Pot Pie Soup
All the flavors of chicken pot pie but you don’t have to make a crust. Everybody wins. No rolling dough, no blind baking, no worrying about soggy bottoms. Just a thick, creamy soup loaded with chicken
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 3 stalks celery (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1.5 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (diced)
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper
Method
Step 1: Build the base
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Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Step 2: Make the roux
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Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes. The flour will coat everything and start to smell nutty. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, making sure to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 3: Simmer
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Add potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened. Stir in the milk or cream, chicken, and peas. Simmer for another 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
Off the Galley Mike
Mike — Off The Galley
Six years as a Navy cook on submarines and destroyers, feeding 130 sailors from a galley the size of your bathroom. Now I cook the same big-flavor, no-nonsense food for my family of four — and share every recipe here. No culinary school. No fancy plating. Just real food that works, tested on the toughest critics afloat and the pickiest ones at home.
Chicken Pot Pie Soup — All the Flavor, None of the Crust Stress
All the flavors of chicken pot pie but you don’t have to make a crust. Everybody wins. No rolling dough, no blind baking, no worrying about soggy bottoms. Just a thick, creamy soup loaded with chicken and vegetables that tastes exactly like pot pie filling — which, let’s be honest, is the best part of pot pie anyway.
This is one of those soups that feels like a full meal because it is one. The broth is thick and creamy, the chicken is tender, the vegetables are soft but still have some bite, and if you want that crust element, just drop a biscuit on top and call it done. My chicken pot pie recipe is great when you have the time, but this soup version is what happens on a Tuesday night when you want the same comfort with a quarter of the effort.
The Base Is Everything
The secret to pot pie soup that actually tastes like pot pie is the roux. Butter, flour, cooked until golden — that’s what gives this soup its velvety body and prevents it from tasting like thin chicken broth with stuff floating in it. The roux thickens the broth into something closer to the filling you’d find inside an actual pie. Don’t rush it — let the flour cook in the butter for a full two minutes before adding liquid so you don’t get a raw flour taste.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, 1 medium onion (diced), 3 carrots (peeled and diced), 3 stalks celery (diced), 3 cloves garlic (minced), 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 4 cups chicken broth, 1.5 cups whole milk or heavy cream, 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (diced), 3 cups cooked shredded chicken, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, salt and pepper.
How to Make It
1
1Build the base
Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
2
2Make the roux
Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes. The flour will coat everything and start to smell nutty. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, making sure to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
3
3Simmer
Add potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened. Stir in the milk or cream, chicken, and peas. Simmer for another 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
The Biscuit Topping
If you want the pie crust element, here’s what I do: bake biscuits separately and drop one into each bowl of soup. The biscuit soaks up the creamy broth from the bottom while staying flaky on top. It’s better than actual pie crust because you get more of it and it doesn’t get soggy before you finish eating.
Puff pastry is another option. Cut sheets into squares, bake until golden and puffed, and float one on each bowl. It’s the restaurant move and it looks impressive with about 30 seconds of extra effort.
Using Leftover Chicken
Rotisserie chicken is my go-to for this recipe. One chicken gives you more than enough shredded meat for a full pot of soup, and the effort is zero. Leftover roasted chicken, baked chicken thighs, or even Thanksgiving turkey all work. The meat is already cooked, so it just needs to be warmed through in the soup.
What to Serve With It
Crusty bread or cornbread for dunking. A simple green salad to offset the richness. This soup is hearty enough to stand alone as dinner — you don’t need much alongside it.
Storage
Fridge for 3-4 days. The soup will thicken overnight as the potatoes absorb liquid — just add a splash of broth or milk when reheating. I don’t recommend freezing because the potatoes get grainy and the dairy can separate.
The Weeknight Strategy
The key to making this soup fast on a weeknight is using shortcuts that don’t sacrifice flavor. Rotisserie chicken eliminates cooking raw chicken entirely. Frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans) skip all the peeling and dicing. With those two shortcuts, this soup goes from 40 minutes to about 25.
The roux and the broth are where the flavor lives, so don’t shortcut those. Let the vegetables cook in the butter for a few minutes to soften, give the flour its two minutes of cooking time, and use good chicken broth. Everything else can be a convenience product without losing quality.
The Pot Pie Family
If your family loves this soup, they’ll love the other pot pie variations too. My chicken pot pie is the full-crust version for when you have more time. Chicken and dumplings is the cousin that swaps the crust for fluffy dumplings. And this soup is the weeknight version that delivers the same flavors with the least effort. All three use the same basic concept — chicken, vegetables, creamy sauce — just in different forms.
My Comfort Soup Rankings
If I’m being honest, chicken pot pie soup is in my top three comfort soups alongside chicken noodle soup and loaded baked potato soup. Each one serves a different purpose. Chicken noodle is for when someone’s sick. Loaded potato soup is for when it’s cold and miserable outside. And pot pie soup is for when you want a full, satisfying dinner that happens to come in a bowl. It’s the most meal-like of the three — the potatoes and chicken make it substantial enough that you’re not hungry an hour later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen vegetables instead of fresh?
Yes. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, green beans) works great and cuts prep time significantly. Add them in the last 10 minutes.
How do I make it thicker?
Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in during the last few minutes of cooking. Or simply simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Add everything except the cream, chicken, and peas. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in the cream, chicken, and peas in the last 30 minutes.
Freezes Perfectly
This soup freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze without the biscuit or pastry topper — add that fresh when reheating. The creamy base thaws and reheats on the stovetop with a splash of milk to restore consistency. Having frozen pot pie soup in the freezer means a comforting, complete meal is always 20 minutes from the table.
The Biscuit Topper Options
Drop a warm biscuit on top of each bowl, use puff pastry rounds baked separately, or crush saltine crackers over the surface for a quick crunch. The biscuit method is the most satisfying because it mimics the pie crust experience without the effort of making actual pot pie.
More From Off The Galley
Classic Meatloaf · Chicken And Dumplings · Beef Pot Roast · Biscuits And Gravy · Turkey Smash Burger