Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

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Chicken pot pie casserole is the ultimate comfort food recipe — but this one has a healthier twist. It’s made with whole ingredients, including lean chicken breast, six different types of vegetables, a homemade herb-flavored cream sauce, and a light, crispy phyllo dough crust.

A white casserole pan and small white bowl with chicken pot pie casserole on a white counter. A green and white striped napkin is next to the casserole.

This dinner casserole is one of my family’s favorite recipes. It easily feeds a crowd and always gets rave reviews. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Winner winner chicken dinner! Try my one-pan chicken with spinach and mushrooms, as well as my creamy chicken and mushroom pasta, for fast and easy chicken dinners.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

FEEDS A CROWD. This recipe easily serves 6-12 people, and is perfect for a Sunday family dinner, football night, or as part of a brunch buffet.
HEALTHIER. It’s packed with six different vegetables, the cream sauce is homemade (no canned soup here!), and light, crisp phyllo dough replaces a higher-fat pie crust.
FREEZER-FRIENDLY. Make this recipe in advance, refrigerate or freeze it, and bake it when you’re ready to eat.

Recipe Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients needed to make this chicken pot pie casserole. Substitutions and variations are in the section below.

Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.

Ingredients needed to make chicken pot pie casserole.

Chicken. You’ll need about one pound of cooked, shredded chicken for this recipe. I prefer boneless chicken breasts, but you can use dark meat or a mix if you like it.

Vegetables. My favorite combination is onion, carrots, celery, sweet potato, mushrooms, and peas. Use more or less of your favorites, but aim for a total of eight cups of raw vegetables for this recipe. If you have leftover sautéed mushrooms, you can swap them for the raw mushrooms.

Cream. Adding just 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the cooked chicken and vegetable mixture makes it thick and creamy.

Spices. Besides salt and pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a generous amount of dried thyme, and a handful of fresh minced parsley add depth and delicious flavor to the casserole.

Phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is paper-thin sheets of dough made from flour, water, and oil. It’s generally far lower in fat and carbs than pie dough, and it makes a lovely, crispy topping. Look for phyllo dough sheets in the freezer aisle, usually near the pie crusts and pies.

Substitutions and Variations

To make this recipe non-dairy, omit the cream and use ½ cup of neutral-flavored plant milk, such as oat milk, mixed with 1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch. Add this to the cooked chicken, vegetables, and stock, and bring it to a boil to thicken.
Try these other vegetable options: broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, white or purple potatoes, green beans.
To save time, use a shredded rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken, and swap frozen vegetables for the raw vegetables. You’ll need about eight cups of frozen vegetables.

A white rectangular casserole dish and a small white bowl with chicken pot pie casserole.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Cook the chicken. Cover the chicken breasts with water and gently poach it for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Let the chicken cool while you cut and saute the vegetables, then shred it.

Steps 1 & 2 to make chicken pot pie casserole.

2. Sauté the vegetables. Cut your vegetables into bite-sized pieces (about ¾ inches) and saute them in olive oil.

3. Make a roux. Add the spices and flour to the sauteed vegetables. Cook the roux for about 30 seconds.

Steps 3 & 4 to make chicken pot pie casserole.

4. Make the sauce. Add the chicken stock to the pot of vegetables and bring the sauce to a boil to thicken the mixture. Add the shredded chicken and reduce the heat to allow the vegetables to cook. Check the vegetables after 15-20 minutes by inserting a fork or knife into a carrot and sweet potato. Once they’re slightly tender but still not quite cooked through, add the cream, peas, and parsley and bring the mixture to a simmer. Pour this into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

5. Brush the phyllo sheets with olive oil. Lay the phyllo sheets on a flat surface and cover them with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. Brush one sheet at a time with olive oil.

Steps 5 & 6 to make chicken pot pie casserole.

6. Top the casserole with crushed phyllo sheets. After brushing a phyllo sheet with oil, gently crumple it like a piece of paper and lay it on top of the casserole. Repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo. You should fit 12 pieces of phyllo over the casserole. Bake the casserole for 30-40 minutes or until the phyllo is golden.

A white, rectangular casserole pan and small white bowl with chicken pot pie casserole on a white background.

Expert Tips

Cut your vegetables into similarly sized pieces. This allows the vegetables to cook evenly, making the casserole easier to eat with a fork or spoon without needing to cut any vegetables.

Don’t overcook the vegetables before you put the casserole in the oven. Half of the cook time for this chicken pot pie casserole recipe is on the stove, and then it’s finished in the oven. If you overcook the vegetables on the stove, they’ll be mushy by the time the casserole comes out of the oven. Keep in mind that smaller pieces of vegetables will cook faster than larger ones.

If you swap frozen vegetables for raw, reduce the stovetop cook time to about five minutes.

If you substitute light cream or half-and-half for the heavy cream, there’s a good chance it will curdle or separate. To help prevent this, whisk the light cream or half-and-half with a tablespoon of cornstarch and then slowly add it to the sauce.

Brushing the phyllo dough with olive oil helps it turn golden when baked, so don’t skip this step. If you have olive oil spray, use that instead of brushing each sheet. You can also crumple the unoiled sheets and give them a light spray of olive oil once they’re in place on the top of the casserole.

What to Serve With a Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

This casserole is perfect for dinner or as part of a brunch buffet. Serve it with:

A fennel and orange salad
A chopped kale apple salad
An apple French toast casserole as part of your brunch spread
A flourless dark chocolate torte for dessert

Recipe FAQs

How long can you keep leftover chicken pot pie casserole?

You can refrigerate and enjoy your leftover casserole for up to three days.

How do you prep and freeze a chicken pot pie casserole?

If you have a freezer-safe casserole dish with a lid, prepare the entire recipe, but don’t bake it. Let it cool and then freeze it for up to three months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator before baking and add about 10 minutes to the bake time.

You can also prepare the recipe without the phyllo dough topping. Freeze the sauce base with vegetables and shredded chicken. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then transfer it to a casserole dish and add the phyllo topping before baking.