Vegetarian Chick’n Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuit Topping

Pot pie for dinner? Say no more. The hearty dish of tender vegetables and protein tossed in gravy and topped with biscuits or pie crust is the ultimate winter comfort food.

After cooking (and eating!) my way through several of the internet’s favorite chicken pot pies, I consider myself somewhat of a pot pie expert. I found that the best pies give individualized attention to each and every element of the dish — the gravy, the chicken and veggies, and the topping.

I also learned that the chicken itself can easily be replaced. In an effort to create a pie suitable for vegetarians or anyone working to reduce their meat intake, we found the perfect chicken substitute for chicken pot pie — and created a plant-based pot pie that rivals the original.

While there’s nothing wrong with a pot pie made from frozen mixed veggies, a store-bought crust, and pulled rotisserie chicken, we felt it was time to give the pot pie a modern-day upgrade.

We started with the chicken. Instead of filling our pie with cooked chicken, this recipe uses Gardein Chick’n Strips, a soy-based vegetarian chicken substitute. When tossed in a richly flavored gravy and paired with hearty vegetables and homemade biscuits, you’ll hardly notice it isn’t the real thing — making these strips the perfect gateway to meat substitutes. Gardein is among the more established brands of plant-based chicken, so you’re likely to find them in the freezer section of your regular grocery store. 

Onion and carrot are must-haves for pot pie, but here, we’re bulking up the filling with earthy cremini mushrooms and spicy parsnips to make it more robust and flavorful. We’re also throwing in some frozen peas — fresh peas aren’t always available year-round and if they are, they’re usually starchy, not sweet. 

Buttery pie crust may be the traditional pot pie topper, but take one bite of these cheesy herb biscuits and you’ll agree that a quick homemade biscuit is the superior option. Drop biscuits are my preference for topping savory pot pies because it’s easy to add flavor to the pillows of dough with very little effort.

Remember: drop biscuits are the absolute easiest biscuits you can make. Grate that small hunk of cheddar cheese hiding in the refrigerator drawer, sprinkle in some garlic powder from the pantry, then stir in some chopped fresh thyme leaves to marry the flavors of the topping and filling. Then, use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to drop the shaggy dough atop the veggie-packed filling.