This dairy-free chicken pot pie recipe was originally shared with us by the mom behind the blog My Buddy Mimi. Her daughter, Mimi, had a milk allergy, so she adapted a popular Alton Brown recipe to be dairy-free. She sometimes makes it with curry, sometimes without – both ways are delicious. We’ve also increased the liquid in the recipe a bit, since the original version can come out a little too thick.
Special Diet Notes: Almost Alton’s Chicken Pot Pie
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and soy-free.
Almost Alton's Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie with Curry Option
This pot pie is modified from a recipe by Alton Brown, who I actually got to meet once. Very cool guy! The puff pastry gets a little chewy when you refrigerate the leftovers, but otherwise it’s pretty fool proof.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Toss the frozen vegetables with the oil and spread them evenly onto a sheet pan. Bake until the vegetables are golden brown.
- Heat 1 tablespoon buttery spread in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery and let them sweat.
- In another medium saucepan, heat the broth and coconut milk until hot, but not boiling.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons buttery spread to the celery-onion mixture and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry powder (if using) and cook, while stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot liquid and cook, whisking often, until thickened. Whisk in the salt and pepper.
- Add the browned vegetables and the chicken to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Pour the filling into a shallow baking pan and top with puff pastry.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!More Comforting Dairy-Free Chicken Dinners
Oven-Fried Chicken
Mom’s Curry Chicken
34 Comments
This was really good! I used fresh vegetables and made a double batch, one to use immediately and one to freeze. Will definitely make this again when I bring home Costco rotisserie chicken!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Lori! Definitely a value meal (or two!) with those Costco chickens.
Has anyone tried making this gluten free?
We haven’t tried it yet! They do have gluten-free puff pastry available now which should work well.
I never leave comments on recipes, but this has become a FAVORITE in our house. My 6 year old daughter has requested it multiple times, and she’s picking about her pot pies! I had some left over vegan heavy cream (from trader joes) and used that in place of the coconut milk, and it made it extra creamy. Thanks for a fabulous, easy dinner option!!
Always so great to hear when the whole family likes a recipe!
I’ve cooked this several times and the sauce never thickens up. I’m going to try adding cornstarch to the sauce first before adding in the veggies and chicken.
Hi Christa, I’m sorry you’re having issues with this! It is a basic roux, so it should thicken. But when using flour to thicken (I assume you’re using all-purpose flour as called for), it can take about 10 minutes to thicken properly. If you want to add cornstarch, it’s best to do this closer to the end. Whisk a tablespoon of starch into a tablespoon of cold water, and then whisk it into the sauce. Then bake. If overheated, starch can cause the sauce to break down (thin) while cooking. That’s why roux is used more often in pot pies. You can also increase the flour to 1/4 cup, if preferred. It can be hard when busy or hungry, but roux just requires a little more patience.
How long do the vegetables typically take in the oven? I did 20 minutes on 400 and they’re still not golden brown. Also, the flour is supposed to be added to the celery onion mix?
Hi Sarah, apologies for my delay. It can depend on the moisture level of your vegetables. 20 minutes is plenty, and it’s okay if they aren’t golden. They will become golden more easily with less moisture. You don’t add the flour until step 5.
Could you use a roll of crescents instead of puff pastry? I have all this on hand minus puff pastry!
That should work!
Does it have to be a canned milk? Or can I use milk I have off hand (oat milk in a carton, almond milk, etc)?
Canned coconut milk is a different product from milk beverages (the type in cartons that you can drink as beverages). It’s richer. As noted, you can use a milk beverage, but it won’t be as rich. I’m not personally a fan of oat milk for recipes, but a lot of people use it.
Can I use corn starch to thicken it instead of flour?
Cornstarch should work, but it creates a different consistency than the flour. I would use 2 tablespoons starch in place of the flour.
Hi Kristen, I can’t comment on the brand you might have purchased, but most brands of puff pastry are dairy-free by ingredients, including Pepperidge Farm (as noted in the recipe) and most generics. I have come across “butter puff pastry” from high end companies on line, but haven’t seen one at the store.
I just made this and then realize puff pastry has dairy..frustrating
My husband and I love this meal! It turned out wonderfully. I was wondering if you can use chicken broth and chicken stock interchangeably in this recipe or if it needs to be chicken broth?
Hi Hannah, chicken stock should work great. Technically, stock is salt-free (though many store-bought brands now contain salt). If it is lower sodium than what you are using, I would taste test after adding the salt and pepper to ensure the salt levels are still right.
Can this be frozen? If so how would you go about it?
Definitely! You can simply wrap and freeze the cooked pot pie and reheat in the oven, or wrap an unbaked pot pie in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake it from frozen in a 400°F oven for 30 or 35 minutes. It will need a little more time when baking from frozen.
Can this be made ahead and reheated?
Yes, it definitely can!
Do you do this in a 9×13 baking dish? I’m preparing to make it this week!
That size should work well.
I have a package of Tenderflake Puff Pastry 397g. It states on the box that dough may be broken into 2 blocks. Should I be using the whole package for this recipe?
I believe that is close to a standard-sized package, so you might want to use it all. I’d look at it in comparison to your pan.
I was wondering, when cooking the vegetables in the oven, do you need to thaw them first?
No, you don’t.
This was great! I absolutely loved the flavors and was super impressed with how the coconut milk tasted in the filling. This was such an easy recipe to follow along with too! Thanks for sharing ☺️
So glad you enjoyed it Brittany!
This was sooo good! A comfort food without the guilt.
That’s wonderful – thank you for the feedback Jillian!