I want to make a really tasty chicken soup for my family but without using cream because my sister is lactose intolerant. Is there any trick to make it creamy anyway? I have chicken, broth, vegetables and herbs at home.
Potato is your best friend here. When you cook it well in the broth, it breaks down and releases its starch, which gives the soup that creamy texture without needing dairy products. What I do is cut quite a bit of potato into small dice (the smaller, the better it breaks down), along with your usual veggies. Let it all cook together until the potato is very tender, almost soft, and you'll see how the soup thickens on its own. If you want to boost that creaminess even more, you can partially blend the soup - leave some texture so it doesn't become a complete purée - or just blend half of it and mix them together.
Another option that works really well is adding some shredded cooked chicken at the end, which also adds body. If you have homemade broth made on low heat, even better, because it has more dissolved collagen and that gives a naturally creamy feel. Herbs are key: black pepper, thyme, bay leaf... all that rounds out the flavor and makes the soup feel more complete and filling, so even though it doesn't have the visual "creaminess," your palate perceives it as such. Try egg too if your sister tolerates it well; a beaten egg poured in slowly while you stir can give it that velvety texture without dairy products.
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