This delicious (and healthy!) Chicken and Spinach Casserole with crispy phyllo crust, is an easy dinner recipe the whole family will love. With earthy mushrooms and savory herbs, it tastes gourmet, comes together in an hour, and is perfect for meal planning.
In this article you'll learn:
- Chicken and spinach casserole with phyllo is a lighter take on chicken pot pie, made with rotisserie chicken, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and a lemony herb gravy.
- A crispy phyllo topping replaces traditional pie crust, giving you a buttery, flaky finish with less heaviness than pastry.
- Simple ingredients and about 30 minutes of prep make this an easy weeknight dinner that feels elevated and comforting.
- The filling can be made ahead and assembled later, making it ideal for meal planning or using leftover chicken.
- A properly thickened gravy and cooked vegetables prevent a watery casserole, keeping the filling creamy and cohesive.
Generated with AI and experts from the Tara Teaspoon team.
I first made this casserole as an idea to shake up the boring dinner routine in an article for Ladies' Home Journal magazine. It's an easy, but elevated, chicken pot pie that doesn't feel like the same old thing!
When it comes to busy weeknights, chicken recipes are my go-to, especially easy-to-prep recipes that use rotisserie or leftover chicken!
This pot pie recipe is absolutely perfect for using rotisserie chicken and it makes it incredibly easy to get on the table.
This Chicken and Spinach casserole was so easy and so good. Using a rotisserie chicken made my life a lot easier. My son who says he is not a fan of spinach loved this. I think it was the flaky crust on top . Thanks for a great recipe.
- Debbie
A lighter twist on classic chicken pot pie
I’ve noticed that when life gets stressful, I tend to crave comfort food—even when I know healthier options would serve me better. This Chicken and Spinach Casserole is the best of both worlds because it’s classic comfort food with a lighter twist.
Think of it as my take on a healthier chicken pot pie with a little spinach casserole inspiration! Adding spinach to main dishes is an easy way to sneak in extra greens without changing the flavor too much.
Traditional pot pies often use sour cream, mayonnaise, or canned cream of chicken soup to make a creamy gravy. To keep things on the lighter side, the sauce for this filling starts with onions, fresh shiitake mushrooms, and spinach sautéed in a little butter and olive oil.
The veggies and shredded chicken are then added to a light, savory gravy flavored with chicken broth, lemon juice, and rosemary.
It's topped with a few layers of buttered phyllo that bakes into a light, crispy crust—leaving you with a tasty version of pot pie that isn't weighed down by traditional pastry crust.
I know the incredible flavors in this dish have you hooked, but there's a few more reasons to add this chicken, spinach, mushroom casserole to your meal rotation:
- Minimal ingredients: I love a simple, economical meal! This recipe uses 12 ingredients that pack the flavor and nutrition into every bite.
- Health-forward: Not only is this pie packed with veggies and lean chicken, it saves a ton of calories in the non-traditional phyllo crust. You get a buttery crust without the guilt.
- Great for meal planning: This is one of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken (especially rotisserie chicken!). You can make the gravy in advance and then assemble the pie when you're ready to make dinner!
If you love the cozy flavors in pot pie, don't miss my Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits and Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry!
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Ingredients and variations
Use the best ingredients to make the best chicken spinach bake! Here's a few tips to help you select everything you'll need. See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Unsalted butter
- Olive oil: You can also use avocado oil.
- Small onion: Yellow or white.
- Shiitake mushrooms: I chose shiitake mushrooms because they are tender when cooked and have great mushroom taste without being overpowering.
- Kosher salt
- Baby spinach: I prefer to use fresh baby spinach because it is bite-sized, more tender, and has a nice flavor. You can also use a 10-ounce box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess liquid.
- Diced cooked chicken: Use a store bought rotisserie chicken for this comforting homemade meal or any other type of leftover chicken.
- All-purpose flour
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Fresh lemon juice: I always recommend fresh lemon juice, but you can substitute bottled juice if you'd like.
- Fresh rosemary: Fresh herbs have more vibrant flavor, but you can also substitute ½ teaspoon dried rosemary per 1 teaspoon fresh.
- Phyllo dough: You can also top this pie with any topping of choice such as regular pastry, or biscuits. Just adjust the baking time for the difference.
Gluten-free: To make this casserole gluten free, swap the all-purpose flour with gluten free all-purpose flour, or 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch. Top with gluten free breadcrumbs tossed in the butter, instead of phyllo to make a crunchy topping.
How to make chicken spinach casserole
You'll need about 30 minutes to put this dish together. Follow this step-by-step photo tutorial to learn how. See recipe card for comprehensive directions.
- Step 1: Heat the butter and oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and stir to cook until soft.
- Step 2: Add the mushrooms and half of the salt. Continue cooking and stirring until softened.
- Step 3: Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
- Step 4: Pour the mushroom mixture into a large bowl with the shredded chicken.
- Step 5: Whisk together the flour, broth, lemon juice, and remaining salt.
- Step 6: Heat the broth mixture with some of the rosemary until it boils, then simmer until thickened.
- Step 7: Add the gravy to the mushroom-chicken mixture.
- Step 8: Pour the filling into a baking dish.
- Step 9: Brush a thin layer of melted butter on each sheet of phyllo dough.
- Step 10: Stack each buttered sheet on top of the previous sheet until all 8 sheets have been buttered.
- Step 11: Lay the buttered phyllo sheets on top of the baking dish.
- Step 12: Use your hands to crinkle the phyllo dough.
- Step 13: You'll most likely have a lot of overhang and you can trim the phyllo crust close to the dish with kitchen shears. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary.
- Step 8: Bake until the top is golden and crisp.
I've been making homemade chicken pot pie with a traditional pie crust for over 20 years but decided to change it up and make this recipe instead of my standard go-to and wanted to tell you that it's positively delicious! I just love the phyllo dough crust. Soooo flaky and light. This might be the new "normal" chicken pot pie in our house.
- Rebecca
Tara's top tips
How to work with phyllo dough:
Phyllo is delicate, but very manageable. As you work, keep the stack of phyllo sheets covered with a lightly damp (not wet) towel or a piece of plastic wrap so the sheets don’t dry out and become brittle.
Lift out one sheet at a time from under the towel and brush it lightly with melted butter before layering, a few wrinkles or tearing is just fine.
If you have leftover phyllo, roll it and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap right away and rechill it. Use the leftover dough within a few days for the best texture.
Storage
Make ahead: You can make the gravy 2 days ahead and store in the fridge until ready to bake. You can also make the entire filling in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to assemble and bake.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Reheat: You can reheat the casserole in the oven or microwave. Note, the phyllo crust won't re-crisp very well, but will still be tasty.
FAQ
A watery casserole usually means the filling didn’t thicken properly. This can happen if the sauce wasn’t cooked long enough before assembling, if there’s too much broth or milk, or if vegetables (especially frozen ones) weren’t drained or cooked first.
You could add a little garlic to the onions when you are cooking them! Other vegetables added would need to be firm, non-watery veggies. Peas or green beans would make nice additions to this casserole.
More easy chicken recipes
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📖 Full Recipe
Chicken and Spinach Casserole with Phyllo
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion (1 cup, finely chopped)
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms (about 2 cups, trimmed and thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach*
- 1 pound (3½ to 4 cups) diced cooked chicken (use rotisserie chicken!)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour**)
- 2¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped rosemary (or 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary, divided)
- 8 sheets phyllo dough
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil, then add onions. Cook, stirring until just soft, about 4 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt then continue stirring until mushrooms are softened, about 4 minutes. Gradually add spinach and stir until completely wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add chicken; wipe skillet clean.
- Whisk together flour, broth, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt and add to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk until mixture is boiling and simmer until just thick, about 2 minutes. Add the gravy to chicken mixture with ½ tablespoon rosemary, then transfer to a 2-quart baking dish.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter and brush a thin layer onto each phyllo sheet, layering one on top of the other. Gently place the stack over baking dish and crimp the sides to fit with a little overhang. (Depending on the size of your dish and the size of the phyllo, you can use kitchen shears to trim some of the overhang.) Sprinkle the top with remaining rosemary.
- Bake until golden on top and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover the edges with foil as casserole cooks if they get too brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Leslie Kiszka says
I swear, I can smell this through the screen. That flaky crust looks so freaking good!
Tara Teaspoon says
It tastes even better than it 'smells' - lol. Thanks for the comment Leslie, I hope you enjoy! Tara
Marisa F. Stewart says
Using phyllo dough for the top of the chicken casserole is such a great idea. The dough is so flakey and it has less fat and calories than pie dough. This is pure comfort food on a cold Fall evening. I've already pinned it.
Tara says
I'm so glad it's on your pin board and waiting. It's such a fun and delicious change from traditional pot pie!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I've been making homemade chicken pot pie with a traditional pie crust for over 20 years but decided to change it up and make this recipe instead of my standard go-to and wanted to tell you that it's positively delicious! I just love the phyllo dough crust. Soooo flaky and light. This might be the new "normal" chicken pot pie in our house.
Tara says
Oh you made my day! So happy to hear it! And while I'll bet your homemade pot pie with pastry crust is delicious, I'm so glad this is a new favorite!!
Paula Montenegro says
You got me at rotisserie chicken! I always buy them and then have leftovers. Thanks for this great recipe! I have a feeling it will become a staple at my house.
Tara Teaspoon says
LOL Paula, I love it! It's ok to not do everything from scratch right?! Rotisserie chickens are the perfect time saver. Hope you enjoy!
Jenni LeBaron says
This Chicken Spinach Casserole recipe looks so good! I love how hearty it is and the gorgeous flaky layers you get from phyllo and perfect
Tara Teaspoon says
Thanks Jenni! This recipe is hearty and you can take some shortcuts with the rotisserie chicken and packaged phyllo dough! Delicious and quick dinner on a chilly night, you can't lose! Hope you enjoy - Tara
Debbie says
This Chicken and Spinach casserole was so easy and so good. Using a rotisserie chicken made my life a lot easier. My son who sons he is not a fan of spinach loved this . I think it was the flaky crust on top . Thanks for a great recipe.
Tara Teaspoon says
Wow! So glad your son enjoyed this recipe too! Thank you for trying it and sending such a sweet comment. Tara
Gail says
The flaky phyllo dough on top sounds absolutely amazing. This is the ultimate comfort food! Can't wait to make it on chilly days.
Tara Teaspoon says
Thanks Gail! Agreed on the comfort food for chilly days. Enjoy! Tara
Amy Dong says
Love this lightened up, flakier take on pot pie! Flaky phyllo dough would be magical to dig into. So good for fall & winter dinners!
Tara Teaspoon says
Less calories, comfort food! Total win-win in my book. Thanks Amy! Tara
Mary says
I love chicken pot pie and this is my new favorite recipe! Sooooo delicious! Thank you.