Deliciously creamy, this soup is still a wonderful treat on our cool spring nights. The combination of homemade chicken broth and dark green veggies also make this creamy dairy-free chicken soup a nutritional powerhouse.
I’ve never been one for soups, growing up with the most simple and basic canned chicken soups, I never knew what I was missing. As a young wife I never tried to make my own as the thought seemed a bit too daunting…too gourmet. But over the past few years we’ve not only begun to try new soups, we’ve really grown to love them and their homemade taste.
Nothing compares to homemade soups! They’re also very versatile, leaving each recipe open to different interpretations, depending on what you have in the fridge and also for special diets.
This recipe came about during a dairy-free phase and we still use it often when we don’t have access to farm fresh milk. It’s full of veggies – a great way to get in extra servings! You can make it as-is with the chicken and have it for a main dish (maybe add a nice side salad and top the soup with homemade croutons) or leave the meat out and use it as a side dish for dinner.
Creamy Chicken Soup {dairy-free}
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 medium sized white or yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 whole head of cauliflower chopped
- 2 cups of cooked chicken cubed
- 2 cups of broccoli I also buy a bag of frozen organic broccoli/cauliflower mix
- 2 cups fresh spinach or 1/2 cup frozen
- 3 Tbsp butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional ingredients:
- 1/2 cup parmesean cheese or 4oz of cream cheese for those who can handle dairy
Instructions
- Saute the onion in 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add the entire head of cauliflower. Bring to a boil and simmer until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes.
- Using a stick blender, blend the contents of the pan until smooth. (if you don't have a stick blender you can easily transfer the soup in batches to a blender - just be careful as it will be very hot)
- Add in the remaining ingredients until everything is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- The blended cauliflower adds a wonderful creaminess, without the use of cream or other dairy alternatives, as well as extra nutrients - a great way to feed veggies to someone who won't eat them!
Notes
1. Before adding in the broth, make a simple rue by sauteing the onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp of butter and adding in 2 Tbsp of flour or arrowroot flour. Add in the broth slowly and let simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes.
2. You can also use corn starch to thicken at any time after the soup is put together. Just place 1 Tbsp of corns starch in 1/4 cup water, mix together, and slowly pour in while stirring. Repeat if necessary.
Donielle Baker
Wonderful soup, Donielle! Soups are so easy and make for such great meals. People are intimidated by making a roux, but it couldn’t be easier. 🙂 Thanks for this recipe! Love that you included cauliflower, which I often forget about. 😉
Shirley
This sounds yummy! I’m going to make this tomorrow for dinner! Thanks… 🙂
I just adapted this for Lent today. Don’t know where my brain was, but I made it with veg stock and salmon. I grilled some salmon and will add it in last before serving tonight. It is so yummy… like salmon Florentine soup. I asked my dh to stop by the grocery store for some of that really fine frondy dill. I am going to add the salmon flakes and top it with the dill. Thanks for the inspiration!
@Dori,
I must leave my four year old’s review of this and I quote “Yum, I want a whole big bowl of that!” I just made a “small” bowl to test it out 😉 and she tested it too that was plus the spinach and salmon minus the dill. He’s still at work 😉
@Dori, I like your substitutes Dori – sounds yummy!