Crustless Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk

Hearty, comforting and so cozy, it's perfect for colder weather, but you'll want this Crustless Chicken Pot Pie all year long. Loaded with chicken and tons of veggies, all in a special creamy buttermilk sauce.

Okay, it's not exactly a pie in the true sense of the word. All it's missing is the crust. (Which is of course what would make it a pie, I know.)

It's otherwise loaded with the usual chicken pot pie ingredients, plus a few others that make it unique. It's also rich and creamy, just as you'd imagine a traditional pot pie would be.

Most recipes include flour, cream and a generous amount of butter to make the sauce thick. My Crustless Chicken Pot Pie however, is thickened with a small amount of cornstarch and uses buttermilk and just a tablespoon of butter.

The Ingredients

• chicken breasts - Fresh raw chicken should be a light pink color with white pieces of fat, little to no odor, soft and moist. (Labels can be very confusing, but Pasture Raised is considered the most ethical.)
• carrots - Look for firm, plump carrots, preferably without little roots on the bottom.
• Yukon Gold potatoes - Choose potatoes that are firm, smooth and free of sprouts.
• onion - Try to choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
• buttermilk - Buttermilk is more or less the same consistency as cream and has a tangy flavor because it's fermented. It has significantly less fat than cream does, which isn't why it was chosen for this recipe, it's just an added bonus. 😊
• cornstarch - Cornstarch is a quick and easy way to thicken sauces.
• chicken stock - Preferably unsalted.
• fresh sage - This adds a delicious earthy flavor. Try to choose perky, deeply-colored fresh herbs.
• dried thyme
• frozen peas - Thawed.
• ground cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. These are warming spices and they add a delicious citrusy, earthy and subtly sweet flavor to the pot pie filing.
• bread crumbs - Gluten-free or regular.
• Kosher salt - If you use table salt, use half the amount.
• black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.

Substitutions

• Chicken breasts. Feel free to use chicken thighs if you'd like.
• Yukon Gold potatoes. Dutch Yellow, Russets and White potatoes are all good substitutes. I love the Yukon Golds because of their creamy texture and buttery flavor.
• Buttermilk. The Buttermilk can be substituted with half and half or heavy cream.
• Cornstarch. Instead of cornstarch, you can use Arrowroot powder or Potato starch. Flour can also be used but you'll need double the amount.
• Chicken stock. Vegetable stock is a great alternative.
• Fresh sage. Rosemary and thyme are good substitutes, and any combination thereof.
• Ground cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. Allspice can be used instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg. If you don't have cardamom, just use a bit extra of the other two spices. I don't recommend increasing the overall amount of spice, and I would keep the cardamom to the ¾ teaspoon.

Variations

• Sweet potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower all make for excellent additions to Crustless Chicken Pot Pie. And you can swap them for the potatoes and carrots, if desired. (Cooking times will vary.)

Recipe Tips

• If the veggies aren't as caramelized as you'd like after 35 minutes, continue roasting them until they are, mixing them often.
• Don't skip pounding the chicken breasts. Their thickness should be even throughout so that when you sauté them they'll cook evenly.
• It's very important not to boil the sauce. If it boils the buttermilk might curdle. It should just barely be simmering before you turn the heat off.

How to Make it

This recipe is broken into three easy steps: Roasting the vegetables, sautéing the chicken and and making the sauce.

- Coat a 12-inch pie dish or 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, sage and thyme to the dish and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss to be sure everything is well coated and then place the pan in the 450°F oven. Roast the vegetables until they're tender and golden, about 35 minutes. They should be mixed about halfway through. Set aside and reduce the oven to 375°F.

- While the vegetables are roasting, place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound them with a meat pounder (or the bottom of your smallest sauté pan). Their thickness should be even throughout so they cook evenly. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. 


- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once it's very hot, add the chicken breasts and sauté just until they're cooked through, about 7 minutes. Flip them over, and turn the heat to low-medium about halfway through. Set them aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.


- Add about ¼ cup of the stock to a small dish and add the cornstarch. Quickly whisk it until it's smooth. This is called slurry, and it will thicken the sauce. Set aside. 


- Add the remaining chicken stock, the slurry, the buttermilk, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg to a medium-sized sauce pan and place it over low-medium heat. Cook, constantly whisking, only until it's very gently simmering, and then turn off the heat. Do NOT let it boil. (This whole process should only take a few minutes.)


- Add the chopped chicken, peas and the sauce to the dish with the roasted vegetables and gently mix. Sprinkle with bread crumbs if desired for a bit of a crunch, and place it in the 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, just to meld everything together.



Serve!

Serving Suggestions

• I usually serve this chicken dish over rice. It keeps it a gluten-free meal and it's idea for soaking up any excess sauce. Quinoa, wild rice and lentils would also work really well.
• If keeping it gluten-free isn't important for you, I also love it over farro and orzo, or served with a warm crusty loaf of bread.

Making it Ahead

• Crustless Chicken Pot Pie will still be flavorful (if not more so!), the day after it's made. However, it will be at its creamiest right after it's done cooking. (As it sits, some of the liquid will be absorbed into the chicken, potatoes, etc.)
• If you know you want to serve it the next day, you can increase the sauce ingredients (use 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, 2 ½ cups buttermilk, and 1 ¾ cups chicken stock). Alternately, you can make additional sauce whenever you'd like to serve.

*Leftovers are super tasty with or without additional sauce.

More Chicken Comfort Food Dishes

• Cuban Chicken Stew
• Sausage Chicken Cassoulet
• Skillet Sweet Potato Chicken
• Marinated Achiote Chicken
• Apricot Chicken with Olives
• Baked Coconut Mango Chicken
• Mexican Chicken Poblano Pasta
• Chicken Caprese with Orzo and Spinach

In case you want a more classic Chicken Pot Pie, here's a delicious one.

I hope you love my crustless version!

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