Keto Chicken Pot Pie
Published October 10, 2021 • Updated July 17, 2026
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Creamy keto chicken pot pie with a fathead crust that bakes up golden and holds together when you cut into it. 6g net carbs, 30g protein per serving.
I make this chicken pot pie at least once a month during the colder season, and it holds up in summer too. The filling is thick and savory with tender chicken, mushrooms, celery, and just enough carrots to feel like the real thing. The fathead crust bakes up golden on top with a chewy, bread-like layer underneath that soaks up all the broth from the filling.
Traditional versions get their structure from flour-based dough and a flour-thickened sauce. Both are carb bombs. For this one, I use fathead dough for the crust and coconut flour to thicken the filling. Each slice comes in at 6g net carbs with 30g protein, which is better macros than most “healthy” frozen dinners I’ve found.
I tested this with almond flour crust, coconut flour crust, and a cauliflower-based top. Fathead wins every time because it holds together when you cut into it instead of crumbling apart. The mozzarella gives it enough stretch to form a proper crust, and the almond flour adds a slightly nutty flavor that pairs with the savory filling. I almost cut the cream cheese from my testing version because it seemed like a weird move for a savory pie. Glad I didn’t. It’s what makes the sauce rich and creamy without a traditional roux.
For the chicken, I usually shred up a rotisserie chicken or use leftover roasted chicken. Dark meat and white meat both work here. If you have turkey from Thanksgiving, that works just as well and gives the filling a slightly richer flavor.
The filling comes together in one skillet. Saute the vegetables, sprinkle in coconut flour to thicken, add broth, then stir in cream cheese off heat. One thing I learned after a few batches: let the filling cool for about 5 minutes before you lay the dough on top. If the filling is still bubbling, the underside of the crust steams instead of baking and comes out gummy.
This tastes even better the next day. The filling sets up in the fridge and the flavors come together. I reheat slices in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes so the crust stays crispy (microwaving makes it rubbery).
For a casserole version with less fuss, try the casserole version. Other cozy low carb dinners I keep in rotation: shepherd’s pie, beef stew, and chicken divan.
How to make keto chicken pot pie
Make the filling first. Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, carrots, and green beans in butter. Sprinkle in coconut flour, add chicken broth, and simmer until thick. Stir in shredded chicken and cream cheese off heat. Let the filling cool for about 5 minutes so the surface stops bubbling.
Roll out the fathead dough. Melt mozzarella, mix with almond flour, egg, baking powder, and salt. Roll between parchment sheets until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Pour filling into a pie dish, lay the dough on top, brush with egg wash, and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing so the filling sets up.
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Keto Chicken Pot Pie Filling Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter -
1/2 cup diced onion
-
3 cloves garlic, minced
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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8 oz sliced mushrooms
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1 cup celery, diced
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1/2 cup sliced carrots
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1/2 cup chopped green beans
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1/2 tablespoon coconut flour
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1 cup chicken broth
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3 cups cooked shredded chicken
-
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
-
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Keto Pie Crust Ingredients
-
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
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1 1/2 cups almond flour
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1 egg
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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Egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 tablespoon water)
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Sauté onion
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until softened.
- Butter
- Onions
Cook the veggies
To the skillet, add minced garlic, thyme, mushrooms, celery, carrots and green beans. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes).
- Minced garlic
- Mushrooms
- Celery
- Carrots
- Green beans
Make a sauce
Sprinkle in coconut flour or arrowroot powder. Stir until combined. Slowly whisk in chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture has reduced and thickened.
- Coconut flour
- Arrowroot powder
- Chicken broth
Add chicken
Add the shredded chicken to the skillet. Remove from heat.
- Chicken
Make it creamy
Stir in the cream cheese and parsley. Set aside while making the keto pie crust.
- Cream cheese
- Parsley
Make the pie crust dough
Melt shredded mozzarella cheese in the microwave at 60 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. (Option to melt cheese in a non-stick skillet over the stovetop.) Add melted cheese to a large food processor, along with almond flour, egg, baking powder and salt. Pulse until combined and a dough ball forms. (Option to mix by hand or using an electric mixer.)
- Mozzarella cheese
- Almond flour
- Egg
- Baking powder
- Salt
Roll out pie crust
Place dough ball in between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Assemble and bake
Add chicken pot pie filling to a pie plate or casserole dish. Top with the pie crust. Flute the edges to make a pretty border. Add a few slits to the top of the pie crust to allow air to escape. Brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown and cooked through evenly.
Freezer instructions
Assemble the chicken pot pie into a freezer safe dish. Cover well and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To cook from frozen, bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use turkey instead of chicken?
I've made this with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it works just as well. Turkey has a slightly richer flavor that pairs with the cream cheese sauce. I shred it the same way (a mix of white and dark meat). The macros stay close to the same since turkey and chicken have similar protein and fat content per serving.
What can I use instead of cream cheese for a dairy-free option?
I've tested coconut cream as a swap and it gets close. Use about 3 tablespoons of the thick solid part from a chilled can in place of the 4 oz cream cheese. The filling will be slightly thinner, so I let it simmer an extra 2-3 minutes to reduce. Dairy-free cream cheese brands like Kite Hill also work, but I always check the carb count since some run higher than regular.
Can I use a different thickener instead of coconut flour?
I've used arrowroot powder at the same amount and it thickens fine. Xanthan gum also works but I only use 1/4 teaspoon since a little goes a long way. Skip cornstarch (too many carbs) and regular flour. The filling needs some thickener or it comes out soupy when you cut into it.
Why is my fathead dough too sticky to roll?
It's too warm. I let mine cool for 2-3 minutes after mixing, then roll between two sheets of parchment paper. If it's still sticking, I put it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Wet hands help when shaping. The dough firms up fast once it cools slightly.
Can I make the filling ahead of time?
I do this all the time. The filling keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. Make it, let it cool completely, store in an airtight container. When you're ready, pour the cold filling into the pie dish and top with fresh fathead dough. I add 5 extra minutes to the bake time since the filling starts cold.
Why does my fathead crust come out gummy on the bottom?
The filling was too hot when you topped it. I had this problem my first batch too. The cream cheese sauce keeps bubbling after you pull the skillet off heat, and if the crust goes on while the surface is still moving, the underside steams instead of baking. Now I let the filling sit for 5 minutes until the surface goes still before I lay the dough on. Fixed it completely.
Is there a nut-free crust option?
I haven't tested a nut-free version of this specific keto crust myself, but the swap that should work is replacing the almond flour with an equal amount of coconut flour plus 2 extra tablespoons of cream cheese to keep the dough pliable. Coconut flour absorbs more liquid, so the texture will be slightly denser. I'd roll it a touch thinner than my usual to compensate.
Can I use peas instead of green beans?
Traditional recipes use peas, but they're higher in carbs (about 7g net per half cup vs 3g for green beans). I stick with green beans to keep the count lower, but if you want peas for that classic flavor, I'd use 1/4 cup instead of a full half cup. The filling won't look that different and the carb impact stays small at that amount.
Wondering if the fathead crust holds up overnight in the fridge unbaked, or if I should just roll it fresh Sunday. Making this ahead for dinner.
I've stored fathead dough overnight and it holds fine. Give it about 10 minutes on the counter before rolling, cold dough cracks when you press it right out of the fridge. It'll roll out clean, Travis.
I cannot believe this is keto!! My husband is already asking when I'm making it again.
First time making this and the filling turned out great, but my fathead crust was still pretty pale on top after 35 minutes. Normal, or should I have left it in longer?
Fathead top browns slowly, especially when there's steam coming off the filling underneath. I brush a little butter on at the 30 minute mark and it usually gets there, or 2-3 minutes under the broiler at the end does it.
Confession: I started freezing the filling in flat bags on batch three and it holds. Cream cheese base doesn't separate, still silky when you reheat it.
Morgan, cream cheese separating in the freeze was my main hesitation with this. Good to know it comes back silky. I'm doing this on batch five.
Switched to arrowroot instead of coconut flour for thickening and it fixed everything, no more aftertaste, cleaner texture. Ran it a few times to make sure it held up. Making this twice a month now.
The coconut flour has a slight sweetness that's barely noticeable in something like a mug cake but comes through more in a savory filling. I use arrowroot at the same amount when I want the sauce to be more neutral, and it holds just as well.
The cream cheese is what makes the filling work. No graininess like xanthan gets. Actually got a clean slice out of it, which I can't say for other keto pot pie recipes.
The clean slice part took the longest to nail. Cream cheese sets up differently than a gum would, you actually get a real edge when you cut.
Exactly the pot pie I've been missing.
Pot pie was one I was sure I'd have to give up on keto. The fathead crust changed that.
Made this last weekend. Loved the filling, but my fathead crust kept pulling away from the edges while baking. Temperature issue, or do I just need to press it harder against the sides?
Both. Press it past the rim a little so it has somewhere to grip, and par-bake 5-7 minutes before the filling goes in. Warm dough pulls back while it bakes.
Figured this out on my second batch. Let the filling cool about 10 minutes before you pour it in. Rushed it the first time and the bottom went soft from the steam. Cool filling keeps the crust crispy, even after refrigerating slices overnight. Worth it.
Same thing, first batch. I was too hungry to wait and paid for it. 10 minutes makes a real difference.
Made this four times. Third batch I used rotisserie chicken, way faster. The filling came out richer somehow, whole thing done in under 30 minutes. That golden fathead crust still gets me.
Rotisserie bird does something to the filling. All that roasted fat melts right into the cream cheese sauce. I keep one around when I know this is on the menu.
Chicken pot pie was my grandma's thing, every Sunday in the fall. Made this last week and the cream cheese filling was close enough that I just sat there for a second.
That pause is the whole thing. The cream cheese took me the longest to get right, kept thinking it needed something else. It doesn't.
First time making a keto pot pie and I genuinely wasn't sure the fathead crust would hold its shape, but it baked up golden and stayed clean through every slice. The cream cheese in the filling was a detail I didn't anticipate but now I get why it's there. Can I assemble this the night before and just bake it off the next morning?
Filling, yes. Full assembly, no. Fathead bottom goes gummy sitting on wet filling overnight. Refrigerate the filling, make the dough in the morning.
My daughter is the kind of kid who picks around mushrooms in literally everything. She ate this without comment, which in our house means it passed. The filling had this thick, creamy consistency that I think disguised them somehow. First keto pot pie I've tried and I wasn't sure the fathead crust would hold together when I cut into it, but it did.
The cream cheese sauce makes the mushrooms basically disappear into the filling. And that crust, I know it looks delicate but it cuts clean every time.
My son picks mushrooms out of every soup I've ever made. He polished this off and asked for it again next week. The creamy filling just makes the veggies disappear somehow.
Ha, the second request is the one that matters. Once it's in the rotation it doesn't leave.
Made this Sunday and it hit every mark I was hoping for. The filling is genuinely creamy (the cream cheese really pulls it together) and the thyme makes the whole thing smell incredible while it bakes. Only thing: the carrots were still a tiny bit firm at the suggested time, so I'll let the veggies cook an extra few minutes before adding the chicken next time. But the fathead crust came out golden and held up completely, and 6g net carbs for a slice this size made this feel like a real dinner again.
Carrots need a head start in this one. I dice mine pretty small, closer to 1/4 inch, and give them a solid 5 minutes before the chicken goes in. Your fix is exactly right.