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When the weather turns nippy, chicken pot pie soup is the hug-in-a-mug I reach for. It’s rich and creamy without heavy cream, packed with tender chicken and veg, and finished with a bright squeeze of lemon that makes all the flavours sing.
“This recipe has become a stable soup in the household since 2018. I add pees (per request of the gang) and poor the soup over a biscuit in a bowl. The best soup anytime of the year.”
Nicky’s Notes
Ok, hands up. This soup is literally the filling I use for my chicken pot pie.
Whenever I go to make the pie, it’s a 50/50 chance on whether it will make it to the pie stage, or whether upon tasting the filling, I just ladle it out in a bowl and eat it as soup. It really is that good, that even the temptation of pastry isn’t enough to make me wait, and I have to dish it up there and then.
I love how rich and creamy this soup is – and it’s made creamy using milk rather than cream, so whilst it tastes indulgent, it’s pretty light.
And I’ve got to get this in here – don’t forget the lemon juice! It’s that squeeze of lemon juice at the end that really makes this soup. The acidity does something magical with the creaminess to really add to the taste. If you’re wary of it tasting lemony (it shouldn’t taste lemony) just add in a little squirt at a time and taste as you go.
Table of Contents
Why this chicken pot pie soup works
- Creamy, not heavy: Built on a butter-onion roux plus milk, so you get indulgence without needing cream.
- Two-pan technique for maximum flavour: Simmer chicken/veg in stock, make the roux separately, then marry the two—this keeps the broth full-bodied and the sauce silky.
- Bright finish: A squeeze of lemon wakes up the richness—subtle, not “lemon soup.”
- Flexible: Works with leftover roast chicken or turkey, gluten-free flour, and your favourite mix of veg.
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Pin ItAbbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
- Simmer chicken, carrots, potatoes, celery, thyme, salt and pepper in stock for about 15 mins until tender; turn off the heat.
- In a second pan, melt butter and soften the onion 5–6 mins; stir in flour and cook 1 min to make a roux.
- Gradually whisk in hot chicken stock to form a thick, smooth sauce, then whisk in the milk and heat gently to thicken.
- Pour the sauce into the chicken pan, warm to just below boiling, stir in lemon juice, season to taste and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Add the lemon at the very end. Acid tightens milk if it goes in too early; finishing with lemon keeps the soup glossy and bright.
Recipe Shortcut: Leftover Chicken
Short on time or have leftovers from your roast dinner? Use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or leftover roast turkey, 🤔 post Christmas soup idea???
- Shred cooked meat; keep the pieces bite-size so they heat evenly.
- Stir the cooked chicken/turkey in towards the end and warm through gently so it stays tender.
🍽️ What to serve it with
Hearty, soul-warming and perfect for a winter dinner with a nice chunk of toasted bread. Serve in some nice country style soup bowls topped with a sprig of fresh thyme!
Ingredient swaps and modifications
- Add chunks of ham at the end and heat through
- Sprinkle with crispy bacon
- Add extra veggies – such as leeks or mushrooms with the other veggies. For small veggies – such as peas or sweetcorn, add them at the end and heat through.
- I haven’t tried this soup as a vegetarian version yet. A lot of the flavour comes from the stock and cooking the chicken with the vegetables. If you are going to make a vegetarian version, of course leave the chicken out, but try to use a really tasty vegetarian stock so you don’t miss out on flavour. A sprinkling of cheddar cheese at the end would also add more flavour.
📺 Watch how to make it
Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts cut into small chunks
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped into chunks
- 3 medium sized potatoes peeled and chopped into small chunks
- 2 sticks of celery sliced
- good pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 850 ml (3 1/2 cups) chicken stock water plus 3 stock cubes is fine – use bouillon or gluten-free stock cubes if gluten-free is needed
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 50 g (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour (use gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour blend for gluten-free)
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk half or full-fat
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme
Instructions
- Add the chicken, carrots, potatoes, celery, salt, pepper, thyme, and stock to a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.3 chicken breasts, 3 carrots, 3 medium sized potatoes, 2 sticks of celery, good pinch of salt and pepper, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme, 850 ml (3 1/2 cups) chicken stock
- When the chicken and stock is nearly cooked, take another large saucepan and add in the butter and onions. Heat on medium and cook the onion for about 5-6 minutes until soft.3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 large onion
- Add in the flour and mix it into the onions and butter using a balloon whisk. It should form into a creamy paste (or roux).50 g (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Allow the roux to cook for a minute whilst stirring with your whisk, then add in a ladle of the stock from the chicken broth (try to get mostly stock – not the chicken/veggies). Whisk the broth into the mixture. Repeat this until you have ladled out most of the stock from the chicken pan (leaving the chicken and veggies behind).
- Then pour the milk into the sauce mixture. Heat through whilst stirring with the whisk. The sauce should thicken slightly as it's heating.300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
- Once the sauce is almost at boiling (don't let it boil) pour it back into the pan with the chicken and veggies. Bring back to almost boiling and add in half the lemon juice. Give it a stir and taste. Add the rest of the lemon juice if needed.juice of 1 lemon
- Season with salt and pepper and top with a sprig of fresh thyme before serving.1 small bunch fresh thyme
Video
Notes
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes – use gluten free stock and gluten free plain/all-purpose flour blend for a gluten free version.Can I make it ahead?
Yes, make the soup, then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in a pan until piping hot before serving. You may need to add in a splash of stock or water to loosen it up again, as it does thicken a little more as it cools.Will it freeze?
Yes, this soup freezes well. Make the soup, then quickly cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan until piping hot before serving. You may need to add in a splash of stock or water to loosen it up again, as it does thicken a little more as it cools. Nutritional Information is per serving.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Chicken pot pie soup recipe was first published in December 2014. Updated in December 2018 with new photos, video, step-by-step photos and tips. Updated since with improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
More Amazing Soups
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food’s Chicken and Ham pie.
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On recipes where people are kind enough to add ho many calories per servings, why in world do they not say what size the serving is? Ugggggggg!
Hi Lou,
Following the link to where my fitness pal worked out the calories – it says it’s based on 5 servings.
In my recipe above, it states it’s for 5-6 servings.
Hi Nicky, I just saw your chicken pot pie soup recipe link from my fitnesspal email link and I plan to make it today. I also saw how many calories per serving (355). I didn’t see the serving size (1 cup, half cup, etc) mentioned. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Hi Ann, I haven’t measured the exact serving size (I didn’t know My Fitness Pal was going to feature it). The soup makes approx 5 servings. From memory I think, that’s approx 1 and 3/4 cups per serving.
My 8 yo daughter LOVES chicken pot pie soup from a local eatery. When this recipe popped up from MFP I tried it. Wow! It’s awesome. 2 thumbs up from the kiddo too. For those asking about serving size, I got just over 8 cups of soup. It will depend a little on the reduction of the stock in the boiling step and how big your veggies are, since the recipe is per veg not by cup.
Thanks so much for reporting back Sarah, glad you like it.
Thanks for the serving size clarification too 🙂
I do this same recipe with low-fat, low-salt ham and a bit of bacon for flavor. Sometimes I throw in a handful of *bella mushrooms too. Sooooo Yummy!
Ooh sounds fab! I’ll have to try that!!
Do you know about how many calories are in this soup per serving?
Hi Christina, My FitnessPal recently shared my link for this post (http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/15-hearty-soups-youll-want-to-sip-on-under-355-calories/) They worked it out to be:Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 310; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 59mg; Sodium: 137mg; Total Carbohydrate: 33g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 7g; Protein: 16g
A great tool for working out calories is also here: http://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Many thanks from France ! Chicken soup is just what i needed to face the cold ! trying tomorrow for lunch !
Hope you enjoy the soup Saz 🙂
Definitely in the mood for soup right now after seeing these images. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning Thalia 🙂
Terrific comfort food!
Thanks Sandra 🙂
Looks delicious!! I’m with you: the pot pie filling often doesn’t make it into the crust around here either 😉
It seems too much effort when the filling is so tasty by itself 🙂
I love the comforting deliciousness of this soup! Such a pretty presentation too.
Thanks Julie 🙂
This looks sooo comforting! Hooray for no guilt chicken pot pie. 😉
Indeed! Double portions for us 😀
So perfect for a cold, rainy day like today. Love this!
Thanks Matt 🙂