Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

A gluten free twist on a classic family favorite, this chicken pot pie casserole is loaded with tender chicken and veggies simmered in a flavorful sauce and topped with a crunchy crust.



Nothing satisfies like comfort food and a hot, steaming bowl of chicken pot pie is guaranteed to hit the spot. Made with chunks of tender chicken, carrots, and onion all simmered in a creamy sauce and wrapped up in a buttery crust – what more could you ask for?

If you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, there IS one very important thing you need to ask for – to make it gluten free.

Gluten free chicken pot pie is by no means an impossibility, but you can’t just pop into the freezer section at your local grocery store and expect to find it. Anyway, if you’re craving chicken pot pie, a microwave dinner isn’t going to satisfy you. It really needs to be homemade.

If you’ve done any gluten free cooking on your own, you know it can be challenging.

Gluten free flours simply don’t respond the same way wheat flour does and you can’t always find a suitable gluten free substitute for important ingredients. You could spend an hour fussing with a recipe for gluten free pie crust, or you could trust Schär products to take the hassle out of the equation entirely. Keep your tried and tested family recipe for chicken pot pie filling and use Schär Gluten Free Breadcrumbs to create a crispy, crunching topping.

The result is something like a gluten free chicken pot pie casserole. It may not be exactly what your grandmother pulled out of the oven when you spent weekends at her house, but it has all the flavor of traditional chicken pot pie filling and none of the gluten.

The best part it, it’seasy to whip up a big batch for the whole family to enjoy or spoon it into freezer containers to reheat later. You may never make traditional pot pie again!

Making the Gluten Free Filling

Chicken pot pie is a classic recipe, so if you don’t have one you like already you can easily find one online. The beauty of it is that you can take just about any pot pie recipe and use the filling to make a casserole by swapping out the crust for the breadcrumb topping described below.

Unless you’re using a gluten free recipe, however, you may need to make an important adjustment – swapping out the flour used to thicken the sauce with a gluten-free alternative. Some recipes call for cornstarch or another thickener, but most use standard wheat flour.

Fortunately, the recipe works perfectly well with most gluten free all-purpose flour blends. If you try to use a single gluten free flour like almond flour or coconut flour, however, the results may not be what you expect. Unless you’re used to using these flours, we recommend using an all-purpose flour blend.

How Do You Make the Topping?

Traditionally, chicken pot pie is made with a buttery pie crust either placed on top of the filling or wrapped all the way around. This recipe is more of a casserole where the chicken pot pie filling remains the same, but the topping is a buttery breadcrumb mixture.

The key to success with this recipe is to use the right breadcrumbs that will soak up the butter and brown nicely.

Schär Gluten Free Breadcrumbs are perfect for this recipe. They have just the right texture for sprinkling and they are free from gluten, wheat, milk, and artificial preservatives. Made from a blend of rice flour, corn starch, and soy flour, these breadcrumbs safe for celiac sufferers.

Can You Freeze Chicken Pot Pie Casserole?

Chicken pot pie made with fresh crust can be frozen, but it is a little tricky to reheat it. It’s generally best to bake it before freezing it and then reheat it rather than freezing the uncooked dish. This chicken pot pie casserole is much more freezer-friendly.

If you want to enjoy the dish fresh at a later date, prepare it all the way but don’t bake it after adding the breadcrumb mixture. When you’re ready to enjoy the dish, let it thaw to room temperature then throw it in the oven. It may take more than the original 12 to 15 minutes to completely reheat, but you can check it easily with a food thermometer or by using a spoon to check the middle of the dish.

Another option is to prepare the casserole then divide it into smaller containers for freezing. This is a great option if you want to stock your freezer with weeknight meals that just need to be reheated. Chicken pot pie casserole is also a great weekend meal to prepare for the family that you can dish up into smaller containers to enjoy for lunch during the week.

Recipe: Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 pound sliced mushrooms
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup gluten free all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped marjoram
• 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 cups Schär Gluten Free Breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the onions and carrots then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.
4. Stir in the mushrooms then season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more.
6. Sprinkle the gluten free flour over the veggies and stir it in.
7. While whisking the mixture, drizzle in the chicken broth and half-and-half.
8. Add the marjoram and season with salt and pepper again.
9. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until it starts to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked chicken and frozen peas.
11. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly – set aside.
12. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan.
13. Remove from heat then stir in the Schär Gluten Free Breadcrumbs until evenly coated.
14. Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs over the chicken mixture.
15. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the crumbs are browned then let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

1. This recipe works very well with leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken. If you’re preparing the chicken for the pot pie, you can boil boneless, skinless chicken breast for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Diced or shred the chicken before adding it to the vegetable mixture. To give the chicken a little extra flavor, dice fresh chicken and sauté it in butter with salt and pepper until no longer pink.