This healthy chicken pot pie is the ultimate comforting dinner recipe—and the leftovers keep on giving! If you're looking to bring some serious warmth to the table as the weather gets colder, look no further.
What is chicken pot pie?
A pot pie is a type of pie typically filled with meat, vegetables, and topped with a flaky crust. This North American dish can be made with a variety of fillings and crusts, but one of the most popular varieties is chicken pot pie. A classic chicken pot pie usually contains chicken, peas, and carrots inside a flaky pie crust. It's easy to see why it tops the list of classic winter comfort foods.
Is chicken pot pie healthy?
Depending on the ingredients, chicken pot pies can have a wide range of nutrition. Pot pies can have crusts on the bottom and top of the pie, be made with a lot of butter, and have varying amounts of vegetables. Truly, you can't say all pot pies are healthy or not healthy because of how much each pie varies! While there are several classic chicken pot pie recipes, I haven't seen many lightened-up versions which is why I created this healthy chicken pot pie recipe.
Healthy chicken pot pie
This recipe is for healthy chicken pot pie. This recipe still uses all of the classic chicken pot pie ingredients (chicken, peas, and carrots) but is a lightened-up version of the standard recipe. This healthy chicken pot pie has a few extra vegetables, plenty of spices, and one crispy, flaky crust on top. Each serving has 408 calories and 26 grams of protein. Even though there are fewer calories, there are plenty of hearty nutrients and delicious flavors!
What ingredients do I need for the Pie Crust?
- Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix - I love to use Kodiak Cakes as a flour substitute while making the crust. I found a recipe on the Kodiak Cakes website for a simple pie crust using their pancake mix.
- Cold unsalted butter - You'll need some cold unsalted butter to make the pie crust!
- Ice water - Simply add some ice cubes and water into a cup on the counter and let it sit for a few minutes. No need to overthink the temperature!
- Egg wash - This will be brushed on the pie crust right before baking.
What ingredients do I need for the Pie Filling?
- Butter - This is one of the first ingredients added into the skillet for cooking the vegetables. If you'd rather use an oil, that works as well.
- Almond milk - This will be added to the mixture with additional Kodiak Cakes mix to create a creamy and thick filling before adding it to the pie dish.
- Chicken breast - You'll need some sort of pre-cooked chicken breast to add to the pot pie. You can buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it. Or you can cook chicken breasts however you like and chop them into pieces. Whatever is easiest for you!
- Baby bella mushrooms - Mushrooms are not a typical pot pie ingredient and you can totally leave these out if they aren't your thing. BUT, I saw a recipe from Well Plated by Erin that uses mushrooms and was totally intrigued which is why I added them. It works!
- Carrots - You'll dice some carrots to go into the mixture, about 2 to 3 large ones.
- Onion - About ½ cup of chopped onion will go in the pie filling as well. You can add more if you really love onions!
- Frozen peas - Peas are a classic pot pie dish and we're keeping it easy buy using frozen peas for this recipe.
- Celery - Adding some diced celery will add some extra crunch to the pot pie.
- Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix - We use this for the crust and for the pie filling! It will be added in to thicken up the filling.
- Salt - Add as much as you desire.
- Black pepper - Start with ¼ teaspoon and add as much as you want.
- Garlic - This will add some extra flavor to the filling.
- Fresh thyme - A little bit of fresh thyme goes a long way in this recipe! Seriously, the fresh herbs make such a difference here.
What substitutions can I make?
I haven't tried any substitutions with this recipe, but I'm sure there are some you can make. A few ideas:
- Vegetables - If there are some in this recipe you don't like, feel free to leave them out and add in another.
- Meat - I like to use chicken, but a meat like turkey would also work well for this recipe.
- Kodiak Cakes Mix - Another flour could be used, but you'll need to add a little baking powder as well.
How long does it take to make this recipe?
This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to cook.
How do I make the pot pie crust?
I know a pot pie sounds intimidating, but you can totally make this! Here's what you'll need to do:
- Gather pie crust ingredients.
- Put Kodiak Cakes mix in a large bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces. (Cut butter into the mix using a pastry cutter or two butter knives until butter is the size of peas.)
- Make a well in the center of the mix and add cold water by tablespoons. Combine just until the dough sticks together and forms a ball.
- On a floured surface, roll dough into a large circle. Make sure the dough is large enough to cover the pie dish.
How do I make pot pie filling?
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the skillet. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 7-10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until carrots begin to soften.
- Pour the almond milk into the mixture, adding a little at a time and stirring constantly. Sprinkle the kodiak cakes mix into the mixture and stir. Continue to let the mixture bubble and thicken (about 5 minutes), bringing it to a low boil. Taste test and add additional seasonings.
- Add the cooked chicken, thyme and peas to the mixture. Stir.
- Scoop the pie mixture into the greased pie dish.
- Place the rolled out the pie dough over the pie dish. Place on top of mixture, trimming the overhang to the edge of the dish. Gently press the edges with a fork or your fingers. Cut a few slits in top of crust or poke holes with a fork to let the steam escape. Whisk 1 egg together and brush the top of the crust with the egg wash.
- Bake until hot and bubbly on the inside and the crust is deeply golden, about 35-40 minutes. Let rest a few minutes. Serve hot.
How can I thicken my chicken pot pie?
To thicken your chicken pot pie, add more of the flour or flour substitute. For this recipe, we use Kodiak Cakes mix as a flour for the pie crust and to thicken the pie filling. If you want to thicken the filling, add a little more of the mix and let it sit on low heat for a few minutes.
Looking for something similar?
If you're looking for more healthy, comfort meal recipes, try one of these:
Can I have the recipe?
If you love the recipe for this healthy chicken pot, please rate it and send it to your friends and family. Thank you!
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie
Equipment
- pie dish
- oven
- cast-iron skillet or dutch oven
- spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 cup Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoon ice water
- 1 egg for egg wash
Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 lb boneless skinless, chicken breast, cooked
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup carrots diced (2-3 large carrots)
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup celery diced (1-2 large stalks)
- ¼-1/2 cup Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
Instructions
To make pie crust
- Gather pie crust ingredients.
- Put Kodiak Cakes mix in a large bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces. (Cut butter into the mix using a pastry cutter or two butter knives until butter is the size of peas.)
- Make a well in the center of the mix and add cold water by tablespoons. Combine just until the dough sticks together and forms a ball.
- On a floured surface, roll dough into a large circle. Make sure the dough is large enough to cover the pie dish.
To make pie filling
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the skillet. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 7-10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until carrots begin to soften.
- Pour the almond milk into the mixture, adding a little at a time and stirring constantly. Sprinkle the kodiak cakes mix into the mixture and stir. Continue to let the mixture bubble and thicken (about 5 minutes), bringing it to a low boil. Taste test and add additional seasonings.
- Add the cooked chicken, thyme and peas to the mixture. Stir.
- Scoop the pie mixture into the greased pie dish.
- Place the rolled out the pie dough over the pie dish. Place on top of mixture, trimming the overhang to the edge of the dish. Gently press the edges with a fork or your fingers. Cut a few slits in top of crust or poke holes with a fork to let the steam escape. Whisk 1 egg together and brush the top of the crust with the egg wash.
- Bake until hot and bubbly on the inside and the crust is deeply golden, about 35-40 minutes. Let rest a few minutes. Serve hot.
Nathalie Ruiz says
Loves this recipe. Super easy to follow and make. So flavorful and a definitely a dinner pleaser!!
Shari says
Do not be intimidated by making your own crust - it was super easy! This recipe was fun to make, healthy, and so delicious 🙂
Anita Peters says
Now that fall is here and we're having cooler weather in Wisconsin, this recipe will be on repeat every week! Not only does it make a cozy & warm supper meal, it is an awesome lunch leftover for the next day! Love it!
Alley Ray says
I’m a sucker for a chicken pot pie. Seriously, ask my husband. I’m obsessed. So glad to have this recipe on hand so I can enjoy pot pies at home that don’t come frozen from the grocery store, LOL. Plus, this is so much better.
Stephanie Pryor says
Loved this pot pie and very easy to make!
Renee J says
Made this for dinner last night...again! So easy and so delicious, and such a healthier version. Don't let the pie crust intimidate you; it's super simple! This will definitely be a staple in the rotation. Thanks Jordan!