Chicken Pot Pie Casserole is a Southern comfort dish that you can have on the table in under an hour. This casserole features tender chicken and veggies simmered in a creamy sauce, topped with fluffy, cheesy biscuit-like crumbles. It’s the perfect meal for those who love a classic pot pie and Southern biscuits.
Easy to Make Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
This Chicken Crumble is comfort food at its finest. It’s a twist on the classic chicken pot pie topped with biscuits, puff pastry or pie crust, but instead of the traditional toppings, you’ve got a crispy, buttery crumble that’s similar to a biscuit but better. No can of soup needed, you ‘ll make a simple roux instead.
It’s a dish that brings together tender, shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken) with a medley of fresh veggies like carrots, onions, and celery, all cooked to perfection with mushrooms for that extra depth of flavor.
The crumble topping is not your average biscuit topping—it’s got parmesan cheese mixed in, adding a sharp, salty bite that contrasts with the creaminess of the filling. The topping is baked separately before being added to the dish, so it stays crisp even after you bake it with the chicken and sauce. This way, you get that satisfying crunch with every bite, which is really what makes this dish stand out from a typical pot pie. (Good luck having enough of the crumble to top the casserole, it’s hard to resist nibbling on it while you’re making the sauce.)
The filling for this easy chicken pot pie casserole is rich and creamy, made with a smooth sauce that ties everything together without being too heavy. The key here is the balance between the milk and chicken broth, which creates a sauce that’s velvety but not overly thick. The lemon juice and fresh parsley brighten up the dish, cutting through the richness just enough to keep it from feeling too heavy.
Here’s Why This Chicken Pot Pie Casserole Recipe Is Always a Hit
- Ultimate Comfort Food: This easy casserole combines the hearty, creamy filling of a pot pie with a golden, buttery crumble topping, making it the perfect comfort dish for any cozy night in.
- Flavorful: This recipe uses umami-rich flavors like soy sauce and tomato paste to create a flavorful base. Combined with the sautéed aromatic veggies, parsley, and lemon juice, this dish has layers upon layers of flavor.
- Family-friendly: This dish is meant to serve a large crowd, so it’s perfect for feeding the family. Plus, you can make it ahead of time for a low-fuss weeknight dinner, and there’s no fighting over the biscuits, there’s plenty of biscuit bites to go around.
What You Need to Make Chicken Crumble
- Cooked chicken: I use rotisserie chicken to make things easier, but you can cook your own chicken breasts, I prefer this oven roasted method for cooking chicken breasts, it just takes 30 minutes, but when I’m in a hurry I’ll use rotisserie chicken.
- Pantry staples: You’ll need vegetable oil, salt and pepper, unsalted butter, baking powder, all-purpose flour, milk, chicken broth, and lemon juice.
- Vegetables: I use a classic blend of onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. These aromatic veggies add flavor to the dish. I also added frozen peas, but you can leave them out if you’re not a fan. Most chicken pot pie veggie blends include green beans, peas, carrots, and corn, but use whatever you like, or leave out all but the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms, you need them for flavor.
- Soy sauce and tomato paste: Add a depth of umami flavor to the casserole.
- Parsley: Adds herbal flavor.
- Crumble topping: You’ll need cayenne pepper, some basic pantry staples, parmesan cheese, and cream.
Simple Steps For Making This Chicken Casserole
Step One: Make the crumble
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then add some cream and cheese and combine with a fork.
Step Two: Create the flavor base
Sauté the veggies, remove from the skillet and cook the mushrooms. Add soy sauce and tomato paste for even more flavor.
Step Four: Make a roux
Add flour, to butter, and gradually add chicken broth and milk in the same pan you used for the veggies. Once thickened, add parsley and lemon juice.
Step Five: Combine all the parts
Add chicken, sautéed veggies, and peas (if using) and stir.
Step Six:
Pour into a casserole dish and top with the crumble topping, or if your skillet is large enough, you can leave it in the skillet and top with the crumble.
Step Seven:
Bake and enjoy!
What do I serve with this casserole?
This dish is great on its own, but it’s nice served with a salad like a seven layer salad or a Greek salad.
Success Tips
- If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, it works great in this recipe.
- If your crumble topping is browning too quickly, lightly tent it with foil.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Let it cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place in a baking dish in a 350ºF oven for 5-10 minutes. I find that the oven method allows the crumble topping to get crispy again versus using a microwave.
Making This Recipe Ahead Of Time
- Chop up your veggies and chicken and store them in an airtight container up to 3 days.
- Assemble the entire casserole before baking and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it come to room temperature before baking.
- You can also make the filling, pour it into the casserole dish, and store in the fridge for up to 1 day ahead of time. Add the crumble topping before baking and bake as directed.
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Chicken Pot Pie Casserole with Biscuit Crumbles
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 1 onion diced, about 1 cup
- 3 medium carrots sliced into ¼ inch slices
- ½ cup chopped celery
- Salt and pepper
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ¾ cup peas optional
Topping
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter cold, cut into cubes
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450º.
Topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until it is the size of small peas. Using a fork, mix in the cheese then add cream, stirring with a fork until large clumps form and the flour is incorporated.
- Place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and break up into 2 inch clumps. Bake until slightly brown, 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
Filling
- In a large skillet or dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat over medium-high. Add carrots, onions and celery along with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until onions are translucent and the carrots are slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl.
- In the same skillet add 1 tablespoon oil and sliced mushrooms, cook until browned and juices have released, about 5 minutes.Add soy sauce and tomato paste and cook an additional minute. Remove to a bowl with the carrots, onions and celery.
- In the same skillet melt 6 tablespoons of butter and cook over medium high heat. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for a minute. Gradually add the chicken broth and milk whisking constantly until incorporated and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons parsley and lemon juice.
- Add the chicken, veggies and peas if using to the sauce and stir to combine. Pour into a deep 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with the crumble topping and bake for 15 minutes, until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbly.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can use leftover turkey instead of chicken.
- You can easily make the biscuit topping ahead of time, just store in a ziplock until ready to use.
- Try making this casserole ahead of time, just freeze and let come to room temperature before you are ready to bake.
Nutrition
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Margaret Ann says
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but definitely intend to!
I love that you do not use canned soups but create the sauce with more natural low sodium ingredients!
Barbara Curry says
I hope you like it.
Beth Groff says
So funny I live in Amish country in PA and we make a totally different chicken pot pie. Ours is similar to your chicken and dumplings. We do a rolled dough and drop into a boiling combination of chicken pieces, potatoes, and peas. So funny how one part of the country makes a dish so different from another part. Loved all these recipes today. Thank You!!
Barbara Curry says
Is it a biscuit dough that you roll out. If so, the shape might be different but it’s the same concept.