This Chicken Pot Pie Spaghetti Squash Casserole might be the best thing I have ever made to date. Think Thanksgiving stuffing and chicken pie got together and made a little casserole child.
My husband, who probably has eaten more than his fair share of this said that he would gladly replace turkey day stuffing with it. This is HUGE coming from a man who loves his stuffing and is very particular about what gets made on Thanksgiving. This casserole screams comfort food without giving you a food baby in the end because guess what……it’s Whole30!!!
Lets take a little detour real fast. The base of the chicken pot pie sauce is coconut milk. You may have noticed that I don’t use coconut anything in my recipes. I think I might have 3 recipes that use coconut, but I’m just not a fan of coconut in general. However, unless you are allergic to coconut, it’s an absolute must in this dish to make it chicken pot pie-ie. I promise you (cough cough MOM) that you can not taste it! You can also use unsweetened almond milk, but I have not tried it that way, so don’t come hatin’ on this meal if you use almond milk and it tastes like caca!!
In the recipe I talk about layering the casserole (like a lasagna) You can do it that way or you can just pour the whole chicken pot pie mixture over the top then mix it all together!!
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts or tenders, cubed
- 1 tbl ghee
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 3 yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tbl arrowroot powder + 2 tbl water for slurry
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Dice up your potatoes and place in steamer basket to steam for 10 minutes
- Bake or use your Instant Pot to cook your spaghetti squash. Place 1/2 of the spaghetti squash into the bottom of a casserole dish. Set the other one aside.
- In a large skillet, heat up your ghee.
- Add in your onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until it starts to get translucent.
- Next add in your diced celery,carrots, and potatoes. Mix to combine and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
- Cut up your chicken and add it to the skillet. Cook until chicken is almost done about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the broth, coconut milk, turmeric, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Mix well until its all incorporated.
- Let come to a boil and reduce heat to simmer and let it cook for another 5 minutes
- Grab your casserole dish with 1/2 the squash spread on the bottom. Take a slotted spoon and scoop up half the chicken pot pie mixture.
- Layer the other half of the spaghetti squash over the chicken pot pie and spoon the rest of the pot pie mixture on the top.
- Take the liquid that is left in the skillet and bring to a boil. Pour in the arrowroot slurry and whisk around. It will thicken in a few minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the whole casserole then stick under the broiler for 5-7 minutes or until everything gets nice and golden.
- Top with fresh parsley and a little more salt and pepper and enjoy!!
This is great as leftovers; that is *IF* you have leftovers. We haven’t had any yet and I make a lot!!! As I mentioned earlier, this could easily be a replacement for your Thanksgiving stuffing. Also, if you want to make it more like a traditional Chicken Pot Pie you could add peas to the dish. Because this is Whole30 I have omitted the peas.
Whole30: yes
Paleo: omit potatoes
Husband and I are on day 27 of our first Whole 30. Gave this a try after seeing you rave about it on Instagram…really delicious! We’ll definitely make again–and for our extended family, too. Much more than the sum of its parts. (Also randomly tried a litttle Everything But the Bagel on the second go ’round–yum!)
Love the addition of the Everything but the Bagel seasoning. I’ll have to try it. So glad you guys liked it!!!
How many servings does it make?
around 6-8 🙂
I am not sure if there might be a step missing or if my equivalents are way bigger but I could barely fit 1 c. of carrots, 1 c. of celery, the half onion, and 3 potatoes in the large skillet. Are you supposed to remove the veggies before sautéing the chicken? There was no room for anything else in skillet. One Tbl of ghee is also not enough to cook all of those veggies plus the chicken. Is there a step missing? There was too much in the skillet for the carrots and celery to get soft, so I added about a cup of water to skillet and basically steamed them for about 20 minutes. Which the potatoes were already in the skillet (which were steamed previously) so then potatoes became mushy. I eventually moved everything to my largest dutch oven. The whole mixture filled a 9×13 pan with about only an inch from the top. This was a tasty dish, just more steps needed. It was very filling also. Is the recipe supposed to be 1 potato? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Martha,
Sorry, you had so much trouble. I haven’t heard of anyone else having the problem with it being so full in the skillet. I don’t remove the veggies, but if you make again, I would cook the chicken 1st, then remove that. Cook the veggies, then add the chicken and everything else back in. You could also cook it up in a pot if that’s easier! Mine also goes to the brim of the casserole dish. I hope you try again. I am making the dish tomorrow on my Instagram stories, if you wanted to check it out!
I watched your instastory and I realized we grow our Yukons bigger here in Wisconsin 😉 That made the difference. Your 3 Yukons were the equivalence to probably 1 1/2 or less of one of my Yukons~ LOL LOVE this recipe!!! Will definitely make it again!! Thank you~
LOL, how funny and makes total sense now!! I’m glad you watched and figured it out!! 🙂
Would sweet potatoes work in place of the Yukon gold potatoes?
Yes. Sweet potatoes will work.
Ok…I tried it and even though I was super negative about the coconut milk I TRIED air and you are right..you can’t taste it one bit!! And I am serious when I say all 9 of my kids went back for seconds…a few for thirds!! Thanks for a great meal to put in my regular rotation!!
See told you!! lol, lol. I’m so happy that your whole family enjoyed it!!
This is saving my pregnant self right now. I used full fat canned coconut cream. Subbed sweet potatoes, sage, and arrowroot flour because that’s what I had. Talk about all the Thanksgiving feels. So yummy!!!!!
Love, love, LOVE your replacements. So many Thanksgiving feels. I’m so happy that you and your baby in yo’ belly are loving it!!!
Tried it! Husband liked it, so it’s a win.
If the husband likes it, DEFINITELY a win!! 🙂
How do I steam the potatoes?
take a pot and fill with an inch of water. grab a steamer basket and put potatoes into steamer. Put a lid on it and let it steam for 10 min! 🙂
What size casserole dish?
9×13 dish should be fine. 🙂
I had high hopes for this recipe but it sadly disappointed. I made it exactly as written and my photo looks exactly like the one posted. The casserole is just a coconut flavored somewhat sloppy mess that doesn’t taste remotely like chicken pot pie. The predominant flavor is coconut. I just tried it again for lunch in hopes it had improved overnight in the fridge but it hasn’t. I can’t understand why folks think it tastes good or like pot pie?
Thanks for your feedback JoAnn. I’m sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out the way you were hoping. Not all recipes are for everyone, though a great many have really loved this one! I hope you find another recipe that gives you the more of what you were looking for.
Now I’m afraid. It’s on the menu for tonight, and this is what I feared… so to see someone else with that review leaves me nervous.
Hi Andrea,
She has been the one and only person who has had that review so far. It only uses 1/4 of a cup of canned coconut milk. You can try a little less if you are nervous, but as I stated in the blog post, my husband and I are not fans of coconut (I’d say 95% of my recipes on my site don’t use coconut at all) and we can’t taste it because of all the other seasonings. You can also use arrowroot powder (2 tbl arrowroot + some water) to make a slurry and you can pour that in instead of the tbl coconut flour! I mentioned in my insta-stories yesterday that you should always taste your sauces etc because everyones tastebuds are different! 🙂 Taste and see if it needs more seasonings to suit what YOU like. Again, she has been my 1st person to complain about the taste of coconut.
hI thanks for all the great recipes. I’m making this right now so I wanted to clear up the measurement of coconut milk. Is it 1/2 or 1/4 cup? thanks again
start with a 1/4 cup. add more if you need to! I need to fix 🙂
Did you use canned coconut milk or from a carton. Not sure if everyone knows there is a big difference. I loved it!
I use canned coconut milk.
Looks so good… but I have tried and just can’t love spaghetti squash! Any suggestions to sub? Or do I just give it a whirl?
Hi Beth, if I was going to sub I would omit dicing the potatoes and make a mash instead. Cook up the “chicken part” then put in a casserole dish. Top it with the mashed potatoes and let cook until potatoes are a golden brown color. Make sense? You could also try just using half of the spaghetti squash. It just would be a runny. I have not tried the mashed potato idea (but I think I may soon cause it sounds pretty good to me lol)
Ohhhhhh, great idea. I definitely will try that! Thank you!
Want to try this, but have gone vegetarian…again! Will try with a ‘chik n’ product and see how it goes!
hope you like it!
When you say “cook up” the spaghetti squash, what do you mean? Thanks!
you are either gonna roast it, or cook it in your instant pot. I have an instant pot recipe for spaghetti squash here….https://pretenditsadonut.com/2017/09/26/instant-pot-spaghetti-squash/
Would cauliflower rice work instead of spaghetti squash? Spaghetti squash is not my fave
I have never tried it, but I don’t see what it wouldn’t. May be a little mushy, and then in that case it would be like a cauliflower mash 🙂
Looks like a delicious and comforting meal! I’m excited to try! Just to clarify is it a 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup of canned coconut milk? Recipe said 1/2 but your comment above said 1/4.
Thanks!
it’s supposed to be 1/2 cup. I will fix it. Thank you for noticing!
Do you know if this meal freezes well? I was thinking of making half of it for dinner and freezing the second half. Thank you!
I have frozen the meat part, but never with the spaghetti squash together. I wouldn’t see a problem with it though 🙂 The spaghetti squash may become a little mushy.
This is, quite possibly, the BEST Whole30 meal I’ve found!! So delicious! Thank you!
Oh my….you are making me blush! Thank you!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been so wanting to try this since you posted! Tonight was the night! And ok…we followed recipe to a T, I promise. Measured and timed everything. But alas, it was soup. Tasty soup, but soup. Ha. Looked nothing like this. Should we try omitting some of the liquids next time?
at least it was tasty. Next time try adding a bit of arrowroot powder and water (1 tbl arrowroot + 3 tbl water) to make a slurry. Pour that in and stir around. You will see everything start to thicken up.
I had the same issue. Added arrowroot and water and it helped a little. I think I’ll reduce the amount of stock next time. Maybe the potatoes are a factor? I used small gold potatoes – seemed similar enough.
The potatoes shouldn’t have changed anything….next time try a little less broth. You can always add more if it looks to dry! 🙂
Delicious! I will be making this again! New to your site. Going to make the sausage and butternut squash tomorrow night!
Hi and welcome!! So glad you enjoyed it. Hope you like the squash n sausage too!!
Is there a instant pot conversion? ?
I haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot yet.
Hi! I don’t have coconut flour on hand. Could i use arrowroot, tapioca, or cassava flour instead? Thanks!
any of those would work. I would make a slurry with the arrowroot. 1 tbl arrow root + 3 tbl water. Then pour in
Making this today for lunch, but worried about only broiling it for 5-7 minutes. ? Really? I would have thought that it would take about 30 minutes baking. Worried that it won’t all be cooked enough. ?
yes broiling for that long is fine because everything cooked in the pan before hand. You are just getting everything nice and toasty.
Suppose the white sweet potato would work here instead of the Yukon gold? I am on a meal plan that doesn’t allow me to eat white potato. Look delish!!
yes any potato will work
Hi- making this for the first time tonight. What is your trip to cube the squash? Mine wants to shred like spaghetti. I’m fine with it like that but I’m curious how to cube it.
Thanks!
you can’t cube spaghetti squash. 🙁
Curious about calorie count?
Hi Emily,
I don’t count calories, so I’m not quite sure what it would be. Sorry about that.
I don’t have coconut flour. Can I sub almond flour?
you can, although I don’t know how nutty it would taste. If you have arrowroot I would use that 1st.
I don’t have coconut milk and was planning on making this tonight! Could I sub chicken broth instead?
You can, just won’t give it that “creamy” looking feel like real chicken pot pie. It will still be good though.
I don’t have spaghetti squash on hand. Can I sub in butternut squash? Thanks!
You can, but it may give it a different taste. Haven’t tried it yet. 🙂
I used butternut squash because my store was sold out of spaghetti squash. It was good, but a bit sweeter than I would have preferred. If that happens again, I would likely skip the butternut squash and steam some broccoli to serve with it as aside instead.
Yes, butternut squash will give it a different flavor, as this dish is not a sweet dish.
Tried this recipe tonight – absolutely delicious! Thanks a million 😀
so glad you liked it!
This looks delicious! I want to try it but don’t have coconut flour or any of the other substitute flours you mention above. Can I use spelt flour or the like?
I’ve never used spelt flour. The flour is used to thicken the sauce. Do you have arrowroot powder or tapioca starch?
Family of 4 ate it and liked it enough I’d make it again, but it turned out very soupy. Would like to know how to make it where it is more like a casserole. Followed the recipe to the T – did use the 1/2 c coconut milk as that is what you have listed. I probably had 1/2 -1 cup of soup to throw after we portioned all of ours and I put ladled the left overs into a bowl. Otherwise, it was tasty and has kept me full for the past 3 hours; that’s a win! 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Next time I would put the squash down, then use a slotted spoon and scoop 1/2 the mixture down, then layer with more squash, then top with the chicken mixture. Then I would spoon the sauce over the top, that way it doesn’t become as soupy.
I cannot believe how flavorful and creamy this is. I just made it tonight for myself to eat throughout the week and it’s so worth it! I did two things differently which was using sweet potatoes instead if the Yukons. I didn’t have coconut flour, but I did have tapioca starch/flour. I made that into a slurry and added it during that step. This is perfect. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I love your substitutions! This is one of my favorites as leftovers!! So happy you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was so good! Thumbs up all the way around. It did end up with a lot of liquid though. I will dry decreasing the chicken stock next time. Definitely putting it on rotation.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!!! 🙂
The most AHHHH-mazing way to eat spaghetti squash. Seriously, everyone in my family happily gobbles this up!
I use W30 compliant frozen potatoes and they are the perfect size for this recipe. Thanks for being so creative in the kitchen ❤️
So happy you enjoy it so much. I’ll have to stock up on some frozen potatoes when I’m “lazy” lol
Really good! Next time I think I will add a bit more chicken and some more fresh herbs! Was missing the parsley, but really wanted something fresh on top. I accidentally added the arrowroot in with all of the veggies and chicken before layering and it actually turned out really well! After I put all the veggies and chicken in there I added a little more slurry to the sauce and it almost made it a gravy consistency which worked really well! other recipes that I’ve made in this fashion in the past has always been really goopy. This one was perfect! definitely making this again 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Love a happy accident!! 🙂
This is my all time favorite Whole30 dish. It’s so delicious, satiating, and filling!
This makes me so happy to hear!!