Creamy Dairy Free Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup {paleo + whole30}

Thanks to cashew cream, this creamy dairy free chicken and cauliflower rice soup is so creamy and delicious that you would never know it was dairy free! Made with all the same flavors of a classic chicken and rice soup, but paleo, and whole30 friendly for a satisfying and healthy meal. 

Well here I am about to talk about the weather again, and how it relates to what I’m in the mood to eat 😂

But that’s just the way it works, right? I mean, sure there’s sometimes where we crave warm soups in the middle of summer, or a bright and refreshing green juice during a deep mid-winter freeze, but for the most part the seasons really do sort of steer our dinner cravings.

And as we all know, even though it’s April most of us are still battling winter weather.

I just returned from a long weekend in Wisconsin and Minnesota and I can definitely testify that they are for sure still tromping around in the snow. And while it has started warming up a little in Seattle, even here the gray skies and rain have yet to lift.

Which, IMHO, is a perfectly good reason to schedule this creamy dairy free chicken and cauliflower rice soup into your meal plan for this week 💯

Because simply put – it will give you LIFE.

I mean we only ate it, I don’t know, 15 times before I finally had a chance to photograph it! I kept making it with the intention of taking some pictures, and it kept getting tucked into tupperwares for lunch and warmed up for an after work dinner alongside some simple mills almond flour crackers (JUST DO IT – I promise you’ll thank me later).

so what makes this creamy dairy free chicken and cauliflower rice creamy?

For some reason, unless it’s an asian style soup, I just can’t with the coconut milk in place of dairy to make soup creamy. When I go that route all I can taste is the coconut and it really feels like it overpowers all of the other flavors. And for a soup like this, that’s just not the mood I had in mind.

So of course I chose to use the ever trusty cashew cream route.

I am BEGGING you, if you’ve never tried using it instead of cream/dairy in soups and sauces, you just have to.

It might just change your life.

It has such a neutral flavor that you can add it to just about any savory (and even some sweet!) recipes and it will fit LIKE. A. GLOVE.

If you want some other cashew cream recipes to try take a peek at these!

• Easy Garlic Dill Cashew Cream Sauce 
• Caramelized Onion Smothered Pork Chops 
• Easy Make Ahead Paleo Gravy
• Creamy Dairy Free Pumpkin Turkey Chili 

)

So this week I’m going to do my best to stop complaining about the weather, and instead make some of this creamy dairy free chicken and cauliflower rice, cozy up with a book, and embrace whatever April has in store for us.

Creamy Dairy Free Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup {paleo + whole30}

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Nyssa Tanner
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

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Description

Thanks to cashew cream, this creamy dairy free chicken and cauliflower rice soup is so creamy and delicious that you would never know it was dairy free! Made with all the same flavors of a classic chicken and rice soup, but paleo, and whole30 friendly for a satisfying and healthy meal. 

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Ingredients

for soup

• 2 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil or avocado oil 
• 1 large onion or 2 small onions, diced 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 6 small to medium sized carrots, cut into 1/4 inch coins 
• 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms – one small package, thinly sliced 
• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or all purpose seasoning 
• 5 cups chicken broth 
• 3/4 pound of chicken – either tenders or chicken breasts (Trader Joe’s has been carrying organic free range chicken breast tenders and they work great for this recipe!)
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 batch of cashew cream 
• 2 cups of riced cauliflower 
• salt and pepper to taste – I used about 2 teaspoons salt to season at the end, and a few grinds of black pepper, but the amount of salt you use will vary greatly depending on how salty your broth is to begin with. So make sure you start small and add more as needed! The best way to season anything 🙂 

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Instructions

Before you begin: Follow the link in the ingredients list to make cashew cream first. The cashews need to soak at least for a hour with boiling water or up to overnight before you can blend them and turn them into cashew cream

for the soup

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of your fat of choice in a soup pot over medium heat. 
2. Add diced onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt and saute for about 5 minutes to soften slightly, stirring every so often so they don’t get too brown. 
3. Add carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the pot and turn the heat up slightly. Sauté another 8 minutes or so, until mushrooms are wilted and onions are quite soft. 
4. Add poultry or all purpose seasoning and sauté for another minute or so, stirring frequently, until spices are aromatic. 
5. Pour in broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and raise heat a bit to bring to a simmer.
6. Let cook for about 12-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and broth has reduced slightly. 
7. Add chicken tenders or chicken breasts and bring back to a simmer, cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Cook time will depend on the size of the meat you’re using (tenders will cook much quicker than whole boneless breasts).
8. Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred or cut into bite sized pieces. Be careful as it will be very hot. You may have to let it cool slightly before handling. Alternatively if you have some tongs you can hold the chicken with the tongs and cut or shred with a knife or fork. 
9. Return shredded or cubed chicken to the soup pot along with cashew cream and parsley.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
11. Turn heat down to low and add cauliflower rice. Soup shouldn’t even really be simmering at this point. Cook just until cauliflower loses some of it’s raw bite, about 5 minutes or even a little less. Be careful not to overcook or the cauliflower rice will get mushy! 
12. Serve with some almond flour crackers and topped with more parsley for garnish if desired!

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