Quick & Easy Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
This crustless version of classic chicken pot pie has all of the comforting flavors of the original dish, but with much less effort required. This quick and easy dinner is ready within 30 minutes using one pan – a skillet! Naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy free.
about this quick & easy crustless chicken pot pie recipe
I don’t know about you, but I think a generous helping of cozy, warming chicken pot pie makes for the ULTIMATE comfort food…especially on busy weeks!
I know how many of us love this homemade classic, so I added my own feel-good-food spin on this delicious dish with this crustless chicken pot pie in the Instant Pot or slow cooker (which has been a huge reader favorite!).
Since quick and easy one-pan skillet dinner ideas are what we do around here, this time around I wanted to come up with a version easy enough to throw together on a weeknight.
And just like that, this no crust chicken pot pie recipe became one of my family’s new favorite dinners!
It comes together in under 30 minutes on the stovetop, with minimal fuss and minimal prep steps.
But the best part is that it still hits all those classic notes that we crave in a good pot pie, just a lot lighter and easier to prepare.
process & tips
If you’re wondering how to make chicken pot pie easy, my number one way to cut down on prep time is to skip the crust!
That way there’s no mixing, chilling or rolling dough required – which of course cuts down considerably on the clean up too.
Instead you cut straight to the most flavorful part, making the chicken pot pie filling and the signature sauce that goes with it.
Making the chicken pot pie filling is as simple as browning your chicken, sautéing your vegetables, and simmering them all together in broth, pantry seasonings & heavy cream (or coconut milk) until tender & cooked through.
My other time-saving tip would be to buy pre-chopped vegetables for even less hands-on prep time (frozen mixed vegetables are super convenient and work great in this recipe).
Need to feed a crowd quickly & easily? Double the recipe for big families, large gatherings or really anytime you just want to have lots of delicious leftovers to enjoy all week long!
what is the sauce in chicken pot pie?
To me the filling of the pot pie is THE best part!
Traditionally, many classic chicken pot pie recipes thicken the creamy broth into a sauce by using a roux made from all-purpose flour and butter.
But my recipe is naturally gluten-free and doesn’t use flour, making it work even if you’re following a special diet or making it for someone who is.
My secret for thickening my sauce quickly and easily is to use a simple slurry made from the broth and some arrowroot starch (or cornstarch).
Together with the chicken broth, cream, olive oil, onions, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning it creates a thick gravy-like, rich and lightly buttery sauce that’s downright addictive!
what to eat with no crust chicken pot pie
I love serving this atop rice or cauliflower rice, but it’s also just as delicious as a stand-alone one-pot meal.
Since this stovetop chicken pot pie is crustless, you can also serve it with warm crusty bread, biscuits or cornbread muffins on the side for dipping.
Since this is already a meal in itself, this would be great to serve with something light – like this Chopped Kale Salad, Fall Harvest Salad, or really any simple green side salad.
For a quick & easy option – choose any greens you like and toss them in an easy healthy dressing like this Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Lemon Dijon Dressing or Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette!
ingredients & modifications
Chicken breasts: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. In either case, be sure to chop them up to roughly the same size so they all cook evenly and quickly.
Chicken broth: I used low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe, but you could also use bone broth or vegetable broth if you prefer.
Onion: The onion adds lots of great savory flavor to this dish without a lot of extra effort on your part. But if you don’t like or can’t have onions, feel free to skip them in this recipe.
Celery: Together with the onion and carrots, the celery adds lots of vegetable-goodness as well as great depth of flavor.
Mixed frozen vegetable blend: Such a great option to keep on hand, especially if (like me!) you love making soups or skillet dinners at home. They usually have carrots, green beans, peas and corn in them. If you’re following a paleo or whole30 diet, just be sure to use a frozen veggie mix that doesn’t include peas or corn (a mix of frozen green beans and carrots would work well).
Cream: Heavy cream is the classic choice for chicken pot pie, but I’ve found that full-fat coconut milk from a can also creates a super delicious dairy free chicken pot pie (without adding any overt coconut flavor). Both work great in this recipe so feel free to use them interchangeably depending on what you’ve got on hand.
Arrowroot: Also called arrowroot starch or arrowroot powder, you can usually find this in your local natural foods store (look in the baking aisle or gluten-free section) or online. It’s a great pantry staple to keep on hand that’ll help you thicken sauces, soups and stews naturally. If you don’t have or can’t find arrowroot starch, cornstarch works great to make this recipe too!
Olive oil: I love the rich, slightly butterly flavor profile of the olive oil in this recipe but you could use any other neutral flavored cooking oil you like in this recipe – such as avocado, vegetable or canola oil.
Garlic powder: The ease of granulated garlic powder helps cut down on prep steps and prep time in this recipe, but you could also use fresh garlic in its place.
Poultry seasoning: I used no-salt added poultry seasoning, it’s a great shortcut ingredient that already has several other seasonings mixed in (including thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg). If your poultry seasoning does have added salt, you may want to skip the added salt in the recipe and just season to taste at the very end of cooking.
Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store. It has a subtler flavor. Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
more easy one-pan skillet dinner recipes
Easy Italian Chicken Zucchini Skillet
Southwest Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet
Skillet Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
20-Minute Ground Turkey and Green Bean Skillet
this recipe is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30
Quick & Easy Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon no-salt added poultry seasoning
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream , or full-fat coconut milk from a can for dairy-free
- 2 cups frozen vegetable blend, carrots, green beans, peas, corn (omit corn + peas for paleo/whole30)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder*
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden on one side, flip, and cook 3-4 more minutes. Remove the chicken onto a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the onion, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and add the garlic, and poultry seasoning. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the chicken, chicken stock, cream or coconut milk, vegetables, and 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring to combine. Cover, bring to a boil, then uncover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender and the chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully ladle a few tablespoons of the broth into a bowl. Add the arrowroot, whisking until completely smooth. Add the arrowroot mixture back to the pot, stirring to combine. Simmer 1-2 more minutes, until it begins to thicken.
- Taste, adding additional salt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
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Listen, I read lots of recipes, have done the Whole 30, love to eat healthy. So glad I found your blog. This recipe was easy to make and tastes fantastic! Made it exactly as you said – full of flavor. This will be on the rotation for certain 🙂
Julie, awesome, so glad you enjoyed this one!
So tasty! I plan to make this again, altering the liquid a bit to make more of a soup with whole wheat noodles. Thank you!
Oh yum, love the idea of filling this one out with noodle. Cheers!
My whole family loves this meal, it’s so delicious and easy to make. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Maria, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one!
I love this recipe, just 1 question. When do you add the chicken back in?
Hi Caroline, I just added more detail to clarify. Add the chicken back along with the stock and other ingredients before simmering altogether. Hope you enjoy!
I use this receipt often and love it! Instead of coconut milk I use heavy whipping cream because our household likes dairy. I also serve with fresh biscuits and it’s amazing!! Highly recommend!
Amanda, yay, so happy to hear you’re enjoying this one! Great tip on using heavy cream in place of the coconut milk. I know that will helpful to others. And yum to biscuits on the side. Cheers!
I can’t believe that all this really takes 20 minutes. I will definitely try this recipe. If you want to learn many more of these cool recipes, then I strongly recommend that you visit them here and cook at your leisure and spend a minimum of time on it!
Happy you enjoyed this one, Sam!
I’ve made this exactly as recipe states and also put it in a pie crust. Delicious and simple. Thank you!
Sarah, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and love the idea of adding it to a pie crust. Yum!