Traditional chicken pot pie recipes were changed to make this healthier version. It has fewer calories, fat, and sodium and more protein, fiber, and flavor. It’s made in single-serve portions so everyone gets their fill of veggies and protein.
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A few months ago, my friend Lizzie shared a photo of her vegetarian pot pie on Instagram. It looked so good I wanted to reach through my phone and take a bite! It also reminded of how long it’s been since I had pot pie. My mom used to serve us the frozen varieties when I was a kid. I admit, I was never a huge fan. Casseroles, in general, were never a favorite of mine. Something about my food being hidden in thick sauces and gravies is a turn-off to me. Who knows, maybe I had a bad experience from my childhood that I can’t remember.
Over the past few weeks, I haven’t stopped thinking about that photo of Lizzie’s vegetarian pot pies. She made them look so good. Then, this past week, one of my clients asked me if I had a recipe for a healthier chicken pot pie. It was so weird. Like a sign that I needed to make it.
So, I did. And, I’m so glad. It was absolutely delicious, even with the healthier modifications that I made. This version is lower in calories, fat and sodium, and higher in fiber and protein than traditional recipes. And, it’s super simple to make.
Chicken pot pie is a classic comfort food that has been loved for generations. It’s usually made with chicken, vegetables, and a creamy sauce baked into a pie crust. But what if you want to be healthier and skip the crust? How many calories is the filling of a chicken pot pie without the crust?
What Makes Up the Filling of a Chicken Pot Pie
The filling of a chicken pot pie is usually made up of:
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Chicken: Breasts or thighs of boneless, skinless chicken are often used. Compared to other meats, chicken has a lot of protein and not many calories.
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Potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, and celery are common vegetables to choose from. Vegetables add important vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
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Creamy sauce – usually a sauce thickened with butter and flour or cream. The sauce provides flavor and moisture
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Herbs and seasonings – onion, garlic, black pepper, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves help boost the flavor.
Not having the crust leaves you with the filling, which is made up of chicken, vegetables, sauce, and seasonings.
Calculating Calories in the Filling
To determine the calories in a chicken pot pie filling without the crust, we need to look at the calories of each component.
Chicken
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A 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast contains approximately 190 calories.
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For a whole pie, you might use anywhere from 1-2 chicken breasts, or 12-24 oz.
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So the chicken contributes approximately 380-760 calories total.
Vegetables
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1 cup of mixed frozen vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, green beans) contains about 60-80 calories.
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A whole pot pie might use 2-3 cups of veggies.
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So vegetables add approximately 120-240 calories.
Sauce
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A basic white sauce made of butter, flour, and milk has around 100-200 calories per cup.
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A pot pie would likely have 1-2 cups of sauce.
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The sauce adds roughly 100-400 calories.
Aromatics and Seasonings
Onions, garlic, herbs, and spices add minimal calories, probably less than 50 total.
Total Calories in Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- Without crust:
- Chicken: 380-760 calories
- Vegetables: 120-240 calories
- Sauce: 100-400 calories
- Aromatics: less than 50 calories
- Total calories for entire filling: Approximately 600-1400 calories
The total can vary significantly based on the exact ingredients and amounts used. But a reasonable estimate for a full chicken pot pie filling without the crust is 600-1400 calories.
Compare to Calories with Crust
To compare, a full chicken pot pie with a top and bottom crust can contain anywhere from 800-1600 calories.
So by skipping the crust, you are eliminating 200-800 calories or more, depending on the recipe.
Here are some examples:
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A publshed recipe for Chicken Pot Pie with No Crust has 317 calories per serving without crust. With a 370 calorie crust on top and bottom, it would have over 1000 calories per serving.
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The frozen food brand Atkins Crustless Chicken Pot Pie has 330 calories for 1 cup. With a crust, it could easily top 800 calories per serving.
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A homemade chicken pot pie made with puff pastry can range from 250-350 calories per serving without crust, and 800-1200 calories per serving with puff pastry crust top and bottom.
So in most cases, skipping the crust cuts the calories of chicken pot pie by around 25-50%.
Tips for Further Reducing Calories
You can trim even more calories from your crustless chicken pot pie with simple substitutions:
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Use skim or low-fat milk in the sauce instead of heavy cream – cuts about 100 calories per cup.
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Swap in cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower for some of the starchy potatoes – reduces calories by using a veggie with fewer carbs and calories than potatoes.
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Choose chicken thigh meat over breast – similar calories but more moist and flavorful.
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Increase the proportion of vegetables – bulk up on low calorie veggies like carrots, celery, mushrooms.
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Use cooking spray or broth instead of oil when sautéing aromatics like onion and garlic.
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Season generously with herbs and spices to add flavor without adding calories.
With some simple substitutions and veggie-boosting, you can make a hearty chicken pot pie filling for even less than 600 calories per serving!
Benefits of Skipping the Crust
Eliminating the crust from your chicken pot pie provides several benefits beyond just reducing calories:
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More nutritious – you gain vitamins, minerals, and fiber from extra veggies and chicken vs. empty carbs and fat from the crust.
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Easier portion control – no temptation of picking at the crust edges or eating multiple slices.
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Simpler prep – don’t have to roll out dough or mess with pie pans. Just throw everything in a casserole dish!
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Potentially more delicious – with the focus on maximizing the flavor of the interior filling rather than the crust.
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Easier cleanup – no need to scrub pie pans or roll out dough mats and cutters.
For anyone looking for a lighter, healthier, or simpler version of chicken pot pie, skipping the crust is an easy way to trim calories and fat without sacrificing the comforting flavors. Around 600-1400 calories is a reasonable estimate for a full recipe of chicken pot pie filling without crust. Compare that to 800-1600 calories for a version with crust, and the savings are substantial. With a few veggie substitutions and seasoning tricks, you can even lighten it further. So skip the crust, and enjoy a slimmed-down but still totally delicious chicken pot pie!
How To Make Healthier Chicken Pot Pie
To make this healthier chicken pot pie, start by pre-heating the oven to 425 degrees. If you have an oven that heats up quickly, you can hold off on this step until the chicken is cooked. If your oven takes a while, I suggest doing this first. You can also spray the mini bread pans and place them on a baking sheet. That way, they are ready to go once your filling is cooked.
As always, I suggest getting all the needed ingredients out, and preparing them first. Use a clean cutting board to trim and cut the chicken into large chucks. On a separate cutting board, dice your onions. I used jarred minced garlic for this recipe but if you’re using fresh garlic cloves, you’ll need to chop that, too. Measure your herbs, spices and liquids to make sure you have everything that you need.
As I mentioned above, I chose to cook the chicken by boiling it in some of the chicken broth.
Put one cup of chicken broth into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. After that, put the raw chicken pieces into the broth and cook them over medium-low heat. This preparation method saves tons of time, as the chicken should be fully cooked in under 10 minutes. You just want to make sure that you do not overcook it. Set a timer for ~8 minutes so that you remember to check the doneness. You can do that by inserting a food thermometer into the center of one of the large chucks. The chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degress F.
While the chicken is cooking, you can begin to make the pot pie filling. Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Once warmed, add the diced onions. Cook the onions for ~ 2 minutes or until they are soft, then stir in the minced garlic. Add the milk, chicken broth and the whole wheat flour to the sauce pan with the onions and garlic. Continue to stir the mixture until the flour is combined and the liquid starts to thicken. Once simmering, add the salt, pepper, rosemary and the frozen mixed vegetables. The mixed vegetables do not need to be defrosted. Continue to simmer, stirring regularly, until the mixture begins to simmer.
When the chicken is done, remove the pan from heat. Use thongs to remove the chicken pieces from the pot and place them in a separate bowl. Pour all of the chicken broth (that the chicken was cooking in) into the sauté pan with the vegetables. Shred the cooked chicken with thongs or a fork, then add it to the pan with the rest of the filling ingredients. Stir well to make sure it is all evenly combined.
Make sure that the pot pie filling is evenly distributed in the pan. When ready, spoon the filling into your prepared mini bread loaf pans. Be sure to evenly distribute the filling between the four pans.
Unroll the refrigerated pie crust and cut it in half. This recipe only calls for ½ of the crust, so roll up the rest and put it back in the fridge.
Use your hands or a rolling pin to shape the crust into a long rectangle, then use a knife or pizza cutter to slice it into four, even, rectangular pieces. Place a piece of crust over each of the 4 individual pot pie pans, then use your fingers to seal the crust over the sides. Once sealed, use a sharp knife to make a slice down the center of each pie.
Transfer the baking sheet with the individual pot pies to the oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to use the middle oven rack so that the crust doesn’t burn. I like my crust crisp, so I did not cover them with foil. To prevent over-browning, however, you can cover the edges of each pie with foil before putting them in the oven. Cook that way for the first 10-15 minutes, then remove the foil for the remaining 10 minutes.
How To Modify Chicken Pot Pie To Be Healthier
By making some simple modifications, I was able to cut the calories, fat and sodium content of this recipe significantly. Those same modifications also made this chicken pot pie easier to prepare. Here’s what I did to make this chicken pot pie a bit healthier.
A significant amount of the calories and fat in traditional chicken pot pie come from the crust. Only using crust on the top of the pies made a big difference nutritionally. For this recipe, I used a ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust rather than making my own. According to the nutrition facts label on the package, one crust was 8 servings with 100 calories per serving. Since this recipe is only four servings, and I was only using crust on the top, I only needed ½ of it for the recipe. I rolled the other half back up and put it back in the refrigerator.
Depending on when you buy it, refrigerated pie crusts can last a few months in the refrigerator. If you save ½ for another day like I did, be sur to check the expiration date so that you use it before it expires. If needed, you can double this recipe and make 8 healthier chicken pot pies instead of four.
I know, butter makes everything better! I agree, but it can also drive the calorie and fat content of a recipe up considerably. And, the amount that some recipes call for isn’t always necessary. When making this healthier chicken pot pie, I only used one tablespoon of butter, and it was plenty! To make sure that the filling didn’t dry out, I added extra chicken broth.
Many chicken pot pie recipes will call for “cooked chicken” but don’t share how to cook it. That’s because, it really doesn’t matter. It just needs to be cooked, then shredded. However, if you want to make a healthier version of chicken pot pie, the preparation method does matter. Using boneless, skinless, all-white meat chicken breast will be fewer calories and fat than using dark meat chicken. And, the preparation method can play a role, too. For this recipe, I cut the chicken into large chucks, then boiled it in chicken broth. You could bake it in the oven the same way, but it does take longer. Boiling the chicken in this way did not add any additional fat or sodium, and it was fully cooked in under 10 minutes.
This recipe doesn’t use a lot of flour, but you can boost the nutritional content of the small amount it does have by using a whole wheat variety. Whole wheat flour has more fiber than white and also contains a higher amount of many other nutrients. This swap doesn’t add a ton of extra nutrition, but every bit matters. And, since it’s mixed with so many other ingredients, you can’t taste the difference at all!
I’m all about the veggies, and this recipe is the perfect way to sneak extras in without anyone knowing. I used 2 ½ cups of mixed vegetables for this recipe, which means that each serving has over ½ cup of vegetables. I was a bit nervous that I’d have more filling than would fit in my four serving containers, but nope. This recipe resulting in the perfect amount of filling to make four hearty servings.
The nutritional information for one serving of chicken pot pie, cut from a traditional pie pan, depends on how big of a piece is cut. That means, you may not really know what you are getting. Using single-serve, individual pans solves that problem! For this recipe, I used my favorite mini bread loaf pans. I bought the set a few years ago and I can’t even begin to express you how useful they are. I use them to make everything from meatloaf to banana bread to Shephard’s pie. Each one is 3.65’ X 6.25” X 2.38”, which holds a bit more than a ramekin or even the larger sized muffin tins. They’re a perfect size for this recipe.
Aside from the portion control benefit, the single serve containers make super cute healthier chicken pot pies! They’re also easier to eat from, and you can be sure you’re getting your fair share of veggies.
Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
FAQ
How many calories are in a chicken pot pie?
Here are the foods from our food nutrition database that were used for the nutrition calculations of this recipe. Calories per serving of Chicken Pot Pie with No Crust. 79 calories of Tyson boneless, skinless chicken breast, (2. 86 oz) 74 calories of Potato, raw, (0. 29 large (3″ to 4-1/4″ dia. )) 53 calories of Sweet Potato, baked, (0. 29 cup).
What is the serving size of chicken pot pie?
The serving size for a standard chicken pot pie is typically one-sixth of the pie, which is a generous portion. 2. Are there low-calorie options for chicken pot pie? Yes, there are alternative recipes for chicken pot pie that use lighter ingredients or smaller portion sizes to reduce the overall calorie count. 3.
How much fat is in a chicken pot pie?
A Chicken Pot Pie has 37 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of polyunsaturated fat, and 0 grams of monounsaturated fat. To reduce the risk of heart diseases, it is best to consume items low in cholesterol and the cholesterol count in a 400 (g) Chicken Pot Pie is 75 mg.
What is chicken pot pie without pie crust?
Boneless chicken tenders are cooked with fresh and frozen vegetables, gravy, and chicken broth to make chicken pot pie without a pie crust. This is our classic Chicken Pot Pie but without the pie crust. A delicious home-style meal that requires ONE skillet and is ready in 30 minutes, helps get dinner to the table fast! This Chicken Pot Pie….
How much sugar is in a chicken pot pie?
Sugar in a Chicken Pot Pie is about 7 g and the amount of protein in a Chicken Pot Pie is approximately 29 g. If you want to know all about the nutrients in a Chicken Pot Pie, please look at the label to the left.
Can I use store-bought crust for chicken pot pie?
To reduce the calorie count in a homemade chicken pot pie, you can use a thinner crust, substitute heavy cream with a lighter alternative, and increase the ratio of vegetables to meat in the filling. 4. Can I use store-bought crust for my chicken pot pie to save on calories?
How many calories are in crustless chicken pot pie?
Description. Grilled chicken breast with carrots, corn, peas and dumplings in a savory pot pie sauce. Per Meal: 300 calories; 2 g sat fat (10% DV); 600 mg sodium (26% DV); 4 g total sugars.
How many calories are in chicken pot pie with no crust?
by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Crustless chicken pot pie by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. contains 319 calories per 255 g serving.
Is a chicken pot pie healthy for weight loss?
Are Chicken Pot Pies Healthy? The majority of chicken pot pies on the market are not very healthy. They are packed full of unhealthy fats, sugars, and preservatives. If you want a healthy pot pie, you’ll have to look in health food stores or make them at home.
Why is chicken pot pie so high in calories?
A significant amount of the calories and fat in traditional chicken pot pie come from the crust. Only using crust on the top of the pies made a big difference nutritionally.