These Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs take all the cozy flavors of classic chicken pot pie and turn them into crispy, bite-sized meatballs. Made with ground chicken, peas, and carrots, they're coated in crushed plantain chips and air fried until golden and crunchy, then topped with a simple homemade gravy. They're an easy, allergy-friendly twist on comfort food that gives you the savory chicken pot pie flavor you love without having to make an actual pie.
I grew up eating single-serving chicken pot pies with my dad when my mom would travel for work. It's one of my fondest memories of time with him, especially now that he's gone. Making a whole pot pie can be a lot of work, though, so I wanted to create a fun, easier way to enjoy this classic comfort dish. I developed these meatballs as an alternative, and now they're in my regular dinner rotation!
Now, if you love a classic chicken pot pie, you have to try my Paleo and AIP Chicken Pot Pie recipe that tastes so good, you'd never know it was allergy friendly.
What Are Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs?
These aren't your average chicken meatballs. Instead of breadcrumbs or almond flour, I use crushed plantain chips to create a crispy, golden coating around tender chicken meatballs. Air frying gets the outside crunchy to mimic a crust, while a simple homemade gravy gives them all the savory, cozy flavor of classic chicken pot pie.
Basically, I took the best parts of chicken pot pie and turned them into an easy-to-make meatball. You get the chicken, vegetables, crispy “crust,” and gravy in every bite... without making a pie crust, rolling out dough, or waiting for an entire pot pie to bake.
Why You'll Love These Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs
- Allergy friendly: these chicken meatballs are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and nut free, with corn free, soy free, and fully paleo options depending on the plantain chips, flour, and butter you choose. Talk about a dinner option that checks all the boxes!
- Crispy without nuts or breadcrumbs: crushed to a coarse crumb, plantain chips behave like panko. They toast up instead of steaming into mush the way almond flour does. That's what gives you an actual crust instead of a soft meatball that happens to be gluten free.
- Comfort food re-imagined: we put a twist on a classic comfort meal for all the cozy flavors of chicken pot pie in a crispy, easy-to-eat meatball.
- Air fryer friendly: these chicken meatballs cook in just 10 minutes in the air fryer, giving you a crispy coating without frying them in oil.
- Easy to make: making a whole pie is always a lot of work, but these meatballs use simple ingredients for an easy meal that the whole family will love!
Ingredients for Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs
Meatballs:
- Ground chicken: go for 92 to 93% lean or dark meat to keep the meatballs moist during air frying.
- Fennel or onion: fennel is a great low FODMAP alternative to onion if you have a sensitive stomach.
- Frozen peas and carrots mix: we make it easy on ourselves by using a frozen mix so there is less chopping involved.
- Plantain chips: use plain, salted, green plantain chips. Skip the sweetened, chili-lime, and garlic varieties. Check the ingredients label if you are aiming to keep this recipe fully paleo as some brands fry their chips in seed oils.
- Olive oil
- Dried cilantro, salt, pepper: yes, cilantro, it just works in these meatballs!
Simple Gravy:
- Dairy free butter or coconut oil: whisked with the flour to make the roux. Coconut oil keeps this paleo friendly and dairy free butter gives a richer, more traditional flavor.
- Gluten free flour: thickens the gravy. I linked the brand I use that is corn free.
- Chicken broth: Kettle & Fire is my favorite brand of broth that contains no natural flavors, sugars, or additives.
- Lemon juice: just a little bit helps balance the flavors of this gravy.
- Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, sage
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs
- Dice the fennel and sauté in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas and carrots and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is cooked through (about 5 minutes).
- Let the veggie mix cool off for a few minutes. Don't clean the pan!
- While veggies cool, crush the plantain chips into crumbs. I use the food processor to make it easier, alternatively you can place them in a ziplock bag and mash them with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin. Pour into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Combine the ground chicken, veggies, and seasonings in a large bowl.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the mixture into meatballs. You should get about 12 meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs in the crushed plantains, pressing the coating gently into the meatballs to stick.
- Arrange in a single layer with space between each. Cook in batches if needed.
- Air fry for 10-12 minutes at 360°F, until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- While meatballs cook, make the gravy in the pan you sautéed the veggies in.
- Melt the butter or coconut oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly. Add the herbs and lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Substitutions
- Ground chicken: ground turkey will also work.
- Frozen veggies: peas and carrots are the traditional veggies used in chicken pot pie, but you can use up whatever veggies you have in your fridge/freezer. Try adding some finely chopped kale or spinach for extra greens.
- Dried cilantro: swap for poultry seasoning if desired.
- Gluten free flour: to keep this recipe paleo, use cassava flour instead. Note that cassava absorbs more liquid than a standard blend, so start with half the amount and add more if you need it.
- Broth: for a creamier gravy, sub half the broth for unsweetened dairy free milk. Feel free to use your favorite broth recipe, as well.
What to Serve With Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs
Serving options include:
- Over mashed potatoes or my Mashed Rutabaga and Sweet Potatoes (this goes so well with the meatballs!) for major comfort food vibes.
- Alongside sweet potato fries or roasted vegetables for an easy sheet-pan-adjacent dinner.
- With a simple green salad to lighten it up.
- As an appetizer with the gravy in a small bowl for dipping.
Tips for the Best Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs
- Don't over mix the chicken mixture or you will end up with tough meatballs.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop meatballs so they are all of similar size. This ensures uniform cooking.
- Crush the plantain chips until they resemble coarse sand or panko. A mix of fine crumbs and small pieces is perfect. If you're using a food processor, pulse rather than running it continuously so you don't take them all the way to flour.
- Cook to 165°F. Internal temperature is the best way to ensure chicken is done.
How to Store and Reheat Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs
Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes, but to maintain that crisp, reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes.
I have not tested freezing these chicken pot pie meatballs. I think freezing would moisten the plantain chips too much and result in a soggy crust, but if you try it, reheat in the air fryer and let me know how it went!
FAQ
Probably, but I haven't tested it, so I'm not going to guess at a time and temperature. The coating browns differently with radiant heat than with circulated air. When I test an oven version, I'll update this post. If you try it, drop a comment letting us know how it went!
Nope, this recipe is egg free! Chicken is sticky enough to hold together on its own.
The meatballs are as long as you use paleo compliant plantain chips. The gravy is paleo-friendly only if you use cassava flour and coconut oil. With a standard gluten free blend or dairy free butter, they're gluten free and dairy free but not paleo.
Yes, as written. Verify your plantain chip and broth labels for your specific allergens.
You can. They're good on their own. But the gravy is what earns the "pot pie" in the name, so I wouldn't skip.
Yup, just dice small and cook until softened before adding to the ground chicken.
You can mix and shape the meatballs up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Coat them in the plantain crumbs right before air frying so the crust stays crisp.
Ready to cook, but don't have the ingredients? Here is a pre-filled grocery cart with everything you need, just click order!
If you try these Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs, please leave a rating and review below. This is one of my favorite dinners, and I hope you love it too!
Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Meatballs (Dairy Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lbs ground chicken
- ½ fennel diced (low FODMAP) or white onion
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots mix
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups plain, green plantain chips*
Gravy
- 2 tablespoon dairy free butter or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon gluten free flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and sage
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the fennel and sauté in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas and carrots and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is cooked through (about 5 minutes).
- Let the veggie mix cool off for a few minutes. Don't clean the pan!
- While veggies cool, crush the plantain chips into crumbs. I use the food processor to make it easier, alternatively you can place them in a ziplock bag and mash them with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin. Pour into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Combine the ground chicken, veggies, and seasonings in a large bowl.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the mixture into meatballs. You should get about 12 meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs in the crushed plantains, pressing the coating gently into the meatballs to stick.
- Arrange in a single layer with space between each. Cook in batches if needed.
- Air fry for 10-12 minutes at 360°F, until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- While meatballs cook, make the gravy in the pan you sautéed the veggies in.
- Melt the butter or coconut oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly. Add the herbs, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, to taste, and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Notes
- Use plain, salted green plantain chips — not sweetened or seasoned
- Pulse the chips rather than running the processor continuously so they don't turn to flour
- Don't overmix the chicken
- Arrange in a single layer with space between; cook in batches if needed
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