure with 10-minute cook time. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
- Meanwhile, add 1 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut cream and 1 cup raw cashews to high-speed blender. Blend until ingredients form very, very smooth cashew cream. Set aside.
- When cook time on Instant Pot ends, carefully Quick Release internal pressure. Remove lid from Instant Pot and set aside. Use caution – any escaping steam will be extremely hot.
- Stir soup, then let soup cool slightly. Pour cashew cream into soup, then season with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate.
- Taste soup and adjust salt and pepper as desired. When satisfied with flavor, ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish each serving with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve warm.
Video
- Blender: If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you’ll need to soak the cashews first so they’ll blend completely. Place them in a bowl and pour 3 cups of hot filtered water over them. Place the bowl in the fridge and let the cashews soak 6-8 hours. After soaking the cashews, add them to a standard blender with the coconut cream and blend until smooth.
- Dried Sage: You must use dried sage, NOT ground sage. Ground sage will over-power the rest of the dish and may turn your soup green.
- Coconut Cream: Refrigerate 1 can of unsweetened, full-fat coconut cream OR 1-2 cans of unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk overnight. Remove the can without shaking it or stirring the contents. Open the can and scoop off the solid white layer on top of the liquid – that layer is the coconut cream you’ll need for this recipe. Use 1 cup of the solid layer in this recipe. Discard the remaining liquid, use it in another recipe, or consume it as-is if you want. Do NOT use coconut creamer or coco lopez. They aren’t the same as coconut cream and won’t work in this recipe.
- Coconut Alternatives: If you have a coconut allergy or just don’t like the flavor, replace the coconut cream with almond milk, chicken stock, or water. Blend your liquid of choice with the cashews as instructed.
- Cashew Alternatives: If you have a cashew allergy, replace the cashews with 1 cup of steamed cauliflower. Blend the cauliflower with the coconut cream like you would the cashews.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use olive oil instead of ghee.
Stovetop Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Stir, then sauté until the onions are soft (3-5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and stir, then sauté 30-60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth, potatoes, dried sage, and thyme to your pot. Stir, then bring to a boil. Boil potatoes 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken. Boil 6-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender.
- While chicken and potatoes boil, add the cashews and coconut cream to the high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- When chicken and potatoes are ready, stir in the cashew cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Heat the ghee or olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Stir, then sauté until the onions are soft (3-5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and stir, then sauté 30-60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
- Transfer the mirepoix and garlic to the slow cooker. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, chicken, sage, and thyme. Stir to incorporate.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
- Toward end of cook time, add the cashews and coconut cream to the high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- When the cook time ends, check that the potatoes are fork-tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the cashew cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 513calProtein: 40gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 987mgPotassium: 1313mgTotal Carbs: 29gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gErythritol: 0gSugar Alcohols: 0gNet Carbs: 25gVitamin A: 3804IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
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.
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I’m planning to make the slower cooker version of this and wanted to add some additional frozen veggies (frozen peas & frozen green beans). When would you recommend adding these?
I would add them in Step 4, when you add everything else to the slow cooker.
Can I leave out the cashews?
The cashews are used to make a thick & creamy cashew cream – you can replace the cashews with 1 cup steamed (and cooled) cauliflower and you should get a similar result once it’s blended with the coconut cream!
Holy buckets that was delicious (and pretty easy)!!
I love all the recipes of yours that I have tried!!
I did the slow cooker version and pre-cooked the chicken before adding to the crock. It was perfect and not dry, but wondering if I can skip that step and just throw in raw chunks of chicken.
Yes, you definitely can! In the slow cooker instructions, we actually make it exactly that way – only sautéeing the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, then adding those sautéed ingredients to the slow cooker with the potatoes, chicken broth, raw chicken, sage, and thyme. We had great results doing it that way!
This soup is a family favorite
So glad the whole family loves it! Thanks for sharing, Hailey! 🙂
Are there any alternatives to the coconut cream/milk? Lactose free sour cream, or Greek yogurt maybe?
We didn’t test those specific alternatives so we can’t say how they might affect the taste or texture, or how you’d need to adjust the recipe to accommodate them. You can replace the coconut cream with almond milk, chicken stock, or even water, though, and they’ll all work with the cashews to create a cashew cream. It’ll just be a little thinner than if you used coconut cream.
Ghee has dairy. Dangerous for those with a dairy allergy
You’re right, ghee is not dairy free! It’s only lactose free. We listed olive oil as the other ingredient that can be used, in place of the ghee, and the olive oil is dairy free.
This turned out far too sweet for me. I followed exactly as written – used Trader Joe’s coconut cream (no sugar) and raw cashews and it was inedibly sweet. I had to add a lot of lemon juice, a few dollops of mustard and a lot more herbs. I like the idea of this though, I may try something similar but use cashew nut cream cheese or cashew yogurt to help thicken it.
I’m sorry you had that experience! It definitely shouldn’t have been sweet. I’m not familiar with Trader Joe’s coconut cream – did it specify that it was unsweetened? We actually recommend refrigerating cans of coconut milk for at least 24 hours, then using the coconut cream that forms on top of the liquid. I hope you’ll give it another try!
Can’t wait to try making this in our slow cooker tomorrow! Do you think I could add mushrooms or sweet corn to the recipie?
You could most definitely add mushrooms or sweet corn! Hope you enjoy it!
My favorite soup to make – reminds me of the chicken pot pie my grandmother used to make! I have done instant pot and stove top version! Question: Have you ever frozen this soup?
The texture of the potatoes might be a bit more mushy/gritty once thawed than it would be fresh. If that doesn’t bother you, I’d say go for it! 🙂
Can this recipe be made in the 3qt mini lux instant pot?
It can, but you may need to halve the recipe. We made it in an 6-quart Instant Pot!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe, your amazing.
If I used my instant pot on the soup/broth setting, how long would I cook it for please? Or do you prefer soup cooked on pressure cook mode, like in this recipe?
Thanks Kindly
Thanks for your rating, Lorrae! We suggest the pressure cook method for this recipe, although we do have a stovetop and slow cooker version!