Home > Dinner > Chicken Pot Pie Chicken Pot Pie September 17, 2019 | 15 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Our favorite Chicken Pot Pie with a flaky (and easy) pie crust, perfectly seasoned cream sauce, and robust filling. Chicken Pot Pie can be prepared ahead of time, frozen and reheated, and is easy to adapt with the ingredients you have on hand. Chicken pot pie is a classic cool-weather meal and one we make often throughout fall and winter. It’s one of my boys’ favorite meals — they call it “chicken pie”! My 6-year-old asks for it practically every week. And when I finally get around to making it, he’ll finish any leftovers for breakfast the next day — haha! In this post we’re covering a lot, starting with exactly what’s in a chicken pot pie and then how to make it (with step-by-step photos). After that, I’m answering a few frequently asked questions, sharing how to freeze and reheat, how to make a pot pie ahead of time, and finishing off with some variation and shortcut ideas. Let’s get started! What’s in a chicken pot pie? Typical chicken pot pies are filled with diced/shredded chicken (or a similar meat) and plenty of veggies in a creamy seasoned sauce. The mixture fills a deep-dish pie pan with a crust on bottom and one on top. Cooked and shredded (or diced) chicken, turkey, or ham (I like using rotisserie chicken for this recipe) Unsalted butter Diced onion Minced garlic Thinly sliced carrots Diced celery Flour Heavy cream Chicken stock (or chicken broth) Seasonings/herbs: chicken bouillon, thyme, parsley pepper, salt, celery seed Frozen corn Frozen peas Yukon gold potato Pie crust Egg white to create an egg wash for the crust How to make Chicken Pot Pie Throughout this post I’ve broken down the steps for making this pot pie in picture form, and below is a description of what’s happening in each of the numbered photos. 1: Sauté the onion and garlic in melted butter. 2: Add thinly sliced and diced celery. Be patient here to ensure all these veggies get softened. 3: Thickening the pie with flour, make sure to “cook off” the flour for 1-2 minutes — you don’t want this chicken pot pie to taste like flour! 4: Gradually add in chicken stock, and then heavy cream until thickened. 5: Add in the seasonings and fresh herbs. 6: Everything is mixed together. 7: Add in cooked potatoes, frozen corn, frozen peas, and diced chicken or turkey. 8: Filling all combined and thickened. 9: Add filling to pie crust (no need to blind bake this crust). 10: Add top crust and crimp the edges. 11: Vent the top crust to give room for steam to escape. 12: Brush the crust with an egg wash and bake! Chicken Pot Pie FAQs First, a few questions on the origins of Chicken Pot Pie and some serving suggestions, followed by how to freeze and reheat this pot pie. What nationality is Chicken Pot Pie? It’s believed that Chicken Pot Pie originated from Greece. Greeks took cooked meats and placed them in open pastry shells called “Artocreas.” Later, it was the Romans who added the top crust, making it into an actual pie. More info here. What goes with Chicken Pot Pie? The nice thing about Chicken Pot Pie is that it’s a pretty complete meal — it’s got protein (chicken), tons of veggies, and carbs. It’s also a good amount of work, so keep any side dishes simple. Our favorites: Italian Salad or any other simple garden salad Any veggie that’s not in the pie, such as roasted Brussels sprouts or roasted broccoli Fruit salad (or this winter fruit salad for Fall/Winter time) This Apple Fennel Salad Strawberry Salad or any citrus-dressed salad makes for a nice contrast Freezing and reheating Chicken Pot Pie Freezing: Cover and freeze unbaked pot pies. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (don’t thaw). Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet and loosely cover the edges with foil (or use a pie shield). Bake for 30 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 70-80 minutes or until the crust is golden brown (or a thermometer reads 165 degrees F in the center). Reheating leftovers: Cover the edges of the crust with foil and bake in a 300 degree F oven for about 20-30 minutes (rotate halfway through the process) or until sufficiently warmed through. Avoid the microwave; conventional ovens that rely on dry heat are more effective for dishes that need to stay moist throughout (like Chicken Pot Pie). Making ahead of time To prepare ahead of time, make both crusts. Wrap crusts tightly in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. Make the filling right up to the point of adding it to the pie dish; instead, let it cool. Place the cooled filling in a container and refrigerate. When ready to assemble, roll out the dough and fit it in the pie pan. Gently warm the filling in a pot over medium heat, pour the warmed filling into the crust, add the other crust on top, and then bake. Variation/Shortcut ideas Use store-bought crust instead of homemade (no changes necessary). Change up the meat: Replace the chicken with turkey (if you have leftovers from this crockpot turkey breast recipe). You can also replace the chicken with ham (or make this ham pot pie). To save time, use rotisserie chicken. Swap veggies: If you aren’t sure about one of the veggies in the recipe, replace it in the same amount with a frozen veggie you like better (just make sure to chop the veggies if they are large before adding). Shortcut veggies: Skip the step for cooking celery and carrots and instead use an additional 1 cup of mixed frozen veggies (add with the frozen corn and peas). Swap out herbs: In a pinch, use dried thyme and parsley instead of fresh (1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon dried parsley). Replace the heavy cream with half and half or whole milk (I don’t suggest other substitutions). You’ll need to simmer the mixture a little longer to get it thicker if not using heavy cream. Add Parmesan: a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese inside the pie adds a nice flavor. I occasionally add about 1/4 cup (grated with a microplane) to the filling. For a fresh flavor, try some lemon herb pepper in place of regular pepper! Quick tip Cut everything the same size: you want small, even pieces of chicken, potato, and veggies. The more consistent the sizing of your cuts, the better the pot pie. More comfort food favorites Crockpot Chili rave reviews! Shepherd’s Pie Broccoli Cheddar Soup Crock Pot Roast in the crockpot Sweet Potato Stew dump it and forget about it slow cooker meal FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Chicken Pot Pie 5 from 9 votes - Review this recipe Our favorite Chicken Pot Pie with a flaky (and easy) pie crust, perfectly seasoned cream sauce, and robust filling. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Chicken Pot Pie 5 from 9 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Our favorite Chicken Pot Pie with a flaky (and easy) pie crust, perfectly seasoned cream sauce, and robust filling. Course Dinner, Main Course Cuisine American Keyword chicken pot pie Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 50 minutes Servings 1 pot pie (8-10 slices) Calories 430kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $7.48 Ingredients▢ 2 pie crusts (Note 1)▢ 1 cup diced Yukon gold potatoes, (~2 small or 1 large)▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter▢ 1/3 cup yellow onion, diced▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic (~2 cloves)▢ 1 cup thinly sliced carrots (~2-3 medium carrots)▢ 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (~1-2 stalks)▢ 1/3 cup all-purpose flour▢ 1 and 3/4 cup chicken stock (or broth)▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt▢ 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper (Note 2)▢ 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely minced▢ 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely minced▢ 1/4 teaspoon celery seed, optional▢ 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder▢ 2 and 1/2 cups shredded/chopped rotisserie chicken▢ 3/4 cup EACH: frozen peas, frozen corn▢ 1 large egg white, beaten InstructionsCRUST: (NOTE 1) In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Stir. Using a pastry cutter (or two table knives), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and water (start with less and add more as needed) until smooth. Pour into the center of the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined as much as possible. Gently knead with your hands to form a dough (add an extra tablespoon or two of water if needed). Handle the mixture as little as possible and once it's formed into dough, gently flatten into a disc. Cut the disc exactly in half and form each half into a small disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax before rolling. You can make the crust ahead of time and refrigerate for 1-5 days.POTATO: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the diced potatoes to a pot (you can peel if desired), cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.FILLING: Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions, cook for 2-3 minutes and then add in the garlic. Stir in the carrots and celery and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes. Don't rush this or you'll have hard pieces of carrot/celery in the pot pie; they don't get much more tender throughout the rest of the process. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute to cook off the raw flavor. Gradually add the chicken stock and then the heavy cream, whisking constantly until the sauce is smooth. Next, stir in the salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, celery seed, and chicken bouillon powder. Simmer sauce over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Gently add in the diced chicken, frozen peas, frozen corn, and the drained cooked potato. Remove from heat and set aside while you roll out the pie dough.ASSEMBLY: Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a 12-inch circle of dough. Use the rolling pin to lift up the dough and gently place place into a 9-inch pie pan (preferably glass or ceramic; avoid metal). Pour the pot pie filling into the crust. Add top crust. Gently tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth and crust is fully sealed and then crimp the edges of the crust.BAKE: With sharp knife, make a few small slits in the center of the top crust. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust and edges with beaten egg white. Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. (Use a pie shield to protect the edges from browning too much too soon if needed). Cool for 10-15 minutes, cut into slices and serve. Recipe NotesNote 1: Make your favorite pie crust or use this recipe: 2 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 2 large egg yolks 4-6 tablespoons (28g) very cold water Note 2: If you love lemon, try lemon pepper here instead. We usually do this. Nutrition FactsServing: 1slice | Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.1g | Protein: 9.2g | Fat: 22.7g | Cholesterol: 55.5mg | Sodium: 347mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 20.7g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
What kind of pie plate do you use should you freeze this unbaked. I am always cautious with glass due to the dramatic temp change. Thanks-love your website! Reply
Thanks so much! 🙂 I use freezer-to-oven safe dishes (OXO) (and with it sitting out 30 minutes before baking it’s not AS dramatic of a temperature change) or a tin foil pie tin plate should work fine too (I haven’t tried tin foil ones personally) Reply
Chicken pot pie brings back such fond childhood memories! This looks amazing; can’t wait to enjoy this for dinner this week! Reply
Delicious! Great sauce! I love some green beans in my pot pie, too…so I’ll be adding some in next time I make this. Very good. Reply
My family LOVES!!! this recipe. It is the best pot pie evah! That said, it takes a lot longer than 50 minutes. The cook time is 45 min, with a 10-15 min rest time. I’ve made this recipe several times (doubling the recipe because of the time intensity) and there is ~90 minutes of prep and another 60 minutes of cook/rest time. I love this recipe – it really is the best chicken pot pie recipe I’ve found. But it isn’t a 50 minutes recipe. Plan on 2-1/2 hours. And I *really* recommend doubling the recipe due to the time. Reply
I’m so happy your family loves this recipe so much! Thanks for the tips on the time and thanks for your comment Lyn! 🙂 Reply
Delicious!! I’ve made many chicken pot pies over the years and have tried numerous recipes. This will be my go-to from now on. Savory and hearty filling. Wonderful flavor! Reply
So yummy!! The hubs loved it. Next time I’ll make a double batch to freeze one for a quick and easy dinner. Reply