Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup

The foliage is fading. The trees are going bare, the leaves are on the ground, and the raking has begun in earnest. I spent three days this week with a rake and a compost pile and the growing conviction that leaf management is a full-time job that retirees are uniquely qualified for because we have the time and the stubbornness and the inability to let a lawn stay covered without intervention.

I made chicken pot pie. The whole production — roast the chicken, pick the meat, make the broth, cook the filling, roll the crust. It's a half-day project and worth every minute. The filling: chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, onion in a roux-thickened broth enriched with cream. Helen's crust on top, golden and flaky. The pot pie came out of the oven looking like autumn itself — warm, golden, substantial. You cut into it and the steam rises and the filling is thick and the chicken is tender and you think: this is why October leads to November. This is the transition food. This is the bridge between the garden and the pantry, between fresh and stored, between summer's abundance and winter's reliance on what you put away.

Helen announced she's going to volunteer at the library in Hinesburg. One afternoon a week, shelving books and reading to the children's program. She said it casually, the way she announces things she's already decided. I said, "That's a good idea." She said, "I already signed up." Of course she did. Helen doesn't discuss plans. She executes them and then informs you of the results. It's efficient. It's slightly terrifying. It's Helen.

The blog readership is at a hundred and fifty. Helen tracks it on her phone with the dedication of a retired nurse who has redirected her monitoring instincts from vital signs to website analytics. She reports the numbers to me weekly. I listen. I pretend to understand what "engagement" means. I continue writing about pot pie. The readers seem satisfied. I'm satisfied. Helen's engagement metrics, whatever they are, are apparently satisfactory. The system works.

The last of the garden is in. The kale survives, stubborn as always. Everything else is done for the year. The compost pile is high with leaves and dead vines and the summer's last offering. Next spring it'll be black and rich and ready to feed the next garden. Cycles within cycles. Leaves fall. Compost rots. Soil enriches. Seeds grow. The pie was good.

The pot pie I described above is a half-day commitment — roasting the bird, rolling the crust, building the filling from scratch. Not everyone has that kind of afternoon, and I understand that. What I’ve found is that the soul of a pot pie lives in the filling: that thick, savory cream-of-chicken base with tender meat and vegetables. This dairy-free cream of chicken soup gets you exactly there — same warmth, same depth, same November-in-a-bowl feeling — in a fraction of the time and without the butter or cream Helen sometimes steers me away from. The pie was the occasion. This soup is the weeknight.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 cup full-fat coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

Saute the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7–8 minutes until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have softened slightly. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Build the roux. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the raw flour smell is gone and the mixture looks slightly golden.
Add the liquids. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking as you go to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth thickens.
Stir in the coconut milk. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. The soup will turn creamy and rich. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add the chicken and seasoning. Stir in the shredded chicken, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer for another 10 minutes to let the flavors come together.
Finish with peas. Add the frozen peas in the last 3–4 minutes of cooking. Stir and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup — The Soul of the Pot Pie, Simplified