Hey folks,

If you’ve been chasing a gluten free dairy free chicken pot pie that actually delivers on that creamy, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs feeling — this is it. No sad watery filling. No crumbly crust situation that falls apart the second you look at it. This one has a proper thick, savory filling loaded with chicken and vegetables, and a drop biscuit topping that bakes up golden and fluffy right on top of the pan. No rolling pin. No chilling dough. You literally drop spoonfuls of batter on top and let the oven do the work.

I made this wheat free dairy free chicken pot pie for the first time on a rainy Sunday when I was craving something deeply comforting but didn’t want to deal with a full pie crust project. Drop biscuits felt like cheating at first. But honestly? After the fourth time making it, I can tell you the biscuit topping is better than most rolled crusts I’ve had. It absorbs the steam from the filling, the bottoms get soft and saucy, and the tops get this little golden crisp. It’s the best of both worlds.

You’ll want a large oven-safe skillet or a 9x13 baking dish for this. Let’s get into it.

Why It Works

The filling thickens the same way a classic pot pie does — with a roux. You cook vegan butter with GF flour before adding your liquid, which gives you a silky base that doesn’t taste “gluten-free” at all. The trick is giving that roux a full two minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor. Most people pull it too early. Don’t.

For the liquid, this gf df pot pie recipe uses a combination of unsweetened almond milk and chicken broth. The broth gives you depth and that savory backbone you want, while the almond milk adds body and richness without any dairy. According to Bob’s Red Mill’s guide to gluten-free baking, GF flour blends that contain xanthan gum behave very similarly to all-purpose flour in a roux — which means your filling will thicken up just like the classic version. Just make sure you’re using a 1-to-1 blend that has xanthan gum in the mix.

The drop biscuit topping uses cold vegan butter worked into GF flour, plus almond milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar. That vinegar reacts with the baking powder and gives you lift — little pillowy biscuits that puff up beautifully. Cold butter matters here. If your butter is soft or room temp, the biscuits spread out flat instead of rising. I’ve made that mistake. The results are sad.

And because this is a drop biscuit situation, you don’t need any special skills. Rustic is the look we’re going for. The unevenness is actually ideal — more edges means more golden bits.

Ingredients

Everything here is straightforward. A few things worth calling out:

For the filling: Cooked shredded chicken is the move. Rotisserie chicken works great if you want to skip a step — just check the label to make sure it’s gluten and dairy free (most plain rotisserie birds are fine). You can also use leftover roasted chicken or poach two breasts in salted water while you prep the vegetables. Whatever works.

The GF 1-to-1 baking flour is doing double duty — it goes into both the roux and the biscuit topping. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for both, and it holds up perfectly in each application. One bag, two uses.

For the biscuits: Cold vegan butter is non-negotiable. Cut it into small cubes and stick it back in the fridge while you prep everything else. When it hits the hot oven, those cold butter pockets create steam and that’s where the flakiness comes from. Same principle as any good biscuit.

If you want to go the gluten free dairy free chicken pot pie almond flour crust route instead — like a proper pressed crust on the bottom and sides — almond flour does work, but it bakes up denser and requires more effort. Honestly, the drop biscuit topping is faster, easier, and in my experience more crowd-pleasing. But I know some folks want that full enclosure feel, so I’ll cover that option in Tips.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. If you’re using an oven-safe 12-inch skillet, keep it on the stovetop. If you’re using a baking dish, you’ll transfer the filling to it before topping.

2. Make the biscuit dough first so it can rest. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1.5 cups GF flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and thyme. Add the cold cubed vegan butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs — some pea-sized butter chunks are totally fine, even ideal. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the almond milk, then pour it into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. A few dry streaks are okay. Set aside.

3. Cook the vegetables. Melt the 3 tablespoons of vegan butter in your large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Throw in the carrots and celery and cook for 3–4 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Build the roux. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of GF flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for a full 2 minutes. It’ll look dry and paste-like — that’s correct. This step is important. Don’t rush it.

5. Add the liquid. Pour in the almond milk slowly while stirring, then add the chicken broth. Keep stirring as it comes up to a gentle simmer. It will thicken up nicely within 3–4 minutes. Add the thyme, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

6. Add the chicken and peas. Stir in the shredded chicken and frozen peas. Taste and adjust seasoning — this is your moment. The filling should be well-seasoned on its own because the biscuits don’t add much salt to the dish.

7. Top with biscuits. Drop large spoonfuls of biscuit dough directly over the filling. Space them out slightly — you want about 8–10 biscuit mounds. They don’t need to cover every inch. Some gaps are fine and actually help steam escape.

8. Bake for 20–22 minutes until the biscuits are golden on top and cooked through. If the tops aren’t quite golden enough at 20 minutes, you can hit the broiler for 1–2 minutes. Watch it closely though — goes from perfect to too dark fast.

9. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. This lets the filling settle and thicken slightly. Scoop into bowls and make sure everyone gets at least one full biscuit on top.

Tips & Substitutions

Chicken options: Thighs shred more easily and stay juicier than breasts. Either works, but thighs are my default for pot pie. If you’re in a real hurry, grab a plain rotisserie chicken — shreds in about three minutes.

Make it egg-free too: This recipe is already egg-free. The biscuit topping doesn’t use eggs, so if you’re feeding someone with an egg allergy you’re already covered.

No almond milk? Full-fat coconut milk from a can makes the filling extra rich and creamy — it’s actually really good. Oat milk works too but gives a slightly sweeter flavor. I’d lean toward coconut or almond for this one.

Vegetable swaps: Corn, green beans, parsnips — whatever you have in the fridge. This is a great use-up-the-week’s-vegetables situation. Just keep the total volume roughly the same so the filling ratio stays right.

Biscuit topping troubleshooting: If your biscuits come out flat, the most likely culprit is warm butter. Next time, after you cube the butter, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes before mixing. Also check that your baking powder isn’t expired — that’s another common flat-biscuit cause.

The easy gf df chicken pot pie with drop biscuit topping approach is also totally freezer-friendly. Make the filling, let it cool completely, and freeze it in the baking dish without the biscuit topping. When you’re ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat the filling on the stove, then make a fresh batch of biscuit dough and bake. The filling keeps for up to 3 months frozen.

Want to try an almond flour crust instead? For the gf df chicken pot pie almond milk version with a proper pressed crust: mix 2 cups almond flour, 1 egg (or flax egg for egg-free), 3 tablespoons cold vegan butter, and a pinch of salt. Press into a 9-inch pie dish, blind bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, then fill and bake another 25–30 minutes. It’s denser and slightly nutty-flavored, which is great if you want that traditional bottom-crust experience. But fair warning — it won’t crisp back up if you have leftovers.

Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The biscuits will soften overnight (they absorb moisture from the filling), but they’re still delicious. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for best results — microwave works but the biscuits get a bit gummy.

Looking for more comforting GF DF dinner ideas? Try our Gluten Free Dairy Free Chicken Soup or our Gluten Free Dairy Free Beef Stew for more stick-to-your-ribs weeknight options.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make chicken pot pie without gluten or dairy? The key is swapping two things: use a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour blend in the roux and for the crust, and replace butter and milk with vegan butter and unsweetened almond milk. The technique is exactly the same as a classic pot pie — the substitutions are simpler than most people expect. This recipe walks you through both the filling and a no-roll drop biscuit topping that requires zero special skills.

What crust is best for a GF DF chicken pot pie? Drop biscuits are the easiest and most forgiving option — no rolling, no chilling, just drop and bake. If you want a traditional crust, a pressed almond flour crust works well for the bottom, though it’s denser than a rolled crust. A GF pie crust made with a 1-to-1 flour blend and cold vegan butter is also an option if you want full top-and-bottom coverage, but it requires more work and chilling time.

Can I use canned chicken for this recipe? You can, but I’d recommend against it if you have any other option. Canned chicken has a softer, mushier texture that tends to disappear into the filling. Shredded rotisserie chicken or quickly poached fresh chicken gives you better texture and more flavor. That said, if it’s what you have — drain it well and it’ll work in a pinch.

Can I make this ahead of time? Yes, and it actually holds up well. Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, reheat the filling in your skillet until simmering, make the biscuit dough fresh, top and bake. The biscuit dough can also be made a few hours ahead and stored covered in the fridge — just give it a quick stir before dropping.

Is this recipe kid-friendly? Very. The filling is mild and familiar — vegetables, chicken, creamy sauce. The drop biscuits on top are soft and a little buttery-tasting despite being completely dairy-free. I’ve made this for picky eaters multiple times and it’s one of those dishes where people go back for seconds without realizing anything is “free from” anything.

The Bottom Line

This gluten free dairy free chicken pot pie is the real deal. 🙌 Creamy filling, golden biscuit topping, done in under an hour. It’s the kind of dinner that makes your whole kitchen smell incredible and has people asking what’s in the pot before you’ve even called them to the table.

The drop biscuit topping is genuinely the best decision I made with this recipe. No stress, no failed rolled crusts, no cutting in butter for ten minutes — just mix, drop, bake. And the dairy free gluten free chicken pot pie filling comes together in one pan, which means less cleanup on a weeknight. That’s a win any way you look at it.

If you try it, I want to know how it goes. And if you made any swaps — different vegetables, a different milk — drop a note below. That’s how the best recipe variations get discovered.