Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup (Easy, One Pot Meal)

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This creamy chicken and potato soup, also known as chicken pot pie soup in our house, is a fan favorite. Hearty and comforting but also full of nutritious broth, protein, and veggies. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or for serving a crowd.

One of my favorite ways to make this from scratch cooking lifestyle work for our young family is by following the cook once, eat twice principle. Soups are a great way to do that. We love homemade chicken pot pie but we’ve found it’s equally as good and stretches further if we instead make it into a creamy chicken soup and serve it alongside these easy yogurt biscuits.

Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup Ingredients and Substitutions

The great thing about soups is that they are so versatile and this creamy chicken and potato soup is no exception. My goal in creating this recipe was to create a soup version of chicken pot pie filling but you are always welcome to experiment and tweak the recipe for your preferences.

The recipe below is exactly as I make it but I’ve also included some substitute options as well.

What’s Needed:

Garlic – We grow a lot of garlic each year so we always have plenty of fresh garlic on hand but you could substitute dried garlic if needed.

Onion – The base of every good soup recipe!

Potatoes – Red or yellow potatoes are our favorite to use in soups because they tend to hold their shape way better than russets or white potatoes that can more easily become mushy.

Carrots – Perfect for adding both flavor and color to this soup.

Cooking Fat – My favorite is butter but lard, coconut oil or any other heat stable cooking fat will work.

Chicken Broth – Our favorite broth is made alongside slow cooking a whole chicken each week and this flavorful broth helps to create the great flavor of this creamy chicken soup recipe. Substituting veggie broth or even water would work too but doesn’t have the same depth of flavor as chicken broth in my opinion.

Tapioca Starch – This is used to make a roux and thicken the soup to give it that creamy consistency. Tapioca starch is my favorite gluten free option that I buy in bulk at Azure Standard but you could use standard flour as a thickener here instead.

Chicken – Creamy chicken and potato soup is a great way to use up that leftover shredded chicken after cooking a whole chicken but any cooked chicken will work. Diced turkey would be a great substitute.

Milk or Cream – Either will make a delicious, creamy soup but using cream does take it to the next level and is our preference! Coconut milk is what I would substitute for a dairy free alternative.

Sea Salt

Italian Seasonings or other herbs of choice

Dried Nettle or Kale (optional) – We always dry out a ton of nettle or kale each growing season to preserve to use all winter and I love the color and added nutrition that it adds to soups but it’s completely optional in this recipe.

How to Make Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup

The most time-consuming part of making soup, is prepping all of the vegetables. I like to chop them all at the beginning so that getting the soup together is a breeze.

After all the veggies are chopped, warm up the cooking fat on medium to high heat in a stock pot or dutch oven. Sauté the onion and garlic.

Once the onion and garlic are beginning to soften and are aromatic, sprinkle in the tapioca starch or other thickener and mix it together.

Next, slowly add the broth in. Mix or whisk continuously to stir the thickener and veggies in with the broth so it doesn’t clump.

As the mixture heats up and hits a soft boil, it should begin to thicken. Once this happens, lower the heat to a simmer and add in the potatoes and carrots.

Keeping at a simmer, cover the pot for 20-30 minutes. I like to check on it every couple of minutes and give it a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, add in the rest of the ingredients (chicken, cream or milk, salt and seasonings, dried greens if using).

Stir everything together and let cook on low heat for an additional 5-10 minutes before serving.

What’s the best way to store this soup and can it be frozen?

Creamy chicken and potato soup will store well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. In fact, I think it tastes even better on day 2.

You could freeze it for later but I do find that the texture of the soup does change so I prefer to cook and eat it while it’s fresh.

Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup Recipe

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

– 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 onion, diced
– 6-8 medium-large potatoes, chopped
– 2-3 large carrots, diced
– ¼ cup butter or other cooking fat
– ¼ cup tapioca starch or other thickener
– 4-5 cups chicken broth
– 2 cups cream or whole milk
– 3-4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
– 2 tsp salt*
– 1 tbsp Italian Seasonings
– ¼ cup dried nettle or kale (optional)

Directions:

1. After veggies are chopped, heat butter or cooking fat in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Sauté garlic and onion until soft and aromatic.
3. Mix in tapioca starch or other thickener.
4. Once the thickener is completely mixed in, slowly add chicken broth, mixing or whisking continuously.
5. Bring mixture to a light boil until it begins to thicken. After the broth mixture thickens, reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Add the potatoes and carrots.
7. Mix everything together and keeping at a simmer, cover the pot for about 20-30 minutes. I like to check on it and stir every few minutes.
8. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, mix in the rest of the ingredients (chicken, milk or cream, salt, seasonings, and dried greens if using).
9. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes on low-medium heat before serving.

Recipe Notes:

*If you are using already salted broth, you may want to reduce the amount of salt added to taste.

For more soup recipes you will love…

Creamy Chicken and Rice
Southwest Chicken Soup with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Chicken
Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup