SKIP THE CRUST—TOP YOUR CHICKEN POT PIE WITH BUTTERY BISCUITS INSTEAD

If chicken pot pie excites you but pie crust intimidates you, then you’ve arrived at the perfect recipe. Classic chicken pot pie filling is baked into a stress-free casserole, and best of all, topped with buttery biscuits for that tantalizing golden brown finish. In a little more than an hour, you’ll have a crowd-pleasing casserole on your hands—no pie crust required. Here’s how to make it the best it can be:

What People Are Saying:

“Delicious as is! Made exact to recipe and my husband and kids all loved it!” - Chelham22

“We have made this a couple of times, exactly as the recipe describes but minus the peas. It is fantastic and so easy to make!! Love, love, love!” - Jenene

How To Make Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

INGREDIENTS

  • Carrots, Celery & Onion: This trio forms the base of our chicken pot pie, building the flavor up with a bit of sweetness and depth.
  • Thyme: I highly recommend using fresh thyme here for the best earthy, warming flavor.
  • Flour & Milk: This combination is what makes our filling so thick and creamy. Flour thickens it up, while milk adds body and richness.
  • Chicken Broth: I recommend using low-sodium chicken broth to control the salt amounts.
  • Dijon Mustard: Trust me here—Dijon adds a sharpness that rounds out all of our other flavors.
  • Garlic Powder: Garlic powder will add that signature garlic flavor that is a bit milder than using garlic cloves.
  • Chicken: If you have leftover shredded chicken, then this is the perfect way to use it up. If you’re making the chicken now (or need some guidance) refer to our guide on how to shred chicken. Alternatively, you can use a rotisserie chicken instead.
  • Peas: I love peas in my chicken pot pie, so I’m using them here. If you have fresh peas on hand then feel free to use those, but I’m a big fan of frozen peas because they're available year round. Not a fan? Leave them out!
  • Biscuit Dough: Bye, pie crust! Any refrigerated biscuit dough will work perfectly here. I do recommend not using extremely thick biscuits—those will require a longer cook time. For those crazy enough to only want half, 1/2-sized biscuit tubes now exist! Alternatively, you could top this casserole with some frozen and thawed puff pastry or phyllo dough instead. This way, you’ll get full coverage but still have the convenience of using store-bought ingredients.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This casserole is all about ease. After preheating the oven to 375º, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add your diced carrots, celery, onion, thyme, and salt to the skillet, and cook until softened. This should take around 5 to 7 minutes—make sure you are stirring often! Once softened, and the flour, and stir to fully coat the vegetables. After cooking for a couple minutes more, add the milk, broth, mustard, garlic powder, and even more salt. Whisk to combine, then increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to a medium so the mixture can simmer. Let simmer, stirring often, until it has visibly thickened. This should take around 3 to 5 minutes. Once thickened, fold in the chicken and peas. Give it a taste, and add more salt as needed.

Once your mixture is to your liking, transfer it to a baking dish. Grab your biscuits, separate them, then arrange on top of the filling. Give the entire dish a good sprinkle of salt and pepper, then bake.

Bake until the filling is bubbling, and the biscuits are golden and risen. This should take around 22 to 25 minutes, but depending on the size of your biscuits, they may need longer in the oven. Once done, let the casserole cool for around 5 minutes before serving.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

  • How to make the best chicken pot pie casserole. The key to this casserole is taking your time to sweat the veggies, and ensuring you get a bit of color on them. This will add a layer of flavor complexity that really shows up in the final dish.
  • What if my biscuits aren’t done? If your biscuits are having trouble cooking, add on a few more minutes at the end to ensure they're cooked through.
  • Not feeling chicken? Feel free to make our vegan mushroom pot pie or turkey pot pie instead, and top with biscuits.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store in the fridge in an airtight container for around 3 days. Keep in mind that as time goes on, the biscuits will start to lean more on the soggy side. For the crispiest biscuit topping possible, enjoy this casserole the day of, or separate the biscuits after cooking.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins

Calories per Serving: 429

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp.

    butter

  • 3

    medium carrots, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • 3

    stalks celery, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • 1

    large yellow onion, diced (about 1½ cups)

  • 1 tsp.

    chopped fresh thyme

  • 1 tsp.

    kosher salt, divided

  • 1/2 tsp.

    freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 tbsp.

    all-purpose flour

  • 2 c.

    whole milk

  • 1 c.

    low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 tbsp.

    Dijon mustard

  • 1/2 tsp.

    garlic powder

  • 4 c.

    cooked shredded chicken

  • 1 c.

    frozen peas

  • 1

    (16.3-ounce tube) biscuit dough

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375º with rack in the center. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, thyme, and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add flour, and stir to coat vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes more, then add milk, broth, mustard, garlic powder, and remaining ½ tsp salt, whisking to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in chicken and peas. Taste and add more salt as needed.
  2. Transfer mixture to a 13"-x-9" baking dish. Arrange biscuits on top of filling. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
  3. Bake until filling is bubbling and biscuits are golden and risen, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie Variations

Made This?

Let us know how it went in the comments below!

2025-01-09T23:31:47Z