Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This easy and healthy chicken pot pie soup recipe uses a low carb creamy, cauliflower sauce instead of heavy cream so it’s dairy free too. It takes little time to make and uses items you probably have on hand. This creamy healthy soup is great for a busy weeknight meal especially if you are on a keto diet. One serving has only 5.2g net carbs and 142 calories!

You might also like this low carb creamy turkey soup using leftovers.

I don’t know why but classic chicken pot pie always look so comforting in the colder months. I’ve only eaten them a few times in my life but the cold weather here in Pittsburgh inspired me to make a low carb soup and healthier version using the flavors of pot pie.

So today I have for you a healthy chicken pot pie soup. This recipe has no milk, heavy whipping cream, cream cheese or flour to make it thick. So it’s dairy free and gluten free. All you need is cauliflower to make the creamy base. Pureed cauliflower is great to make creamy soups and sauces.

I love it because it’s such healthy comfort food and it’s not only low carb (5.2 grams net carbs), it’s high protein (14.2 grams protein) as well as low calorie (142 calories) and gluten free. But you won’t care about that because it’s delicious! It’s also a great way to eat more veggies.

One of the best things about this delicious soup is that it takes very little time and you can use simple ingredients you probably have on hand. It’s the perfect low carb comfort food on a cold day and sure to be a family favorite.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

I used frozen veggies (carrots, peas, corn and green beans), chopped pre-cooked chicken pieces, fresh cauliflower, nutritional yeast. dried onion, olive oil, garlic cloves, bouillon and some spices (sage, thyme, salt and ground black pepper). I usually have all that on hand anyway so I can eat this comforting and hearty soup all winter long.

Cooked Chicken Breast
I often use frozen chopped chunks of rotisserie chicken in my soups. I keep a batch on hand all the time. However you should not use raw chicken but if you want you can cook skinless chicken breasts or use any you have leftover chicken from another meal. Just make sure it is precooked. You can substitute with cooked turkey and this is perfect low carb dish for with leftover turkey from a holiday.

Frozen Vegetable Mix
I would not normally use a frozen vegetable mix like this because corn carrots and peas have quite a few carbs. However we are only using 1 cup of these veggies in the whole recipe.

If you want to lower the carb count just use whatever lower carb vegetables you want and I’m sure it will still taste delicious. I would not use potatoes though as they are very high in carbs. Turnips or radishes are good substitutes for potatoes. You can also use fresh veggies instead of frozen but this saves time as there is no chopping!

Fresh Cauliflower
Cauliflower if essential to make the creamy part of this dairy free soup. You can use frozen cauliflower florets as well. I would just not use cauliflower rice as I don’t know if it will create the thick consistency as well.

Nutritional Yeast
This item is a popular health food thats often used in vegan cooking. It’s considered healthy because it has protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  If you want to learn more about the health benefits check out this article on why nutritional yeast is good for you.

Using it in this recipe gives the cream sauce a bit of a cheesy flavor. You could use always use a grated parmesean or romano cheese here if you don’t have any nutritional yeast.

Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
If you’ve made any of my soup recipes you would know I LOVE Better than Bouillon products because they add lots of flavor. If you don’t have any you can use a bouillon cube or just chicken broth or chicken stock. However I highly recommend buying some and it should be available in many grocery stores.

Spices
I use fresh garlic, dried sage and thyme because they are good for that roasted chicken flavor. One clove of garlic is equivalent to ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder if you want to substitute.

I specifically use dried onion flakes instead of fresh yellow onion because I was trying to save carbs and time. However you can substitute with onion powder if you want. You would use about ⅓ – ½ teaspoon onion powder to replace 1 teaspoon of the dried onion flakes. 

How to make healthy cauliflower cream sauce.

Once you make this creamy cauliflower sauce you will be hooked. It’s a great non dairy and gluten free method for thickening creamy soups and casseroles without flour or even heavy whipping cream. So if you are gluten free or gluten intolerant, this is a great option for you!

1. The creamy sauce is pretty easy to make. You cut the cauliflower into florets and boil/steam them in a covered pot.
2. When they are very tender drain the water but retain it because you will use it.
3. Add the cooked cauliflower to a high speed blender or food processor along with olive oil, seasonings and some of the cooking liquid.
4. Blend until it has a smooth and creamy texture.

And this is what it looked like after it is blended well.

You can control the thickness of the soup by how thick your make the cauliflower sauce. So maybe use just ¼ – ½ cup of liquid when making the cauliflower sauce and then you can add more liquid at the end if you want it thinner.

How to make healthy chicken pot pie soup.

I have a lot of short cuts for this recipe like using already cooked chicken so you won’t have to take hours at the stove, chopping veggies or even using a dutch oven. This recipe should take less than 30 minutes.

Step 1: Make your cauliflower cream sauce buy adding fresh cauliflower to a large soup pan and add water to just cover the florets. Heat to medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender.

Step 2: When the cauliflower is done, drain it but retain the cooking water. Place it in a high speed blender(or food processor) along with the garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese), all the spices and ¼ cup of the retained liquid. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Step 3: Get out a soup pan and heat to medium heat. Add the frozen veggies and stir for 1-2 minutes to heat them up. Add the bouillon to a cup of water and mix to combine. Then pour into the pot along with the cooked chicken (cut into bite sized chunks) and mix well to combine.

Step 4: Lastly pour in the cauliflower cream, mix and cook for 5 minutes until all the flavors meld. Spoon into a bowl and serve and that’s it! If you want you can garnish with fresh parsley but it’s not necessary.

This is an easy recipe to double or triple and use for meal prep. I love to freeze my low carb soups for quick lunches. Store leftover soup in an airtight container. Please scroll down to see and print the recipe card.

To make this more of a delicious meal, try it with these keto biscuits and a nice green salad. The biscuits will give that feel of that traditional chicken pot pie flavor.  

Recipe Tips and Notes 

• You can control the thickness of the soup by how thick your make the cauliflower sauce. So use just ¼ cup of liquid when making the cauliflower sauce and then you can add more liquid at the end if you want it thinner.
• I love Better than Bouillon in my soups. It gives it so much flavor and you only need a teaspoon. However you can use chicken broth or chicken stock in it’s place if you don’t have it. You might want to add a bit more seasonings or salt though.
•  For the veggies, if you are following a strict Paleo diet, you would want to use Paleo vegetables. Corn is not one but peas and green beans are generally thought to be ok. Here is a visual guide to low carb veggies if you are interested.
• As mentioned above, you can substitute parmesan cheese for the nutritional yeast.
• While this is chicken pot pie soup, it’s also great with leftover turkey! Also great for using leftover chicken.
• I have an easy keto biscuit recipe that would go great with this. You can make a batch and just serve them along side the soup.
• You can easily double this batch and freeze portions for meal prep. It’s nice to have on hand for a quick and warming low carb lunch.

I hope you enjoy this delicious low carb and healthy chicken pot pie soup that takes minutes instead of hours to make. Soup is my favorite comfort food and is perfect during colder months. This recipe is a delicious combination of tender chicken and veggies in a creamy broth using simple ingredients. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do.

The nutritional information for 1 serving of this keto chicken pot pie is: 142 calories / 6.2g fat / 7.4g carbs / 2.2g fiber / 14.3g protein = 5.2g. net carbs

Find all my healthy soup recipes here!

And check out my friend Jenn’s keto pie crust and maybe you can use it with this pot pie soup recipe.