Full of fresh herbs and topped with a light and flaky phyllo crust, this healthy chicken pot pie is loaded with vegetables, but does not contain any cream, butter, or milk.
Who doesn’t love chicken pot pie? Like a big warm hug, I can’t think of anything more comforting for dinner. However, we all know I’ve never made a pie crust in my life, so making this dish at our house looks a little different. Instead, I’ve created my own version that is a bit lighter and made without any butter or cream. In fact, this Healthy Chicken Pot Pie is completely dairy-free!
Ingredients
- Carrots: Rich in fiber and loaded with vitamins, carrots have an earthy, sweet taste.
- Parsnip: While they may resemble a carrot, they don’t taste like them. They are a bit sweeter, like sweet potatoes, and are a great source of fiber and antioxidants.
- Onion: I use a white onion as it’s mild in flavor but still adds great flavor to
- Garlic: A little bit nutty and pungent in flavor, it pairs with the onion to help flavor the rest of the veggies.
- Fresh herbs: I think using fresh sage and thyme adds such a poweful punch of flavor to this dish, but if dried is all you have, they’ll still work!
- Poultry seasoning: These may vary depending on the brand, but usually it includes bits of salt, pepper, marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, and nutmeg.
- Flour: Used as a thickening agent for the gravy-like sauce.
- Chicken broth: Creates a delicious, creamy sauce when paired with the herbs and spices, and thickened with the flour.
- Green peas: I use frozen peas as I use them so often in cooking, I always have some in the freezer. But you could use fresh or canned!
- Rotisserie chicken: You could always cook some chicken breast and shred it, but I like the time saving that a rotisserie chicken gives me for this meal.
- Phyllo dough: Also called filo dough, it’s a light and flaky pastry dough that is similar to pie crust.
- Olive oil: Used in place of butter, it’s a heart healthy oil that keeps this dish dairy-free.
How to Make Healthy Chicken Pot Pie
Start your healthy chicken pot pie by preparing your produce. Chop your carrots, parsnip, and onion, and mince your fresh sage and thyme.
I also like to get my rotisserie chicken shredded.
Then in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, add the onion, carrot, and parsnip and cook until softened.
Then use a microplane to freshly grate your garlic into the pan.
Once garlic has cooked to become aromatic, stir in your fresh herbs and season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.
Next sprinkle in the flour and stir until fully incorporated.
Stir in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
Then add your frozen peas.
And add your shredded chicken. Cook just until heated through and evenly mixed.
Then pour your chicken pot pie filling into a large casserole dish.
To finish, working one sheet at a time, use a brush to “paint” olive oil on phyllo dough. Continue until all eight sheets are added. Use a knife to poke a couple holes through the top, then throw in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Once crust is a golden brown, remove from the oven and enjoy your healthy chicken pot pie!
Easy substitutions
- No parsnips? No problem! If you don’t have parsnips in your pantry I would recommend using small potatoes instead.
- Thicken things up. If you like a thicker gravy you can add more flour to the dish to thicken the gravy up.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Phyllo Dough?
Also called filo, phyllo is an unleavened bread that is used for pastries typically. It does not contain dairy unless you brush the layers with melted butter (I use olive oil instead).You can find phyllo in the refrigerated section at your local supermarket. It’s typically located near the pie crusts.
Are pot pies healthy for you?
A classic chicken pot pie I wouldn’t consider healthy, but I remove the dairy and use a lighter crust that is lower in carbs, which makes it a healthier rendition.
Can chicken pot pie be prepared ahead?
Yes, this recipe is very freezer friendly. However, if you’ve prepared the pot pie ahead of time and froze it, I would double the cooking time to ensure it cooks through.
More Healthy Dinners
- Lightened Seafood Chowder
- Salmon with Lemon and Oregano
- Brown Rice and Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables
- Low Carb Ground Turkey Lettuce Cups
Eat It, Like It, Share It!
Did you try this recipe and like it? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials! Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your dish.
Do yourself a favor and make a second one to freeze. You’ll thank me later, I promise.
Your fork is waiting.
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 1 parsnip (diced)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
- 32 oz chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 cups frozen green peas
- 1 rotisserie chicken (skin removed & breast meat shredded. White or dark meat can be used.)
- 8 sheets phyllo dough (thawed)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sauté carrots, parsnip, onions and garlic in a large sauce pan sprayed with non-stick spray heated on medium. Stir frequently until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- While veggies are cooking, stir in thyme, sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Add flour and stir to incorporate and cook out the flour flavor, about 60 seconds.
- Pour in chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in green peas and shredded chicken. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper accordingly.
- Pour chicken and vegetable mixture into a large baking dish.
- Add olive oil to a small bowl. Working one sheet at a time, use a brush to "paint" olive oil on phyllo dough. After each layer is brushed with oil, add on top of the baking dish to form a top crust. Continue until all eight sheets are added making sure to paint the top of the last sheet with oil.
- Use a knife to poke 2-3 slits in the phyllo crust then bake for 25-30 minutes or until phyllo is browned.
I have a question about serving size. You say that your “large baking pan” serves four people and is 327 calories per serving. Are you sure that isn’t EIGHT servings? Eight layers of phyllo dough is 456 calories all by itself (57 calories per layer).
My wife made your recipe for turkey pot pie (Thanksgiving leftovers, and no parsnips, so we used a potato) and it was in a 9″ x 14″ dish. I’m a big guy and I had one big serving that was about one-eighth of the pan!
Would you please check that?
Great recipe, though!
GREAT catch Bill! Just revised the recipe to make it easier to understand and hopefully a bit more accurate!! Changed the servings to 8 and specified how many cups of chicken as well as verified the nutrition facts for the phyllo. :)
Thanks, Liz.
By the way, I had the pot pie for lunch the next day and it was still great after reheating!
Oh i’m so glad to hear that Bill!!!
Great chicken pot pie! I did not put my filo dough out to come to room temperature in time so I made cauliflower mashed “potatoes” & topped it with those & grated cheese. Big hit with my family!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Love chicken pot pie- one of my most favourite comfort foods! Love the flaky filo topping- so delish! Can’t wait to try the recipe, thanks for sharing…
I hope you love it!!
I was looking for an awesome recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made this chicken pot pie deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this!
That makes me so happy!!
If I freeze the recipe prior to covering it with phyllo dough, how long do I need to defrost? Or how much cooking time would I add if I put it in the oven frozen? My family absolutely LOVES this pot pie! And it’s so easy, you can easily make it during the week! I have extra turkey from Thanksgiving and want to save the pot pie for later next month when they aren’t so tired of turkey!!!!
I would double the cook time if starting frozen! Enjoy!!
Hello! I’m thinking of making this for my bunco group later this month, so need to scale to feed 12 women(!). If I were to double the recipe, do you think it would fill a 9×13 baking dish? That would feed 8 based on the serving size, so I’d need to quadruple the recipe :)
Thanks!
Yes that would be perfect!! Great idea!
Looks like this has been posted for a while, but I just found it today. Made it for dinner, using leftover roasted chicken, potato instead of parsnip. Oh my gosh, DELICIOUS!! Thank you for sharing!
So happy you found it Robin!!!! One of my favorites!
Made this last night but with Pillsbury crescent roll dough instead (grocery store didn’t have phyllo dough) and it turned out delicious! The friend and boyfriend I fed couldn’t stop raving about it. Took a bit of time to prep but well-worth it, especially since I froze it (minus the dough) and then just pulled it out for mini-dinner party without any stress.
So glad you enjoyed it Sadye!!!
I also was wondering if I could use my crescent rolls. Did you keep the dough in tack and just lay it on the chicken mixture and did you change the cooking time?
Yes I bet that would work perfectly!
Made this tonight. All I can say is wow! A wonder array of flavor with a light crust. Family loved it!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I need to make this for my family again!
Hello! Do you think I could use this recipe but with lobster instead of chicken? I am making lobster pot pies for a dinner party but one guest is lactose intolerant.
Yes absolutely! Great idea!
This is definitely a new favourite in my household- I made this twice this past month and it’s definitely been a hit! Thanks for the recipe<3
Oh I’m so thrilled you enjoy it!!
Made this last night. Delicious and easy! My son thought there were too many peas, so I will likely decrease those next time. My daughter didn’t love the phyllo, so I might try a less-light version with puff pastry or pie crust.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!! So funny my boys ate almost a bag of frozen peas last night. Kids are funny. :)
Made this today and it came out delicious! Especially wonderful since hubs and I are lactose intolerant.
So thrilled to hear it!!