Creamy chicken and mash pie recipe – a proper home comfort that absolutely anyone can make in 20 minutes + 25 minutes oven time. Nobody would ever know its Coeliac-friendly and wheat-free either!
Creamy chicken and mash pie recipe – this is one of those meals where you actually spend longer with your feet up (whilst it’s cooking in the oven) than you do actually throwing it together. A real crowd-pleaser that never fails!
The home comforts chapter in my first book ‘How To Make Anything Gluten-free’ was a celebration of all the foods myself and Mark enjoy at home.
Some of these were meals that required a little top-secret-know-how to adapt to be gluten-free, but often, most of these meals simply called for the use of gluten-free pasta or gluten-free flour instead of their wheat-based counterparts.
In the past, I’ve often steered away from creating recipes like these because I always think ‘well… you could just use any old muggle recipes and make those swaps yourself – you don’t necessarily need a ‘Becky Excell’ recipe for those!’
But in reality, these types of recipes are actually integral when you’re gluten-free; not only are they as close to ‘regular’ cooking as it gets (so super familiar and not-complicated whatsoever), but they’re usually the recipes we probably find ourselves cooking the most every week.
So here’s another to throw on top of the pile!
Creamy chicken and mash pie recipe: What you’ll need…
- Garlic-infused oil: An instant injection of wonderful garlic flavour – no chopping or pre-frying of fresh garlic required. And if your garlic oil doesn’t have any bits of actual garlic floating in it, then it’s low FODMAP too.
- Butter: You’ll need this for the mash and for the sauce and in both instances, it’s mainly added for a lovely, rich flavour.
- Chicken thighs: As the chicken is effectively cooked twice (once in the filling and again in the oven), thigh meat is the preferred choice here as chicken breast can risk getting a little dry during longer cooking periods.
- Cornflour: Unless you want your pie filling to be watery-thin, this is absolutely essential when forming a gravy-like sauce.
- Gluten-free chicken stock: In reality you can use whatever stock you want – as long as it’s gluten-free! A gluten-free ham stock cube also works really well and adds a lovely smoky flavour.
- Milk: This is exactly what you want when making a creamy pie filling. I used semi-skimmed but any milk will work fine too.
- Salt and pepper: A little seasoning goes a long way so don’t forget these, please!
- Dried Thyme: Fresh works too, but having a little pot of dried thyme in the cupboard makes adding this super convenient. The flavour works really well with chicken in a creamy sauce, but rosemary or sage are also great alternatives too.
- Cream cheese: If you like a proper creamy sauce then definitely don’t skip this! It also helps to thicken the sauce too.
- Potatoes: Any variety of potato is fine in reality, but remember that russets and Yukon-golds are more starchy and result the in the fluffiest, smoothest mash!
- Wholegrain mustard: This adds a lovely mustard-y flavour to the mash that I couldn’t live without.
- Cheddar cheese: And of course, for the ultimate crispy, golden, cheesy top, a little grated cheese works wonders.
- Fresh chives: Finish with a few freshly chopped chives for the ultimate finishing touch and a sweet onion flavour.
So, what does my creamy chicken and mash pie taste like?
It’s crisp, golden and cheesy on top, with lots of fluffy, buttery, mustard-y mash hiding beneath.
The mash also absorbs lots of that thick and creamy sauce, which has a subtle onion and thyme flavour that conceals lots of tender chicken chunks.
Simply serve with gluten-free gravy and seasonal veggies for the ultimate experience!
Creamy chicken and mash pie recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe gluten-free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?
It is gluten-free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make sure that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten-free products.
Can I make your creamy chicken and mash pie recipe dairy-free?
Yes, here’s the swaps you’d need to make:
- Use a dairy-free ‘buttery’ margarine instead of butter.
- Use dairy-free milk.
- Use dairy-free cheese and cream cheese.
That’s it!
Can I make your creamy chicken and mash pie recipe vegan?
If you follow the steps above to make this dairy-free, all you’ve got left to swap is the chicken.
I’d recommend simply swapping the chicken for 200g of mushrooms (finely chopped) and use in the recipe when prompted to add the chicken.
Is this recipe low FODMAP?
It can be! Simply use lactose-free milk, a low FODMAP stock cube and lactose-free cream cheese.
Ensure your garlic oil doesn’t have any bits of actual garlic floating at the bottom of the bottle and only use the green parts of the leek.
Then, one serving of this dish would be suitable for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet.
Can I add more veg?
Of course! I’d recommend using sliced mushroom for a chicken and mushroom pie, but in reality, you can add whatever you like.
Just ensure you fry it a little before adding to the pie filling and that it’s chopped thin enough to reasonably cook in time.
Can I make this using chicken breast?
You can, but as the chicken is effectively cooked twice (once in the filling and again in the oven), thigh meat is the preferred choice here as chicken breast can risk getting a little dry during longer cooking periods.
How can I make this healthier?
If you want to make it even healthier you can always:
- Use a low calorie garlic-flavoured cooking spray instead of garlic oil
- Omit the butter or use margarine instead
- Use skimmed milk
- Omit the cream cheese and use half the amount of grated cheese on top
Of course, this will make the recipe a little different than I intended but I just wanted to give you a few ideas!
Can I freeze your creamy chicken and mash pie?
Yes! Once cooled, simply portion into airtight containers and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
To reheat from frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave until piping hot in the middle.
You can also store this in the fridge for 3-4 days and microwave until piping hot too.
Creamy Chicken and Mash Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- 1 tbsp butter use dairy-free alternative if necessary
- 400 g chicken thighs skinless and boneless, chopped into chunks
- 1/3 rd of a leek 100g, diced
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 250 ml gluten-free chicken stock
- 150 ml milk use dairy-free milk if necessary
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp of dried thyme
- 1 tbsp cream cheese use dairy-free alternative if necessary
For the mashed potato top:
- 4-5 medium/large potatoes boiled and drained
- knob of butter use dairy-free alternative if necessary
- milk use dairy-free milk if necessary
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- pinch of salt and pepper
- handful of grated cheese use dairy-free cheese if necessary
- sprinkle of fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan / 220C.
- Heat an oven proof pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add garlic oil and butter, allow to melt.
- Add chopped chicken thighs and fry until sealed. Follow this with your chopped leeks and allow to soften.
- Mix in the cornflour so it coats the chicken and leek.
- Then add the stock, milk, salt, pepper and thyme. Let it simmer until it starts to nicely thicken into a gravy-like consistency.
- Remove from the heat and stir in a spoonful of cream cheese to help thicken further and for extra creaminess!
- Mash your potatoes, I just add some butter, tiny bit of milk, mustard, salt and pepper (do yours however you like!)
- Top the pie with the mash, sprinkle the cheese over and bake until golden – about 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve up with veggies and gluten-free gravy.
Nutrition
Thanks for reading all about my creamy chicken and mash pie recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
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