Creamy dishes like chicken pot pie may seem off limits when you eat dairy-free.
But we are happy to report, this milk allergy family eats chicken pot pie on the regular. And it’s my kiddo’s favorite dinner!
Not only can we get you over the dairy-free hurdle with this recipe, but we also have a few handy shortcuts that will have steamy pot pie on your plates quickly.
See our EASY dairy-free pot pie tips, quick video, and recipe below!
TOP TIP FOR CHICKEN POT PIE
When making creamy dairy-free dishes, make sure your dairy-free milk is unsweetened original flavor. Sweet dairy-free milk won’t taste too good and accidentally using vanilla flavor is always a disaster in dinner dishes. For this recipe, our family uses unsweetened original oat milk.
Chicken pot pie recipes definitely have a reputation for being time consuming and tedious.
I mean, anytime you hear the word pie, you know you’re in for it as a home cook. Ha!
It’s no secret that homemade pie crust can be tricky…
and it’s something I’m still trying to get better at, here in my own kitchen.
While scratch pie crust is definitely worth the work for homemade apple pie…
I’ve never been convinced it’s worth laboring over for chicken.
That’s why I always settled for creamy chicken dishes that took a little less work, like these!
Then one evening, hubby came home with a special surprise…like he often does when he goes to the grocery store.
Low and behold, store-bought pie crusts even dairy-free and safe for our food allergies.
And he knew exactly what we were making with them.
Dairy-free chicken pot pie. For real pot pie. Not biscuit pot pie. HA!
So sure, why not. I obliged, wondering how would this really taste?
Would the family fall for a frozen pie crust imposter?
Turns out, the answer was yes. Yes they WOULD love cheater chicken pot pie for dinner.
In fact, we made it twice in two weeks because we couldn’t wait to eat it again!
And I didn’t mind MAKING it twice in a row. It was that easy!
There was only one tiny problem. Our family of four ate the whole darn chicken pot pie in one night.
Even I ate my fair share. So cozy.
That meant no leftovers for hubby’s lunch, which is quite a shame in our house.
At any rate, chicken pot pie quickly became another one of our dinner staples for sure.
It’s so delicious and so easy that I’m quickly over my hesitancy to use pre-made crust.
We can always make exceptions, right?
Yes, quick crust is one shortcut for quick pot pie.
But up my sleeves are a few more shortcuts I think you’ll like, as well!
Homemade chicken pot pie REALLY can be easy. Who knew?
CHICKEN POT PIE SHORTCUTS
Here are a few ways we have homemade pot pie on the dinner table in about an hour and a half.
- STORE-BOUGHT PIE CRUST
As mentioned above, this is a huge time-saver. And it’s definitely tasty! If you have food allergies, make sure you buy a brand that’s safe for your special diet.
- STORE-BOUGHT CHICKEN BROTH
Even though we actually make our own chicken broth the day after roasting a chicken, I know some of you may not have your own chicken broth on hand. Don’t let that keep you from making pot pie. There are dairy-free chicken broths you can buy. I use them in a pinch, too, when we don’t have homemade broth on hand.
- LEFTOVER CHICKEN
Chicken pot pie is actually an awesome day-two dinner using leftover shredded or diced chicken. We like to bake rotisserie chicken the first night. Then the leftover meat is shredded for making pot pie the second night.
- FROZEN VEGETABLES
In addition to leftover chicken, pot pie calls for vegetables like carrots and peas. Instead of taking time to chop all fresh veggies, I simply keep frozen carrots and peas in our freezer for soups and pot pie. This also conserves a lot of time.
Below, see our chicken pot pie recipe using these handy shortcuts.
QUICK CHICKEN POT PIE DAIRY-FREE
Be sure to see our quick pot pie video in this post, too.
For dairy-free milk, we like to use unsweetened almond or oat milk. Use what dairy-free milk works for your allergies, unsweetened and unflavored.
INGREDIENTS
2 dairy-free pie crusts
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dairy-free butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk
dried thyme to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup of frozen peas and/or carrots
2-3 cups of leftover cooked chicken, shredded
CHICKEN FILLING DIRECTIONS
Set out your frozen pie crusts to thaw.
Chop your onion.
In a large skillet, cook 1/2 cup chopped onions in 1/4 cup dairy-free butter until tender.
Whisk 1/3 cup flour into the butter.
Slowly add 2 cups chicken broth and 3/4 cup unsweet dairy-free milk, whisking continuously.
Cook on medium heat and continue to stir until thick and bubbly.
Add salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.
Stir in 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots.
Simmer until veggies are soft and tender.
Add 2-3 cups of shredded chicken.
Heat through for about 10-15 minutes, while stirring continually.
CHICKEN PIE DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to the temperature your pie crust package calls for.
As the chicken mixture is finishing, lay one of the dairy-free crusts in the bottom of a pie pan.
Fill the pie crust up with the chicken mixture.
Lay the second dairy-free crust over the mixture.
Seal the two pie crusts together by tucking the top crust edge behind the bottom crust edge. Then pinch them together by going around the edge with the knuckle of your index finger.
Cut a few slits in the center of the top crust to help vent and prevent cracking.
Bake according to directions on your dairy-free pie crust package. Probably 40-45 minutes. You’ll want to cover the crust edges halfway through to prevent too much browning, using foil or a pie shield.
Remove according to the time on your pie crust instructions. Let the pot pie cool several minutes before serving. It comes out piping hot! Be careful not to eat or serve it too hot.
Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator for a day or two. Reheat leftovers.
Hope you love this shortcut, dairy-free chicken pot pie as much as we do!