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.
Crystal
4 out of the 5 loved this, only because my oldest is a 12 year old picky vegetarian all of a sudden-ugh…mom struggles…
Anyways my only regret is that we hadn’t tried it sooner. Thank you!
Lauren
Do these get frozen directly after you assemble them, or do you bake them first, then cool and freeze? I plan on making one for my sister-in-law who is in labor as I type. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
If I’m going to freeze it, I cool the filling before assembling. Then I freeze it. Bake from frozen. Congrats on the new niece or nephew!
Theresa Ellis
So good. sauce was good crust was good. will be making this again Thanks
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for letting me know you liked it!
Erin
Thanks for sharing this pot pie recipe. I have made it twice with modifications to remove dairy due to food allergies in the family, and it still turns out great! Just substitute oil (I used part canola and part olive) for the butter, and use additional broth/stock instead of the milk. The gravy comes out a bit lighter-feeling, which is great for us because my husband won’t touch anything with a “creamy” sauce with a ten foot pole, and he’s not the one allergic to dairy!
Jessica Fisher
Glad to hear you were able to tweak it for the fam. I’ve done the same kinds of modifications when we didn’t have something.
Kelly
Baby #1 is due to arrive any day now, so I’m trying to make ahead as many meals as I can. My husband loves pot pies, but I hate the yuck of the ones from the store. The sauce turned out perfect! I added celery and cheated with packaged crust. It looks beautiful, the tastes I had were great, and I love that it’s a hearty home-cooked meal ready to go for later.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad that you saw success!
Nami
@Sandi: regarding the soupy filling…. Do you happen to live in a humid area? When we moved to sub-tropical coastal Texas I noticed my own pot pie recipe turning out too runny (though it looked fine prior to baking). I’ve since reduced the amt of broth (by a third) and increased the flour in my recipe and its helped. You might play with that!
Sandi
I used to eat a ton of pre-packaged pot pies back in college, but haven’t had one in many years. I finally made this tonight with carrots, peas, and celery. I would have used potatoes, but was out. I’m *still* working on that freezer clean-out pantry challenge from months ago, so I pulled out the frozen stock, chicken, and a package of pie crusts from who knows how long ago. I increased the seasonings a bit from what you listed, and used a bunch of Herbs de Provence rather than just thyme due to family preference. Apparently I must not have thickened up the filling quite enough. It looked ok, but ended up being really soupy so it fell apart when I tried to serve it. 🙁 However, the taste was still delicious and it was requested I “try it again to get it right” so count it as a winner! It would probably make more sense to make personal size pies like how I used to buy them, though. It would just be easier to serve.
Jessica Fisher
I’d love to hear how individual pies go for you. I have always hesitated to mess with all the work required for that.
Sandi
I’d forgotten about my previous problem when I tried it again this week. However, I had a package of biscuits I’d been given so I thought I’d try it with a biscuit crust instead of in a pie crust. I’m glad I did, as it would have again been too soupy for a crust. I did not see Nami’s suggestion before that it could be because I’m in a terribly humid location although why it looks okay pre-bake and not after-bake I really don’t know. The flavor is still excellent although I used a few more (types and quantities of) spices than you listed. I just have to figure out how best to serve it. Maybe just in a bowl with a spoon! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
So, the gravy isn’t getting thick enough? I would just reduce the amount of liquid that you’re using.
Jennifer B
I made this for the first time tonight as well and it was really soupy and fell apart when I went to serve it. Still very tasty though! I did notice, however, that when it cooled down, it did seem to thicken back up, so I think next time I am going to let it sit for a few min. to see if it thickens up before serving. Also, I had one question – I wasn’t clear if I should brush with milk before baking when I didn’t freeze it first (this is only stated after taking it out of the freezer…)? I did because I figured it was probably the same instructions either way but my crust got really brown, almost burnt – should I have not? Or maybe just take it out sooner (it was under the hour specified in the recipe)? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
You were right to brush with milk either way. As for the gravy, I would suggest making sure it thickens really well prior to assembling the pie. Sometimes it takes a little longer on the stovetop to make a thick gravy.
Melissa
Jessica, I wanted to write and say thanks so much for your recipe. My family thinks good things about me when they are eating it. I had to leave home to care for my sick mother. I put almost forty meals in the freezer (that is the first time I’ve ever done that). Five of those forty were these pot pies. They have loved every one of them. I have never made a pot pie before. I had no trouble with your recipe and I was so impressed by the look of the filling. I did cheat and buy the pie crust though. I’m not good at rolling anything. Thanks again!
Jessica Fisher
I love stories like this! Thank you for sharing.
Christina
I made this pot pie earlier in the week for supper. We are a family of 7 so I doubled it and made it in a 9×13 (with a lattice top so I didn’t have to double the crust.) My family LOVED it. My 14y/o son had 4ths. My husband – who doesn’t like pot pie – had seconds and asked for the leftovers. I have always loved pot pie and have missed making them through the years. Now I have a recipe that will make it in to our meal plan at least every other month. Using the freezer to have the gravy & chicken ready to go is going to make this wonderful dinner so easy. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Jessica Fisher
So glad it worked for you so well! Wow!
Christina
Making this again tonight in soup form and serving it with a fresh wheat bread instead of baking it with a crust. My husband said he would like it better if it didn’t have crust. We’ll see how it goes over as soup. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
So, how did it go?
Christina
There were hardly any leftovers. They loved it. I will have to make it a regular on our menu plan.
linda m
Your chicken pot pie looks delicious. Do you have a recipe for the crust?
Jessica Fisher
Here’s the post about how I make pie crust: http://lifeasmom.com/2009/09/homemade-pie-crust-finer-thing.html
Shirley I.
I’m from London, UK – and love your website. I will definitely be trying the Chicken Pot Pie, and thank you for links to other lovely recipes.
Kind regards, Shirley I.
Viki
I make pot pies in those little pot pie pans and freeze. Great for individual servings and just pop one or two in the toaster oven and bake til done. Also works for left over spaghetti and chili mac., that way everybody gets what they want for lunch.
FishMama
You can use whatever veg you like. This is the way our fam prefers. I usu only do carrots and potatoes now. They've been balking at peas or beans.
busy mom
On the chicken pot pie can you use can vegs. ?
if so I may give this a try- Thanks
Mary
Thanks! I'm planning on making this for my family and a family who just had twins, today 🙂
April
Oh my…this is the best thing I have ever made. Ever. Granted, I'm still fairly new to this whole homemaker thing, but wow…yummy AND actually really doable! Thanks!
Pam
Scrumptious!
Cardamom's Pod
We LOVE pot pie – I've always made it with a bottom crust although it's hard to find recipes for that… Thanks for reminding me of this because my husband would love for these to be available in the freezer year-round! 🙂
Sue D
I found a new crock pot recipe for spiced applesauce from Gooseberry Patch. You combine all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours (hi-3-4 hours). Then you smash and stir to get desired consistency. The ingredients are: 8 Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled and cubed, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 water and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. This was about 10 cups of apples for me–from my trees (not Golden Delicious) and I only used 1/4 cup brown sugar–we don't like it too sweet.
FishMama
I usually do it with metal/aluminum pans because those are the ones that fit in a ziploc bag. I guess I sometimes do it with pyrex and I've never had a problem, but I suppose there is a risk of cracking, isn't there?