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This amazing recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup is low-carb and gluten-free and it’s warm and comforting on a cold day. And everyone who loves chicken pot pie is going to devour this soup; see instructions for making it on the stove if you don’t have an Instant pot.

PIN Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup to try it later!

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup shown in two serving bowls with Instant Pot in back.

When my fantastic assistant and niece Kara and I decided to try making a low-carb version of Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup we made it a few times before we felt like we had perfected the recipe. And each time we made it we shared the soup with family and friends, and everyone who tried it thought the Chicken Pot Pie Soup was absolutely delicious.

In fact, Kara’s husband Tim told her, “It tastes just like Chicken Pot Pie!” Of course that’s just what we were hoping for. And Kara and I and my good friend Sue absolutely loved it as well.

In the end we ended up using just the tiniest amount of cornstarch in the final version soup to make it so the butter didn’t float to the top and the soup was slightly thickened, but this recipe is still quite low in carbs. If your family likes chicken pot pie, I hope you try this Chicken Pot Pie Soup recipe out on them soon!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Can you make Chicken Pot Pie Soup without an Instant Pot?

Kara and I loved how easy this soup was when we made it in the Instant Pot. But if you don’t have an Instant Pot or prefer making soup on the stove, see the NOTES section of the recipe for how to make it on the stove.

What size chicken breasts do you need?

We used medium-sized chicken breasts for this recipe, about 6 ounces. However I think chicken breasts that are a bit larger will be fine if you don’t mind a slightly thicker soup.

How low in carbs is this Chicken Pot Pie Soup?

This delicious soup only has about 12 net carbs per serving!

Can you add potatoes to the Chicken Pot Pie Soup?

Kara and I both loved the low-carb Chicken Pot Pie Soup and we didn’t miss the potatoes. But when she shared the leftovers with her husband, she cooked a potato in the microwave, diced it up, and added it to his portion. If you want to add potatoes to the whole pot of soup, I would still partly pre-cook the potato and add it when you add the chicken and peas.

What if you don’t want eight servings of Chicken Pot Pie Soup?

Soup with heavy cream like this doesn’t freeze well, but this will stay good in the fridge for several days. But if you don’t want eight servings of soup we designed this recipe so it is relatively easy to cut in half. The cooking time in the Instant Pot will be the same (with a slightly shorter time to come to pressure); on the stove the cooking time will be slightly less if you make half as much.

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup collage photo showing recipe steps.

How to make Instant Pot (or Stovetop) Chicken Pot Pie Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Chop up celery, onions, and carrots. 
  2. Measure out frozen peas and let them start to thaw.
  3. Trim visible fat and undesirable parts from medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut the chicken breasts into lengthwise strips. 
  4. Get chicken broth or stock and Better than Bouillon chicken base ready. 
  5. Take cream cheese out of the fridge, cut into chunks, and let it soften.
  6. Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT and melt the butter. Then add onions, celery, and carrots and cook about 3 minutes.
  7. Add minced garlic, Poultry Seasoning, Ground Thyme, Dried Parsley, and Spike Seasoning and cook about 2-3 minutes more.
  8. Add chicken breast strips, chicken broth or stock, chicken flavor base and bay leaves to Instant Pot. Lock the lid and be sure the valve is closed, then set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes. 
  9. When time is up let Instant Pot natural release for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
  10. Remove chicken strips from the Instant Pot. (Remove Bay Leaves.) Break or cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks.
  11. Add chicken and softened cream cheese to Instant Pot and set to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT. Cook about 5 minutes, until cream cheese is melted.
  12. Mix the cornstarch with water. Add cornstarch mixture and peas to Instant Pot and cook 3-5 minutes more, or until peas are hot and the mixture has just slightly thickened.
  13. Add heavy cream and heat until soup is hot but don’t let it boil.
  14. Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper. If you aren’t using Spike Seasoning you might want a little salt.
  15. Serve hot and enjoy.
  16. If you want STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS for this recipe, check the NOTES section in the complete recipe below.

More Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot:

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup in two bowls with Instant Pot in background.

Make it a low-Carb Meal:

If you want to make the Chicken Pot Pie Soup into a more substantial meal that’s still low in carbs, serve with Keto Buttermilk Biscuits from Joy Filled Eats, and that will really make it to taste like Chicken Pot Pie!

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup shown in two serving bowls with Instant Pot in back.
Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

You're going to love this amazing recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup that's low-carb and gluten-free! See the recipe NOTES for instructions for making it on the stove if you don't have an Instant pot.

Ingredients

  • 2 T butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cups diced celery
  • 5 small carrots, sliced
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
  • 1 T dried parsley
  • 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (see notes)
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 2 T Better-than-Bouillon chicken flavor base 
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 T cornstarch mixed with a little water
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Chop up celery, onions, and carrots. We diced the celery and onions and cut the carrots into slices or half-slices where the carrot was thicker.
  2. Measure out one cup of frozen peas and let them start to thaw on the counter.
  3. Trim visible fat and undesirable parts from 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Then cut the chicken breasts into lengthwise strips. (This helps the chicken break apart into chunks when it's cooked rather than shredding apart.)
  4. Get the chicken broth or stock and Better than Bouillon chicken base ready. (I love the Costco brand Kirkland Chicken stock but you can use another brand or use canned chicken broth if you don't live near Costco.)
  5. Take cream cheese out of the fridge and cut into chunks; let it soften on the counter.
  6. Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT and melt the butter. Then add diced onions and celery and sliced carrots and cook about 3 minutes.
  7. Add the minced garlic, Poultry Seasoning, Ground Thyme, Dried Parsley, and Spike Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning blend) and cook about 2-3 minutes more.
  8. Add the cut chicken breast strips, chicken broth or stock, chicken flavor base, and bay leaves to Instant Pot. Lock the lid and be sure the valve is set to trap the pressure, then set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
  9. When time is up let the Instant Pot natural release for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
  10. Remove chicken strips from the Instant Pot. Break or cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. (Remove bay leaves and discard.)
  11. Add chicken and softened cream cheese to the Instant Pot and set to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until cream cheese is melted.
  12. Mix the cornstarch with about 3 tablespoons of water. Add cornstarch mixture and peas to Instant Pot and cook 3-5 minutes more, or until peas are hot and the mixture has just slightly thickened. (Turn the heat to high for a few minutes if it doesn't seem to be thickening.)
  13. Add heavy cream and heat until soup is hot but don't let it come to a boil after you add the cream.
  14. Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper. We didn't need any salt, but if you aren't using Spike Seasoning you might want a little salt.
  15. Serve hot and enjoy.
  16. For STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS, check the NOTES section below.

Notes

We used medium-sized chicken breasts for this recipe, about 6 oz. However if the package you get has breasts that are a bit larger, that will still work as long as you don't mind having a slightly thicker soup.

Use any all-purpose seasoning blend that's good with chicken if you don't have Spike Seasoning.

Some experts think Better than Bouillon flavor base is not gluten-free so if you need strict gluten-free you might want to use another brand.

STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Follow recipe steps 1-5 to prepare ingredients same as above. You will need an additional one cup water for stovetop cooking
  2. Melt the butter in a large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat
  3. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook about 3 minutes
  4. Then add minced garlic, Poultry Seasoning, Ground Thyme, Dried Parsley, and Spike Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning blend) and cook about 2-3 minutes more
  5. Add the cut chicken breast strips, chicken broth or stock, chicken flavor base, 1 cup water, and bay leaves to the soup pot, turn heat to medium low, and simmer 20-30 minutes uncovered, until chicken is fully cooked.
  6. Remove chicken to cutting board and cut or break into bite-sized pieces. (Remove bay leaves and discard.
  7. Add chicken and softened cream cheese to the soup pot and simmer about 5 minutes more, until cream cheese is fully melted.
  8. Mix cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons water. Add cornstarch mixture and peas to the soup pot and cook about 3-5 minutes more, until peas are hot and the mixture has slightly thickened. (Turn the heat up a little to thicken the soup if needed.
  9. Add heavy cream and heat until soup is hot but don't let it come to a boil after you add the cream
  10. Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper. We didn't need any salt, but if you aren't using Spike Seasoning you might want a little salt
  11. Serve hot and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 420Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 1471mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© All images and text ©Danica Thomas for Danica's Kitchen.
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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This soup would be great for low-carb diets, but maybe too high in carbs for strict Keto. This soup is high in fat for the original South Beach Diet, but you could try making it with reduced fat cream cheese, milk, and less butter if you want to make it more South Beach Diet friendly.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes or Soups and Stews to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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