If you're yearning for a dish that brings warmth, creaminess, and complete satisfaction without compromising your low-carb lifestyle, look no further than this Keto Chicken Pot Pie Casserole. This recipe transforms the classic comfort food into a keto-friendly meal, perfect for a chilly evening or a cozy family dinner.
Why Keto Chicken Pot Pie?
Traditional chicken pot pie is undeniably comforting and delicious, but it's often loaded with carbs due to its flour-filled gravy and buttery pie crust. This keto version eliminates the unnecessary carbs while retaining all the flavor and satisfaction of the original.
Here's how this recipe achieves the perfect balance:
- No Flour: The recipe skips the traditional flour-based gravy, using xanthan gum to thicken the creamy filling instead.
- Crustless: By omitting the pie crust and using a keto-friendly biscuit topping, the carb count is significantly reduced.
- Veggie-Smart: A small amount of mixed vegetables is used to keep the carb content in check while still providing essential nutrients and flavor.
The result is a hearty, low-carb casserole that's rich in flavor, easy to make, and perfect for the whole family.
Ingredients You'll Need
This Keto Chicken Pot Pie recipe uses simple, wholesome ingredients to create a flavorful and satisfying dish. Here's a breakdown of the key components:
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- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked in a slow cooker are ideal for this recipe. You can also use rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy shortcut. Chicken thighs can be used for more fat and flavor.
- Vegetables: A mix of low-carb vegetables like onion, garlic, mushrooms, red pepper, celery, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, or bell peppers adds flavor, texture, and essential nutrients to the filling.
- Creamy Base: Heavy cream and chicken broth create a rich and flavorful base for the filling. Coconut milk can be used as a dairy-free alternative.
- Thickener: Xanthan gum is used to thicken the creamy filling without the need for flour. Arrowroot or tapioca flour can be used as substitutes.
- Savory Seasonings: Poultry seasoning, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper enhance the flavor of the filling.
- Cheesy Biscuit Topping: A blend of low-carb ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, sour cream, and shredded cheese creates a fluffy and delicious biscuit topping. Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Colby cheese can be used.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This Keto Chicken Pot Pie Casserole comes together in a few simple steps:
- Cook the Chicken: Add 1 to 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, then shred or dice. (Shortcut: Use rotisserie chicken if you’re short on time.) Alternatively, cook the chicken as desired and dice in cubes. Boil, bake, or grill.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F or 375°F.
- Sauté the Vegetables: In a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter (or ghee) over medium heat. Add diced onion, garlic, and low-carb mixed veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. In a large dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, red pepper, onion, and celery, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Make the Creamy Filling: Stir in the heavy cream (or coconut milk), chicken broth, poultry seasoning, thyme, and rosemary. Sprinkle xanthan gum (or arrowroot/tapioca flour) on top and stir to combine. Stir in the chicken stock and mascarpone. Once the mascarpone has melted, stir in the green beans and chicken, then continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Stir in the 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum and continue stirring till the sauce has thickened.
- Simmer: Cover and simmer the filling for 5 minutes until it begins to thicken. Note: Keep it covered to prevent evaporation-you want a creamy texture, not a dry filling.
- Add Chicken: Stir the cooked chicken into the sauce and remove the skillet from heat.
- Make the Biscuit Topping: In a bowl, whisk together melted (and slightly cooled) butter (or ghee), eggs, sour cream, and a pinch of salt. Add coconut flour (or almond flour) and baking powder; stir until combined. Fold in shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese (or Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Colby cheese). In a separate bowl combine the almond flour, melted ghee, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix until crumbly. Add almond flour, coconut flour, butter, cream cheese, cheese, baking powder, and salt to a food processor. Pulse the mixture until blended. Add egg and pulse just until egg is mixed in. Remove dough and place on plastic wrap. Press into a disc shape about 6" round. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Note: dough will be soft, but once it goes into the refrigerator to chill it will harden.
- Assemble the Pot Pie: Pour the chicken mixture into a 9″ x 13″ baking casserole dish, that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Drop the biscuit batter by spoonfuls over the filling-do not spread it out. The batter will puff and brown as it bakes.
- Bake: Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the biscuit topping is cooked through and golden. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is bubbling and crust is browned and firm to the touch.
- Optional Broil: For extra color, switch the oven to broil for 1-2 minutes.
Tips and Variations
This Keto Chicken Pot Pie recipe is super versatile, allowing you to customize it to your liking and dietary needs. Here are some helpful tips and variations to consider:
- Protein Swaps: Substitute turkey breast or thighs for chicken-perfect for holiday leftovers.
- Vegetable Ideas: Customize the filling with your favorite low-carb vegetables like cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, or bell peppers. Omit higher carb carrots and opt for some mushroom and red pepper to give the pie some flavor and color. Keeping the onion to a minimum helps reduce the carbs as well.
- Cheese Options: Mix things up with different shredded cheeses in the biscuit topping.
- Almond Flour Option: If you don’t like coconut flour, sub in 1 cup almond flour (not a 1:1 ratio). Keep in mind the conversion ratio: 1/4 cup coconut flour = 1 cup almond flour.
- Dairy-Free Option: Use ghee and coconut cream instead of butter and heavy cream, and skip the cheese or sub with a dairy-free option.
- Dirty Keto: If you follow a more flexible low-carb diet, you can use Carbquick instead of the homemade biscuit topping.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Prepare the chicken mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Complete steps 1-4 in the instructions. Wrap the dish with foil or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Right before heating, make the topping and add to the top. Pop it in the oven and cook. You can also make the crust and the filling ahead of time. The crust will be soft until it goes into the refrigerator to firm up.
- Don't Spread the Batter: Dollop it on in spoonfuls to keep the topping light and the filling moist.
- Shortcut: Grab a rotisserie chicken from the store for quick prep. Or use frozen diced chicken.
- Experiment with Different Herbs: Have fun experimenting.
- Adjust Vegetables According to your Tastes: If there is something you don't like - just keep the same quantity. If you want to lower carrots, increase green beans or other vegetables.
- One-Pan Cooking: If your skillet is oven safe to at least 400F, you can actually just add the biscuit dough right over the top of the chicken mixture and bake it in the oven. That will save you another pan to clean and make things a little easier on you!
- Browning the Crust: To get the crust a little more browned, simply turn on the broil to low for a minute or two.
- Pre-cooked Chicken: Using pre-cooked chicken is a HUGE time saver.
Serving and Storage
This Keto Chicken Pot Pie Casserole is a complete meal on its own, but you can serve it with a side salad or some simple steamed vegetables.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
This dish is also freezer-friendly. After baking, let it cool completely, then freeze in portions or as a full casserole. Be sure to freeze this Chicken Pot Pie Casserole before baking. This includes the topping. Cover the pan tightly with foil and write down the directions on top of the container. Or, make two casseroles-bake one now, freeze one for later. Your future self will thank you!
Read also: Creamy Keto Recipe
Nutritional Information
This Keto Chicken Pot Pie recipe has approximately 4.4g net carbs per serving. Keep in mind that the carb count may vary depending on the specific ingredients you use.
Read also: Healthy Keto Chicken Recipe