This Dairy Free Creamy Chicken Soup recipe is a hearty and healthy soup that's filled with tender vegetables, moist chicken, and savory herbs and spices all in a base of creamy broth! The soup is also SCD, Paleo, Gluten Free, and Grain Free.
When the chilly weather hits, soup is all I crave and this dairy free creamy chicken soup recipe is a keeper!
It's a cold weather comfort food that also happens to be healthy!
The soup is packed with veggies and chicken, herbs and anti-inflammatory spices, homemade chicken stock, and...cashews!
Yep! That creamy, dairy free broth is made with soaked cashews and it is absolutely delicious!
How to soak cashews
Soaking the cashews is an incredibly important step in this recipe; it helps remove the phytic acid, making them easier to digest.
Soaked and blended cashews also yields a creamy base that is perfect for thickening soups like this cream of chicken soup.
Place the cashews in a large bowl and fill with water until the nuts are covered.
Allow to soak on the counter for 6 hours.
Use a strainer to drain the water from the cashews.
Rinse and drain again.
What if I don't have 6 hours to soak the cashews?
No problem.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the cashews.
Cover the pot with a lid, turn off the heat and allow to soak for 2 hours before draining, rinsing, and draining the cashews again.
If you have an Instant Pot, the quick soak method gets even quicker!
Place the cashews in the Instant Pot along with 1 cup of water.
Secure the lid and make sure the vent is closed.
Pressure cook on High for 2 minutes, then immediately release the pressure.
Be sure to follow the directions for draining and rinsing the cashews before adding them to the blender.
How to make cashew cream
Place the softened cashews in a high speed blender along with 1 cup of chicken broth.
Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. There should be no grittiness to the cashew cream.
You may need to stop the blender a few times to scrape down the sides of the jar, or you can use the blenders tamper tool.
Creamy chicken soup ingredients
Chicken - Every week I cook a Whole Roast Chicken, which lends enough leftovers for this soup. You could also boil or bake 1 pound of chicken breasts until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F, then either shred or dice it before adding to the soup.
Chicken Stock - Homemade is definitely best and I always have some of my Slow Cooker Chicken Stock in the freezer!
Cooked Cauliflower Rice - The cauliflower rice is completely optional. If you decide to use it, I suggest adding it to your individual soup bowls. Adding it to the entire pot of soup will yield very mushy leftovers.
Directions
In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute the onions for about 5 minutes before adding the carrots and celery.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes before adding the minced garlic (photo 1).
After 1 minute, add the chicken, herbs, spices, and the chicken stock (photos 2 and 3).
Give a good stir and bring the soup to a boil before dropping the heat to low and adding the cashew cream (photo 4).
Partially cover the pot with the lid and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Remove the bay leaf before serving.
If adding cauliflower rice, scoop it into the bowls of soup; not the pot.
Storing the soup
This dairy free chicken soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat, allow the soup to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours then transfer to a pot and gently reheat over the stove.
More easy dairy free soup recipes you'll love!
- Leftover Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Tex-Mex Chicken Soup
- Easy Carrot Ginger Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Red Pepper Soup
- 10 Vegetable Soup
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NOTE: If following the SCD diet, I suggest contacting the company to verify ingredients before using any prepackaged products.
NOTE: If following the SCD diet, I suggest contacting the company to verify ingredients before using any prepackaged products.
Recipe
Dairy Free Creamy Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1 cup chicken stock
Creamy Chicken Soup Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion diced
- 5 large carrots chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken about 1 pound of chicken breasts
- 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley or 1 Tablespoon of dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock may need more depending on how thin you want the soup
- cashew cream
- 2 cups cooked cauliflower rice optional
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- Place the cashews in a large bowl and fill with water until the cashews are submerged. Allow to soak for 6 hours.
- Drain the cashews, rinse with clean water, and drain once more.
- Place the cashews in the jar of a high speed blender along with 1 cup of chicken stock and blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to use a tamper to help facilitate blending. If you don't have a tamper, you may need to stop blending to scrape down the sides of the jar.
Creamy Chicken Soup
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute for about 5 minutes until just softened.
- Add the carrots and celery to the pot and cook for 5 minutes before adding the minced garlic and cooking for 1 minute more.
- Put the chicken, parsley, thyme, turmeric, salt, pepper, and bay leaves into the pot. Pour in the chicken stock and give the mixture a good stir.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then stir in the cashew cream. Drop the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 30 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Ladle soup into bowls and add the cauliflower rice if using. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
-
- The post above has suggestions for how to soak the cashews quicker.
- I suggest adding the cooked cauliflower rice directly to the bowls instead of the pot to avoid any leftover soup from getting too mushy.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Rae Dawn
Is there a substitute for the cashew cream that is SCD compliant? My son is allergic to cashews and pecans.
Jennifer Brown
You can try using pureed cauliflower, it will add a bit of creaminess to the soup without the use of nuts. Steam the cauliflower florets and then transfer to the blender along with a little broth or water and blend until nice and smooth. Then add to the soup.
Zz
What’s cashew cream?
Jennifer Brown
Soaked and blended cashews. In this particular recipe it helps give the soup it's thick and creamy consistency. Within the post I go into detail explaining what it is and how to make it. The recipe card also explains how to make it.
Maryam
Thank you so much!! i made this and it was seriously the best soup I have ever had! My husband who doesn’t eat SCD wanted to eat it ! I added some chopped black kale and it gave it a really nice touch. Again, deliciousssss!!
Jennifer Brown
I'm so glad it was a hit, thanks for sharing!!
Julie Kurfis
This soup got rave reviews in my house! I added some diced zucchini to my veggies! The texture and creaminess was amazing!
Jennifer Brown
Glad to hear it Julie! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know!
Sally C.
Well….I was making this recipe in the instant pot with uncooked chicken thighs (was going to shred them after being cooked. I sautéed the goodies, put in the spices, broth, then chicken. Closed the lid, set the pressure cooker and waited for the timer to go off. Something went wrong with pressure cooker. Liquid on the counter. No pressure in the pot but the chicken is cooked, the broth 1/3 of the level and looks lovely. We taste it and it’s heavenly! So no shredding the chicken and it you reduce the broth it is this lovely, lovely dish that my husband insists we have again! Many thanks!
Jennifer Brown
I'm glad it all worked out Sally!
Erin
This recipe was a huge winner with my family! So creamy and savory. Thank you!
Jennifer Brown
Yay! I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed it Erin! It's a big compliment coming from you, I love your recipes!
Katie V
This soup is so incredibly delicious with amazing flavors. Thanks for sharing the recipe.