Crustless chicken pot pie made in a skillet! Instead of pastry, serve this skillet of chicken pot pie filling over buttered toast for a yummy easy dinner, all made in just 30 minutes!
Crustless chicken pot pie
Crustless chicken pot pie is for people who love the inside of chicken pot pie, but absolutely cannot be bothered to use a crust. Either you don't want to buy pie crust and roll it out, you don't want to make crust from scratch, or it was omitted from your grocery order and you have all the ingredients to make chicken pot pie, except the crust! I'm definitely speaking from experience here!
I feel like I have a good relationship going with my grocery shopper, but how were they to know that all of the ingredients for chicken pot pie in my cart should be put back once you realized store-bought pie crust was out of stock? I don't blame them one bit, because I still made a yummy dinner!
Serving this crustless chicken pot pie over buttery toast was the best decision! My kids thought it was fun to dunk the toast, and since they both love bread, it helped them eat more of their dinner. This is a fun way to stretch my chicken pot pie for two into a meal for my family of 4.
Crustless Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients
- butter
- chicken tenders
- onion
- carrot
- frozen peas: You need ¼ cup frozen, OR, you can absolutely use ¾ cup of frozen mixed vegetables instead of carrot, peas, and corn individually. You might have some leftover from my shepherds pie for two.
- frozen corn
- dried thyme leaves
- flour
- heavy cream
- milk
- salt
- pepper
- 2 slices thick bread: I like thick Texas toast smeared with butter and placed in the toaster oven until fragrant for this recipe. Use your favorite bread, and be generous with the butter! You need to make my strawberry cheesecake toast for dessert with the leftover bread!
How to make Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- To a 10" skillet, add half of the butter and melt over medium low heat. Add the chopped chicken tenders, and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, and then add the remaining half of the butter, followed by the onions and carrots. Let these saute and start to soften over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the frozen corn, peas, and thyme leaves, stirring everything together. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the skillet, stir it and let it cook for 1 minute.
- Once the flour has cooked for a minute, add the cream and stir very well to bring up any delicious brown bits in the skillet. Then, add the milk, salt and pepper. Let it simmer until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Taste, and adjust it for extra seasoning, if needed.
- While everything comes together and thickens, spread butter generously on your toast slices, and serve this crustless chicken pot pie filling over the buttered toast.
I promise your whole family will loves this recipe! It uses ½ a pound of chicken tenders to serve 2-3 people, but you can double the recipe to make it serve more people and use a whole pound of chicken tenders.
Can you make this crustless chicken pot pie ahead of time?
Since my family loves this recipe, I have made the entire filling and stored it in the fridge for up to 2 days before serving. The night you serve it, make the toast, warm the filling through, and serve. You might have to thin the filling with a splash of milk.
Is this recipe gluten free since it doesn't have a crust?
Unfortunately, the filling relies on flour for thickening. However, you can substitute it to make it truly gluten free a few ways. You can dissolve cornstarch in the COLD milk before pouring it into the skillet. You can use a one-for-one gluten free flour substitution, or you can use arrowroot!
If you need gluten free, you should try my sweet potato toast.
What to Serve with This Chicken Pot Pie Skillet
My favorite thing to serve with this easy dinner is a salad with a bright and tangy vinaigrette. A classic Italian salad with a balsamic dressing is the perfect side dish.
Storing Leftover Chicken Pot Pie (Filling Only)
If you have any leftovers, move them to an airtight food storage container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, use the microwave or place it in a pot and heat over low until bubbling. You may need to add a splash of chicken broth to thin it out.
Chicken Pot Pie Skillet FAQs
How do you thicken a pot pie filling?
This recipe contains flour for thickening. If for some reason it is not thickening for you, crank the heat up and let it bubble until it is thick.
Looking for more chicken recipes?
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Chicken Pot Pie Skillet Recipe
Crustless chicken pot pie is all the flavors of a tasty chicken pot pie filling in the fraction of the time!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided use
- ½ pound raw chicken tenders, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small carrot, diced
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup frozen corn
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 cup 2% milk
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2 slices thick bread
Instructions
- In a small skillet, add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Turn the heat to medium and let melt while you chop the chicken.
- Add the chicken to the skillet, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until both sides are brown, about 4 minutes a side. It's okay if the insides are still slightly pink. Remove the chicken from the pan, trying to leave as much butter as possible, and return the pan to the heat.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan, along with the onions and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes over low heat until the vegetables have softened, but not browned. The onions shouldn't brown.
- Add the peas and corn and turn the heat back to medium. Crush the thyme leaves in your hand to release the oils and add them to the skillet. Stir to combine. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine. Let cook for 1 minute.
- Add the heavy cream and milk to the pan, along with a few pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the chicken back in the pan, and toss to coat it with the sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat until thickened. It should take 1-2 minutes to thicken.
- Meanwhile, toast the bread. Slice it on the diagonal.
- Divide the toast between two plates and top with chicken mixture. Serve immediately.
Notes
frozen vegetables: You need ¼ cup frozen corn and peas, plus chopped carrot. You may substitute ¾ cup of frozen mixed vegetables instead of carrot, peas, and corn individually.
dried thyme leaves: use thyme leaves, not ground thyme for this recipe.
2 slices thick bread: I like thick Texas toast smeared with butter and placed in the toaster oven until fragrant for this recipe. Use your favorite bread, and be generous with the butter!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 727Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 1533mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 5gSugar: 13gProtein: 32g
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
This is so my style. I haven't read the latest Rachael issue yet, but I always feel like she has the best simple ideas like this. Ugh-and can we just further expand on the horrors of the 80s? I remember having a GIANT tub of margarine in the fridge at all times. I don't know if I had regular bread and butter until I was a teenager. And don't even get me started on fat free salad dressings.
Zainab says
Now I'm craving blueberry pie. Thanks! First pot pie then a slice of pie!!
Sherry says
Super yummy recipe and soooo easy~! I will bake some biscuits... grands are quick and easy too... Nice addition to my easy, lazy girl recipes~! Thank you for sharing~!
ATasteOfMadness says
Oh m goodness, this looks amazing! I love how simple this is!
Millie | Add A Little says
This is such a fantastic idea instead of making the whole crust!
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says
I'm too lazy to make chicken pot pie so thank you for this brilliance.
Coty and Mariah@quirksandtwists says
What a clever and delicious idea! Such a time saver!
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
hahaha, I remember those Snackwell's aisles! Your dish reminds me of my mom's creamed tuna on toast - still one of my favorite comfort foods. Great recipe!!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
What a fabulous idea! Now I can have chicken pot pie any night of the week. So comforting and delicious!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Love this! The filling is my favorite part so why fickle with a crust? If it makes you feel better I have never made a true double crusted pot pie either. I almost always just only top it with crust or puff pastry and call it a day.
Christina Lane says
OHHHH puff pastry sounds SOOOO good. You're a genius, Brandy! xo