Easy Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

This Easy Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie recipe has everything you need in a comfort food recipe. Tasty home cooked chicken, delicious flaky pie crust and creamy vegetable sauce. The entire family will love it.

Is there anything more comforting and tasty than a homemade chicken pot pie?

This recipe is filled with beautifully tender chicken, plenty of healthy veggies and topped with crunchy shortcrust pastry.

Even better, it’s really easy to make and doesn’t need any fancy ingredients. Simple deliciousness.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

• It’s perfect comfort food
• It’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner
• It’s ideal for batch cooking – double the recipe and pop an extra pie in the freezer for another day

Ingredients Notes for Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you could use skinless chicken breasts instead. If your chicken is frozen, the best way to defrost it safely and quickly is in the microwave.

Chicken Broth: The chicken stock or broth is added both for flavor and to help cook the chicken. I use stock made with a cube.

Dairy Free Milk: Any type of milk would work in this recipe. We’re using it to poach the chicken, and then in the pot pie filling gravy.

Thyme: Thyme adds a lovely earthly freshness to the chicken and poaching liquid.

Bay Leaf: This is to add a depth of flavour to both the chicken as it cooks and the gravy in the filling. I like using fresh herbs, but dried bay leaves would also work well.

Bacon Rashers: Choose unsmoked or smoked depending on what you prefer. The bacon adds a really rich and deep flavor to this pie. Use leftover ham or gammon if you like.

Olive oil: We’re going to use it to soften the veggies.

Yellow Onion: Fresh yellow onion is a fantastic flavour in this dish and pairs perfectly with carrots and celery.

Carrots: Slice these up into fairly small pieces so that you get a taste with every bite.

Celery: Slice these to medium thickness and add them in for texture.

Garlic Cloves: Chop these up and add them for delicious extra flavor.

Sweetcorn: For an extra pop of sweetness in the pie filling.

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour will make the chicken mixture thicken.

Salt and Black Pepper: Add to taste. I like Pink Himalayan Salt but you could use any regular salt that you have.

Shortcrust Pastry: You could make your own, but using shop bought is so much quicker! If you’re dairy free, be sure to double check the label on the brand you choose.

Egg: A small or medium will be enough for this recipe. I use free range.

How to Make Easy Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

For the chicken & broth:

For the chicken pot pie filling:

1. While the chicken is poaching, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Fry the bacon rashers until cooked, approximately 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and cut into small pieces.
2. Add the onion and garlic to the now empty bacon pan and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the carrot and celery and cook for another 3 minutes or until beginning to soften. Scrape the base of the skillet with a spatula to loosen the bacon bits. This will add deeper flavour to the gravy in the filling.
3. Add the all purpose flour, mix until the vegetables are well coated in the flour and cook for 1 minute. 
4. Remove the thyme stalks and bay leaf from the poaching liquid. Then, slowly add large spoonfuls of the liquid to the vegetables in the skillet, one by one, stirring constantly, until the flour mixture is no longer visible and the sauce begins to thicken. Keep gradually adding the poaching liquid and stirring until you have a nice thick gravy coating all the vegetables. If the sauce is still a little thin, stop adding liquid and give it a more time to thicken.
5. When the gravy is ready, add the bacon bits and shredded chicken back in, along with the sweetcorn. Cook for another 3 minutes to allow the flavours to develop, then remove from the heat.

Assembly and baking:

1. While the chicken filling is cooking, remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.
3. Unroll one of the shortcrust pastry sheets and carefully place into the base of a pie plate or dish. Using a small, sharp knife cut off the excess pastry around the edge of the dish. 
4. Transfer the chicken mixture to the pie dish, then place the second pastry sheet on top of the filling. Using your thumb, press down around the edges of the dish to stick the two pasty sheets together and seal the edges. Using the small knife, cut off any excess pastry, and then cut a 2 cm hole in the centre of top of the pastry to allow steam to escape while cooking.
5. Beat the egg and, using a pastry brush, brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash.
6. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet. The heat from the sheet will avoid a soggy bottom on the pastry.
7. Bake in the oven at 180C/350F for 25-30 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.
8. Serve with mashed potato and green beans.

Equipment

• Dutch oven
• Large skillet (Circulon* are the BEST I’ve ever had, I would totally recommend!)
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Measuring jug
• Measuring spoons
• Pie plate or dish, approx 10 inches
• Baking sheet
• Pastry brush

Top Tips

• Place the pie on a preheated baking sheet to avoid a soggy bottom pastry crust
• Don’t skip the egg wash if you want a perfectly crisp and golden crust
• Want a quicker recipe? If you don’t have time to poach the chicken, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead. Simply add the stock and milk directly to the vegetables as described in the recipe card.
• Make it gluten free by buying gluten free pastry sheets, gluten free stock cubes and a gluten-free flour blend.

FAQs: Tell me… 

What to do with leftover chicken pot pie?

Allow the pie to cool to room temperature, then cover well with plastic wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator. If you cover before it is fully cooled, the crust may go soggy. Eat within 3 days. 

Can you freeze chicken pot pie filling?

Yes! Cook the filling and allow to fully cool at room temperature. Assemble the pie, including the pastry, but not the egg wash, then cover in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. Place in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months.

How to reheat a chicken pot pie?

When you’re ready to enjoy the pot pie, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, reheat it in the oven at 180C/350F until heated through, ensuring the crust is crispy and the filling is piping hot.

How do I avoid a soggy bottom on my pie?

No one likes a soggy bottom! Here’s the trick: bake your pie on a preheated baking sheet. The heat from underneath will cook the bottom crust more quickly and evenly, helping avoid a soggy sad mess at the end. 

How to thicken chicken pot pie?

Adding too much liquid and not enough flour to the pie filling can result in a sauce that is too runny. If this ever happens, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Add it into the pie filling and stir, continuing to cook until the sauce thickens.

Is chicken pot pie healthy?

Several factors affect the answer to this question: portion sizes, quality of ingredients used, and whether it is eaten as part of a balanced diet. The bacon and pastry would not be considered health foods, however the chicken and vegetables contain nutrients that may be considered healthy.

While we are not health professionals and cannot give health advice, we personally always ensure we enjoy our chicken pie with extra servings of vegetables on the side, with the aim of boosting the health benefits of the overall meal.

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