This quick and easy Gluten Free Creamy Chicken Soup, with a hearty, bone broth base and rotisserie chicken is made thick and creamy with beans and cauliflower.
Whether it's a cold Winter's lunch or a rainy Summer evening, nothing says comfort food quite like a good bowl of soup with a side of your favorite soup partner. This chicken bean soup is smooth, flavorful and so simple to make.
If you love this gluten free creamy chicken soup, try my juicy gluten free burgers or chopped antipasto salad (also gluten free!) next.
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Why This Recipe Works
Well, for starters, it works because who doesn't love a big bowl of hearty soup? But more importantly, this gluten free creamy chicken soup is loaded with fiber, protein and flavor!
I like to use cannellini beans and butter beans to add extra fiber and protein to the soup. Since learning more about hormones through IIN, I try to bulk up my recipes with extra protein and fiber where I can to help me maintain hormone balance as a mom navigating perimenopause. Combining the cannellini and butter beans with cauliflower makes the soup extra creamy, while keeping it both dairy free and gluten free.
Plus, having dealt with PCOS in our home in the past, I've found this a great addition to my bank of PCOS recipes!
My teenage daughter with MBL deficiency also loves a creamy soup, and this way I know she can enjoy it without loading her up with gluten.
This chicken bean soup is really quick to make on those days that just don't go as planned. It's also a great meal prep recipe to make ahead and keep on standby for days you need dinner ready in a rush.
Ingredients
- Chicken bone broth: keeps your chicken bean soup hearty and flavorful as well as being joint and bone friendly.
- Rotisserie chicken: I prefer to choose plain over BBQ flavor because it's hard to tell what's been added into the sauce and spices. It also gives me more room to create the flavor I want. You can totally use your own home-roasted or poached chicken of course. This soup is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken.
- Cauliflower: mainly for it's creaminess, but it's also great source of fiber. Well-cooked cauliflower (together with the beans) is how this soup thickens up.
- Cannellini and butter beans: for smooth, hearty, extra protein and fiber in your gluten free creamy chicken soup.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. Gather your ingredients, saute the onion, carrots and 2 celery stalks for 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
2. Add the garlic, mustard seeds and cumin. Cook for about a minute until the spices begin to release their fragrances.
3. Add 4 cups of broth, 1 can of beans and the cauliflower, simmering for 15 minutes until soft and tender.
4. Blend together, using either a regular or stick blender, until smooth and creamy. Add some extra broth if you like.
5. Add seasonings, the rest of the celery and beans, as well as the shredded chicken.
6. Once the chicken bean soup is heated through, taste test and add in a little more lemon juice and seasoning if you like.
7. Serve your gluten free creamy chicken soup ladled into your favorite soup bowls, lovingly drizzled with olive oil and garnished with parsley and whatever else tickles your taste buds...
Hint: The smaller you chop the veggies, the quicker you get to blend them, and the quicker you get to eat your creamy gluten free soup!
Substitutions And Variations
One of the best things about a soup is that they're one of those meals that you can make differently every single time and they're always good.
You kind of just follow your heart and out comes this bowl of wholesome yumminess.
While changing ingredients might not quite leave you with a gluten free creamy chicken soup, it will leave you with another that's just as divine!
Here are a few variations and substitutions you could try:
- Potato: you could add potatoes to this, but I don’t like the way blended potatoes freeze so I don't like to use them when I'm meal prepping. The texture comes out grainy and I try avoid too many white potatoes, personally.
- Leeks: add parsnips and/or onions instead of leeks.
- Cauliflower: swap for butternut or pumpkin for a more autumnal version.
- Chicken: you can use chicken breasts or thighs if you prefer, or cook your own chicken whole, and then use the stock from cooking the whole chicken for your chicken bean soup.
- Beans: try adding kidney beans, chickpeas or split peas in place of cannellini and butter beans.
- Spicy: add some cayenne, coriander and chili flakes for some heat.
- Asianish: Use coconut milk with ginger, finely sliced chili and lemongrass.
- Vegetarian: leave out the chicken and add some extra beans instead.
Equipment
For this gluten free creamy chicken soup, you will need a cutting board and knife, your favorite soup pot (we all have one!) and stick or stand blender to make your chicken bean soup smooth and creamy.
Storage
This gluten free creamy chicken soup will store in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Simply add a little more water when reheating to maintain your desired consistency.
It also freezes really well for up to 3 months. Leave your chicken bean soup to thaw by the basin, or pop the tub into some warm water to defrost.
Top Tips
- Carrots take the longest to cook, so chop them extra small! Make sure to check that they are tender before blending your gluten free creamy chicken soup.
- I prefer to keep some beans whole because I like the fiber that the whole beans add, and just having something to munch.
- Use ½ cup white wine in the beginning while cooking your veggies, simmer for 5 minutes before adding in the broth.
- Sprinkle some parmesan on your soup before serving.
FAQ
There are a few things you could add to make your soup runnier. The easiest is to add some extra water, a little more chicken stock or a dairy free milk.
In a pinch, you could add some cornstarch to thicken it, which will keep it gluten free. Or you could add some more beans, let them heat through, and blend them smooth.
Sure, you can make this without cauliflower, I just enjoy the lightness that the creamy cauliflower adds.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Dinner
Gluten Free Creamy Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 TBS (30 ml) Olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 Leeks, roughly chopped and sliced
- 3 Medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 Celery sticks, diced
- 3 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 TBS Mustard seeds
- 2 cups (200g) Cauliflower florets
- 1 can (15oz / 400g) Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz / 400g) Butter beans (lima beans), drained and rinsed
- 5 cups Chicken bone broth
- 1 Large rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 4 cups)
- Salt, to taste
- Juice of ½ lemon (or 1 tablespoon / 15 ml)
- 2 TBS Fresh parsley, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
Instructions
Cook the base:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and 2 chopped celery sticks. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and golden.
- Add the garlic, cumin, and mustards seeds, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Blend the creamy base:
- Add the cauliflower, one can of beans, and 4 cups broth. Simmer for 15 minutes until everything is tender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy with a stick blender or in a regular blender. Add more of the broth to get to your preferred consistency (I used 5 cups in total).
Add beans and chicken:
- Return the blended base to the pot if using regular blender. Taste and season with salt and add lemon juice.
- Stir in the remaining beans shredded chicken, and the reserved celery stick.
Finish and season:
- Reheat to eat. Add more lemon juice if you like and parsley. Taste test and season again if you need to.
Serve beautifully:
- Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with parsley. I added some chili oil but it’s not necessary.
Kimmi Coffee says
What an awesome combo! I love using white beans to thicken a soup, and cauliflower soup is always divine but a little light, hadn't thought about putting them together though.