This gluten-free chicken pot pie recipe takes a normally time-consuming cooking project and makes it easy, quick and healthy. Simply mix cooked chicken and frozen vegetables with a dairy-free roux and top it with homemade GF biscuits. The pie bakes up in 15 minutes and takes under an hour start to finish.
Chicken pot pie is one of the first recipes I remember drooling over while watching Ina Garten make it in the early days of her Food Network show. As I recently admitted, it was Jamie Oliver’s fish pie that was another one of my early first cooking experiments, so clearly I had a thing for creamy casserole concoctions covered in a layer of carbs. I’m nothing if not consistent!
That said, any sort of pot pie, even a non gluten-free chicken pot pie, is a rather labor intensive affair that isn’t always easy enough for a beginner cook. There’s the roux, for starters, which requires some quick whisking and attention at the stove. And then of course there’s the homemade dough for the topping!
In an effort to make this chicken pot pie recipe both easy AND gluten-free / dairy-free, I’ve streamlined the process to dirty less cookware and offered a few shortcuts to cut down on time.
How to make gluten-free chicken pot pie
The first element of a chicken pot pie that needs to be translated to a GF diet is the roux. This is usually a mix of flour and butter that gets combined into a paste, then whisked together with warm milk to create a thick sauce (bechamel).
Most gluten-free chicken pot pie recipes simply substitute an all-purpose GF flour. This option is totally doable, but if you have white rice flour in your pantry, it is my favorite neutral single origin flour to use for thickening stews and sauces.
The second big element to replace is the topping! Instead of making gluten-free pie dough from scratch and going through the rigmarole of rolling it out, I’ve opted for an easy GF biscuit dough. You simply scoop out drop biscuits onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes to set them. This is the perfect time to simultaneously make your roux.
Once the filling is completed, you top the GF chicken pot pie with the par-baked biscuits and return the pan to the oven to finish both elements off in tandem.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie – Step by Step
GF Chicken Pot Pie Substitutions and Variations
For the roux / bechamel: There are many types of gluten-free flour that can work here if you don’t have AP gluten-free flour or white rice flour. You can use chickpea flour, tapioca starch, or millet flour as swaps. For coconut flour, halve the amount called for.
To make dairy-free chicken pot pie: Simply follow the dairy-free recommendations in the recipe and opt for plant-based butter or coconut oil, and use the coconut milk as directed. Oat milk would also work for another dairy-free option. Conversely, if you don’t mind dairy, you can substitute 2 cups whole milk for the coconut.
To make vegetarian pot pie: You can omit the chicken entirely and add more vegetables to this pot pie. For the frozen vegetables, all kinds will work if you want to substitute a mix for the peas or pearl onions. You can use chopped green beans or even mushrooms as additional ingredients.
Shortcut: How to Make this Quick GF Chicken Pot Pie Even Quicker!
This gluten-free chicken pot pie recipe uses premade chicken to make it quick and easy. You can shred or chop a rotisserie chicken, or bake 3 chicken breasts on a baking sheet at 375 degrees until tender, about 20 minutes (this can happen simultaneously with the biscuits). You can also use leftover turkey after the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays!
For the topping: if you can find gluten-free puff pastry or pie dough, skip the biscuit topping! Crimp the dough along the edges and bake until golden brown and puffed on top.
Finally, if you want to make the filling without flour at all (plus take a short cut!), you can use this blender gluten-free cream of chicken soup as the base and skip steps 4 and 5. Simply combine the premade soup with the peas, carrots, onions, and herbs, top with the biscuits, then bake! To make sure there is enough chicken, use the recipe as directed but add 2 additional chicken breasts.
Make Ahead Chicken Pie Tips
The filling and biscuit topping can both be made start to finish up to 3 days ahead of time and stored separately in the fridge.
You can also use my GF cream of chicken soup hack above and make it up to a week in advance or freeze it for up to a few months!
Simply assemble the pie by adding the filling to an ovenproof pan and top with the par-baked biscuits and bake to order.
Read on for the full recipe for gluten-free chicken pot pie for your next cozy dinner at home.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie (Dairy-Free)
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ghee or dairy-free alternative
- 2 medium carrots finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 large shallots thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour or white rice flour
- One 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme or rosemary leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas see note
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions optional
- 3 cups shredded chicken or turkey see note
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Make the biscuit dough: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. In a separate medium mixing bowl or liquid 4-cup measure, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and honey. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Using an ice cream scoop for portioning, scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet pan (you’ll have 8 to 10 balls). Use your fingers to pat down the tops so they aren’t domed and smooth the sides.
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Bake the biscuits until they are set but not browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
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Meanwhile, make the filling: In a large ovenproof skillet, shallow Dutch oven or casserole dish, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrots and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Push the veggies to the sides of the pan.
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Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until a paste forms. Pour in the coconut milk and whisk until combined. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the coconut milk vegetable mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, salt and thyme or rosemary; cook for another few minutes until smooth and thick.
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Off the heat, add the mustard, peas, pearl onions (if using), shredded chicken, and parsley. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed. Smooth into an even layer and top with the cooked biscuits. Feel free to brush the biscuits with olive oil or butter for more of a browned, glazed look. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden brown and flakey, and the pot pie is bubbling.
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!