Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie Recipe with Flaky Whole Grain Crust

I discovered this dairy-free chicken pot pie recipe many years ago on a site called Dave’s Cave. That blog is no longer around, but I’m making sure Dave’s recipe lives on because it’s delicious! We’ve adapted it a bit, but stayed true to the original healthy concept.

Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie From Scratch with a Flaky Whole Grain Crust

We originally shared this recipe back in 2006, but today we’re giving the post a refresh and a big update.

Unlike most pot pie recipes, this one uses only fresh vegetables, not frozen. But you can swap in some canned or frozen vegetables if you’re light on supplies.

This recipe also has a homemade whole grain crust. You can use spelt flour or whole wheat flour – they produce similar results. Spelt is a touch “nuttier” in flavor, and crust dough made with spelt flour tends to break a little easier – but it’s easy to patch up. If you only have all-purpose flour or pastry flour on hand, that will also work! It just won’t be whole grain.

The filling has a nice buttery taste, but as noted, you can substitute oil if needed or preferred. The result will still be rich and flavorful. But you might need an extra pinch of salt.

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, and peanut-free. Optionally soy-free depending on your dairy-free butter/margarine.

Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Whole Grain Crust

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

75 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

Author: Adapted from Dave's Cave

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

Spelt or Wheat Crust

2 cups spelt flour or whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled dairy-free buttery sticks (can sub non-hydrogenated shortening or coconut oil)
Ice water

Chicken & Vegetable Filling

1 large or 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
Small bunch fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
¼ cup dairy-free buttery spread or sticks (can sub olive oil)
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
4 crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup spelt flour or whole wheat flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, diced
1 small potato, diced
⅓ cup peas
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped or 1 tablespoon dry parsley
½ teaspoon dried sage
Salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Spelt or Wheat Crust

In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour and salt. Add the chilled buttery sticks in pieces and whisk until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle with ice water a little at a time, folding it into the dough until it holds together as a nice ball.
Cover the ball with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.

Chicken & Vegetable Filling

Add about ½ inch of water to a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and rosemary and poach the chicken until it's cooked through. Drain and remove the chicken to a plate.
Return the saucepan to the heat and add the buttery spread. Once the spread is melted, add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic and cook it till they start to soften. Add the flour and continue cooking for about 1 minute to allow the flour to start to brown. Gradually whisk in the broth a little at a time. Add the potato and carrots and continue cooking until the sauce thickens.
Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the chicken, peas, parsley and sage. Add the salt and pepper to taste. (I use about ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt and about ½ to 1 teaspoon pepper.)

Assemble & Bake

Preheat your oven to 350°F
Divide the crust dough in half. Roll the first piece of dough out on a floured board so that it is large enough to completely cover a 9-inch pie plate. Push it into your pie plate and trim off the excess. Use the trimmings for any necessary repairs to cracks or tears that may have developed.
Add the filling. Roll out the remaining dough piece to fit over the pot pie. Seal the edges and put several slashes in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 1 hour. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.