This Healthy Light and Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe will be a go to for weeknights or on those weekends when you want something comforting, but you don’t want to break the calorie bank!
This recipe takes some short cuts with frozen peas and carrots and you can even use a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting a chicken yourself. I also like to batch cook chicken and use the leftover chicken in this recipe. It’s a fabulous recipe to just use what you have!
How to make Healthy Light and Easy Chicken Pot Pie
You might wonder how an indulgent recipe like Homemade Chicken Pot Pie can be made lighter, but it’s easier than you think. We use chicken breast, swap heavy cream for half and half and we only use a top crust (I promise you won’t miss it). You really don’t need that bottom pie crust. In my opinion, it just gets soggy. You have that perfectly flaky crust on top and it’s really all you need!
The chicken pot pie filling is mainly traditional, but we use chicken breast, frozen peas and carrots and the gravy is made lighter with less dairy and no heavy cream. Any time I make over a recipe like this, my first step is to think through the heavier ingredients and decide what I can replace those with. I want to be sure I’m giving you low calorie but full flavor. That means not taking out every tasty element, but just reducing those a bit!
Topping Options for Chicken Pot Pie
I go for the 9 inch pie crust most of the time, but I have used Phyllo dough sheets and I’ve even used canned biscuits for a biscuit topping. Puff pastry is also delicious. Keep in mind that changing the crust option will change the macros on this recipe.
I like to brush my crust with a little bit of olive oil, butter or an egg wash so it’s a beautiful golden brown. Choose your dish according to your crust preference. I like to use a regular baking dish or casserole for phyllo dough or puff pastry however if I am using biscuits or the 9 inch round pie crust, I’ll go for a cast iron skillet (10 inches).
Substitutions for Healthy Light and Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Like I said above, you have a lot of options for the topping. You can also put in extra veggies that you like in your pot pie. I sometimes will add some diced potato. You could also add some diced sweet potatoes if you prefer that. Pearl onions are a nice addition or substitution for diced onions. In addition or in place of green peas, you could use green beans.
Have left over turkey from Thanksgiving? Make this a turkey pot pie
I simply season this with salt, black pepper and of course lots of flavor comes from the chicken broth or stock. Other flavor additions would be garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning.
I use half and half because it’s lighter than heavy cream. You could use low-fat milk, but I wouldn’t go under 2% for this recipe. You don’t want to thin out the creamy sauce too much. I have not tried this with unsweetened almond milk or any other dairy free milk options. I am not sure I’d recommend that.
How Long does Left Over Chicken Pot Pie Keep?
I will portion leftovers into an airtight container and they are good up to 3 days. Keep in mind that this is a fabulous recipe to make and freeze. Simply prepare the filling, add the crust and freeze at that stage. When you want to serve it, simply thaw it out and bake OR bake longer from frozen (you’d have to watch it, but I’m estimating you’d need at least an hour and half).
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe- Your Entire Family Will Love it!
This is one of those healthy recipes that is hard to believe is healthy. Comfort recipes are some of my absolute favorites and you’ll always find lighter versions of foods you love here. If you make this one leave a rating and review below! It helps other readers and I love hearing your feedback!
I really hope you make this Weeknight Worthy Chicken Pot Pie. If you make it, please tag me on Instagram @FreshFitKitchen. I love seeing your creations!
PIN FOR LATER!
This recipe was last updated on 8/4/2024.
Weeknight Worthy Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9 inch Refrigerated Pie Crust I use Pillsbury.
- 3 cups Chicken Breast 490 grams chicken- poached or rotisserie
- 10 ounces Frozen Peas and Carrots
- 1 medium onion 160 grams chopped
- 3 stalks Celery 105 grams Finely Chopped
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 3 tbsp. Half and Half
- 1 tbsp. Chicken Base I use better than bouillon brand. You can also use a bouillon cube.
- 3 tsp. Salt
- 2 tsp. Pepper
- Olive Oil or Egg Wash For Brushing on Top of crust prior to baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.You can buy a cooked chicken from the store and shred the meat off of it, poach chicken yourself, or use chicken you have leftover . You will need 490 grams or around 3 cups.3 cups Chicken Breast
- Dice up onion and celery and set aside. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in the bottom of a pot and add in the onion and celery. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until translucent.1 medium onion, 3 stalks Celery, 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour, 2 tbsp. Butter
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of flour over the celery onion mixture and stir together 1 minute. Slowly add in the chicken stock allowing the mixture to thicken. This will take 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly to avoid lumps.2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour, 2 cups Chicken Stock
- Pour the peas and carrots into the pot and add back in the chicken. Add salt and pepper. Be sure to taste for seasoning. Remove from the heat and add the 3 tbsp. of half and half.10 ounces Frozen Peas and Carrots, 3 tbsp. Half and Half
- The mixture will thicken as it sits. Roll your pie crust out into a 12 inch circle. I like to bake this in a 12 inch cast iron pan. You an use an 8x13 if that suits you better or your don't have cast iron.
- Pour the mixture into the cast iron pan. Cover with the dough. Crimp the edges. Cut a few slits in the top and brush with olive oil or an egg wash and bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Crista
Sunday 4th of April 2021
So yummy! This is a family favorite. Easy to made and better than the frozen kind!