Chicken Pot Pie is a sure-fire favorite at my house. Flaky, buttery crust surrounds chicken, vegetables, and a delectable homemade gravy for delicious comfort food.
One of our favorite savory, Homemade Pies, this chicken pot pie is great accompanied by a Quick and Easy Caesar Salad or Broccoli Cranberry Salad With Pecans. This was one of my favorite postpartum meals from a friend when one of my babies was born.
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Years ago when I had my second baby I was surrounded by good cooks who spoiled me once the baby was born. This Chicken Pot Pie was one of those dishes that was dropped on our doorstep by a fellow mom-in-arms, ready to sneak a peek at our new bundle of joy.
It was the best chicken pot pie I’d ever had, so good that it prompted me to get over my fear of double pie crusts.
It was the first homemade chicken pot pie I’d ever had. And personally, I think this recipe is the gold standard by which all Chicken Pot Pies must be measured.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
A flaky buttery crust? Check.
Tender chunks of chicken? Check. (You can use turkey, too!)
Potatoes, carrots, and pease? Check.
A luscious, herb gravy? Check.
All the good things are included in this delicious pie.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie made easy
At first glance this recipe may seem a little time intensive; the whole double pie crust, gravy, cooked vegetables and meat thing can seem tedious.
Luck for us, there are plenty of ways to make it super duper easy so that you can enjoy this homemade Chicken Pot Pie often:
- make many at once and freeze them = reduced time investment/pie
- roast a chicken or turkey one night and turn the leftover meat, gravy, and veggies into pie!
- use a rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies if you don’t have time to cook them all fresh
- use commercial pie crust for quick assembly
This homemade Chicken Pot Pie is so delicious, pleases everyone at the table, and freezes well so you can make several pies to enjoy weeks down the line. Trust me when I say you’ll want to make more than one.
This is the typical reaction when Chicken Pot Pie is on the menu at our house:
What sides go with chicken pot pie?
While a pot pie can be a complete meal as it contains a starch, protein, and vegetables, I’ve found that vegetable sides are ideal. Consider a green salad or steamed, sautéed, or roasted vegetables.
In the UK, a proper pie is often served with boiled vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
Can you freeze chicken pot pie?
This is a great make-ahead meal. Just like my apple pies, I often make several at once, wrap tightly unbaked, and freeze them.
How nice to pop a frozen HOMEMADE pot pie — no need to thaw! — into the oven on a night when I don’t want to cook, but crave good home cookin’!
Bake the pie from frozen, no need to thaw. Scroll down for complete details.
How do I thicken chicken pot pie?
You’ll want to use a very thick gravy when you assemble your pie. As the pie bakes, the gravy thins and the the veggies add a bit of liquid, too.
This recipe has been updated since its original publication to reflect a thicker gravy.
If you’re using leftover or commercial gravy, you can thicken it up by simmering for a few minutes to cook off some of the extra liquid.
Can I use leftovers to make chicken pot pie?
Leftovers are a great short cut to making a pot pie. Anytime you roast a turkey, chicken, or beef or pork roast, save the leftover meat, veggies, and gravy. These can be combined together as a filling for your next pot pie.
Can I use a single crust instead?
If you want to lighten things up a bit you could try using my Single Crust Pot Pie with Chicken that only uses a top crust instead.
How do you make a Chicken Pot Pie?
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie can be intimidating. Remember, I was scared to make it the first time? This will be okay. Trust me.
The process is three-fold:
- Make the gravy.
- Prepare the filling.
- Assemble the pie.
At any part in the process, you can take some shortcuts like using commercial gravy, a rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed vegetables, or a refrigerated pie crust.
If you’re most concerned about how to assemble this darn thing, go ahead and use grocery store shortcuts the first time. Next time, make another component from scratch, and so on.
Pretty soon, you’ll be a pro at pot pies!
Make the gravy.
You need some gravy. It’s not a pie without gravy. This can be commercial gravy or homemade. Homemade is best.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the onions and saute until tender and starting to go clear.
- Whisk in the flour and allow this to bubble. It should have a light toasty smell.
- Whisk in the chicken stock and milk. Simmer until thickened.
- Stir in the seasonings. Taste and adjust the seasonings according to your preferences.
Prepare the filling.
The filling of a pot pie is typically cooked and cubed meat and vegetables, such a potatoes, carrots, and peas. You can also use green beans, corn, or other favorite vegetables.
Feel free to substitute a frozen vegetable mix if you like.
Combine the vegetables and the gravy in a large mixing bowl and the spoon it into a prepared pie crust.
Tip: I like to assemble and bake the pie on a small rimmed baking dish. That way, if the filling overflows, it does so on the baking dish and not on the bottom of my oven.
Assemble your pot pie.
- Once you have your filling in the pie crust, top it with the second crust.
- Fold the edges under the bottom crust and pinch to seal.
- Flute the edges if you like or you can simply press them together with a fork.
- Cut a slit in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.
- Bake according to recipe directions.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie is so much better than the store bought kind! Here are some strategies to help make it more economical.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Chicken is your big ticket items here. Stock up when you see a good sale.
- Shop at Costco. When I did my big grocery store showdown, I learned that Costco has the best price for a lot of the things I buy, plus they sell all the ingredients needed for this recipe. I love their rotisserie chickens and their cheapest-price-in-town for butter.
What tools do you need to make Chicken Pot Pie?
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- A food processor
- pie plate
- rolling pin
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife
- plastic cutting boards
- stainless steel mixing bowls
- glass measuring cup
- Small Kitchenaid saucepan
- Wire whisk
- Rubber spatula
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed)
- ½ cup frozen green peas
- 1 carrots diced and cooked (½ cup)
- 1 russet potatoes diced and cooked (½ cup)
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ onion for ¼ cup chopped
- ¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 double-crust pie crust
Instructions
- Combine chicken breast, peas, carrots, and potatoes in a bowl; set aside.
- In medium saucepan, melt butter. Sauté onion until clear. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbly. Whisk in broth and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in seasonings. Pour over chicken-vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cool completely if preparing for freezer. Otherwise proceed with recipe.
- Line pie plate with bottom crust. Pour in filling. Position top crust, crimp edges, and cut a slash in the top. Bake at 375° for one hour or until crust is brown and filling bubbles.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in September 2009. It has been updated for clarity.
Ava
I just made this…. but….. as usual, I tweaked the recipe. I added minced garlic, a little corn, mushrooms, lots of ground black pepper , a tsp of crushed red pepper and 2 golden potatoes. I also added a little more flour, chicken stock and heavy cream. I couldn’t find fresh parsley so I used dry. I did use store bought crust and about 20 minutes into the oven I coated the top with real butter. I made a double batch and froze the rest of the filling for another time. It turned out amazing.
Erica
Can I make this ahead of time and just store in the fridge for a few days? Will it hold up?
Jessica Fisher
The crust can get soggy, so I wouldn’t do it earlier than the morning of. If you want to make it a few days in advance, I’d tuck it in the freezer.
Tammy Harris
I do these in foil pans and add puff pastry crust. Egg wash top add vents and cover with foil and freeze. I thaw before baking.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like a great strategy!
Patty B.
will the foil stick to the crust?
Jessica Fisher
It shouldn’t. If you’re talking about during baking time to prevent overbrowning, I usually just lay the foil on top. The crust should already be baked on top and lightly browned, so it’s basically like putting on a coverup to prevent sunburn.
Patty B.
Thank you for your reply. I should have clarified. I would like to freeze some unbaked, and you mentioned you cover it in foil to put in the freezer. Does the foil stick to the unbaked crust?
Jessica Fisher
No, when wrapping the pie to freeze, I’ve never had an issue with the foil sticking. Unwrap it as soon as you pull it from the freezer to bake, though. You wouldn’t want it to thaw in the wrapping; that could cause sticking.
A.N.J.
Hello! I already have some chicken gravy left over from another meal. Would reheating and throwing the rest of the ingredients work instead of making a new gravy from scratch?
Jessica Fisher
Yep! Great way to use up leftovers!
Pilot’s Wife
I’ve used this recipe several times. I use frozen mixed vegetables and pre made crust. I make individual pies in ramekins. So easy and fun to have the pies in little containers. Have also used small aluminum ones when taking one into work for lunch. Pop in the toaster oven, cover the rim of the crust the last 15 minutes, then wait for the coworkers to circle by wondering what smells so good. Love this recipe!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Love the circle of envious coworkers. LOL! Send them my way. 😉
Carmen Albert
I stumbled upon this recipe last year looking for a quick/easy potpie, I did make some adjustments though. I used can “veg-all and ( forgive me) cans of Hormel oven roasted chicken then proceeded with making your sauce, it was delicious! Making tonight since the weather has finally gotten a little cooler in Florida . Thank you
Jessica Fisher
Whatever shortcuts work for you are the right ones to use! Bravo!
Annie
The mild thyme flavor in the homemade sauce is wonderful. I make this often. Thank you for a winner.
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoy it, Annie. Thanks for the feedback!
Kathleen
I just made this with some leftover turkey. So delicious! I tried a different pie crust than my usual pate brisee that I make, it was a buttermilk pie crust and it complemented the filling very well.
Jessica Fisher
Good to hear! That buttermilk pie crust sounds really interesting!
Shelly
My husband has ask for Chicken pie for a while. Tonight he gets his wish!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Glad you like it!
Lori Dailey
Made this yesterday with leftovers from the Roast chicken and Jalapeno Popper potatoes, broth made from the Roast Chicken carcass, corn and beans instead of peas and carrots, since that’s what I had and a purchased refrigerated pie crust. The flavor was so delicious! My husband requested that I make it again, soon!
Jessica Fisher
That sounds AMAZING! Good call on the popper potatoes, too. I may have to copy you with that. Did you still make the gravy? I’m thinking we could skip making the special potatoes and stir in sour cream into the gravy and saute some jalapenos and onions to stir in. Brilliant!
Lori Dailey
Yes, I did make the gravy, as well. It was just delicious as leftovers too!
Jessica Fisher
Totally making this soon! Thanks again for the inspiration!
Michelle
I froze mine and was wondering if I need to defrost the pot pie before I cook it? Or is it ok to just pull it out of the freezer and put it straight into the oven?
Jessica Fisher
The recipe card on the post explains how to cook it from frozen. Short answer, Don’t thaw but check the recipe for baking temps as they are different than baking it right away.
Sarah Jones
How do you pre-cook your veggies? I am not sure what would be the best or easiest method.
Jessica Fisher
I will usually use leftover veg from another meal or steam and simmer fresh.
Natalie
Do you have to cook the chicken prior to the oven, or can you adjust the time/ temp so that I don’t have to pre-cook the chicken? Thanks, Natalie
Jessica Fisher
Nope. You really need to precook the chicken.
Dee
From frozen, do you bake it with foil on or off? Looking forward to trying it!
Jessica Fisher
Unwrap it. Cut a vent hole. Brush with milk, and bake frozen. So yummy!