Incredibly easy Homemade Chicken Pot Pie recipe with a creamy chicken and veggie-loaded filling and buttery, flaky crust (use my simple recipe or use store-bought!). This family-favorite meal is comforting, delicious, and simpler than you think!
Want all the comfy, cozy, easy chicken casserole recipes? Check out my popular posts for Skillet Chicken Pot Pie, Skillet Spinach Artichoke Chicken, and Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole.
Why This Recipe Works
Store-bought pie crust โ I use refrigerated pie crust to make this easy chicken pot pie recipe even easier. However, you can also use homemade pie crust (click here for my easy pie crust recipe) or you can make chicken pot pie with biscuits (see drop biscuit recipe, below), or you can use any kind of dough you like. It really is that simple.
Easy โ In addition to using store-bought pie crust, this recipe is also super simple to make in that it only requires 20 minutes of prep. That’s right โ 20 minutes till you pop the homemade chicken pot pie into the oven and allow it to cook for another half hour. Plenty of time to make a delicious side like this amazingly simple greens salad.
Great for Thanksgiving leftovers โ Have tons of leftover turkey but can’t make one more leftover turkey sandwich? This easy homemade chicken pot pie to the rescue! Simply swap turkey for chicken by stirring in 1 ยฝ to 2 cups of cooked diced turkey along with the chicken broth and half and half.
Serves a crew โ You can easily feed 4 – 6 people with this recipe for the best chicken pot pie ever. I make it for my family of 5 and we always have leftovers (which I quickly gobble up the next day before anyone notices).
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter โ I use unsalted butter then add salt later to taste but you can use any butter.
- Yellow or white onion, chopped โ You can’t have homemade chicken pot pie without the onion and other veggies. Plus, when you melt that onion down with the butter it’s soooo very delicious.
- Carrots and celery โ Two other key ingredients needed for easy chicken pot pies. I use whole, peeled carrots rather than baby carrots as I find them to be more flavorful.
- Salt and cracked black pepper โ Add this to taste as you go along.
- Fresh thyme leaves โ Fresh thyme works best but if you don’t have any then you can use ยฝ the amount of dried thyme.
- Chicken breasts, cubed โ I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts because it’s much easier to cut them up. You could also use chicken thighs or even leftover turkey (see how, below).
- All purpose flour โ All-purpose flour is key to getting the chicken pot pie to thicken inside the crust.
- White cooking wine (optional) โ I use a cooking wine to add a bit of acidity to this recipe but you can skip it if you like.
- Low sodium chicken broth โ I use a well-known brand of low-sodium chicken broth because I like to start my dishes with less salt and add as I go. Easier to add than to take salt away!
- Half and half or whole milk โ Either will work here as the base for the chicken pot pie.
- Frozen peas โ Any brand of frozen peas works in this dish. Peas are another must-have in a chicken pot pie, in my view anyway!
- Refrigerated pie crust โ Make this dish easy on yourself and use a store-bought, refrigerated pie crust.
- Egg, lightly beaten โ Beat an egg at the end to brush over the top of the crust to make it deliciously golden brown as it bakes.
Here’s How You Make It
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet, Dutch oven, or frying pan set over a medium high heat. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery, along with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and have started to color. (photo 1)
- Stir in the fresh thyme, followed by the chicken, seasoned well with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken has started to brown. (photo 2)
- Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a further minute. (photos 3-4)
- Pour in the broth, and the heavy cream or milk. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened to slightly thinner than you want your finished pie filling. Stir in the frozen peas, and remove from the heat. Add a little more salt and pepper, if needed, and set aside to cool a little. (photos 5-6)
- While the filling is cooling, lightly butter a 9 inch pie plate and line with one of the pie crusts. (photo 7)
- Add the filling to the pie dish, and brush the exposed edges of the pastry with beaten egg. (photo 8)
- Lay the other pie crust on top, and press down to seal the edges. Trim off any excess with a sharp knife and crimp the edges. (photo 9)
- Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and cut a small slit in the middle to let out steam. (photo 9)
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the top is golden โ you may need a little more or a little less baking time if your oven runs a little hot or a little cold. Let the pie to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. (photo 10)
Frequently Asked Questions
Apparently, there’s a difference between a chicken pie and a chicken pot pie in the South. Chicken pies are like little hand pies (like a savory fruit pie) without any veggies. Chicken pot pies are full-on pies made in a pie pan and with sauce and veggies.
For my chicken pot pie, I used butter, flour, cooking wine, and half and half. This, when cooked together with the veggies, makes a thick, rich, delicious sauce that keeps the ingredients from falling to the bottom. When made correctly, it will also be thick enough to keep the bottom pie crust from becoming soggy.ย
Expert Tips
- To prevent a soggy bottom pie, simply choose a metal pie plate which will conduct heat better. If you’re not sure if your metal pie plate will conduct heat, try this trick: When you preheat the oven, place a thick sheet pan or pizza stone to heat up in the oven, and bake your pie on top to help cook the pastry on the bottom.
- Just want that top crust? Easy โ just pour the pie crust into a heatproof glass or ceramic pie dish or suitable skillet and brush the edges with egg wash. From there, proceed to top the pie with just a single pie crust and press down the edges. Continue with the recipe as stated.
- Want to top with homemade or store-bought biscuits? I’ve got you covered there too. For the best chicken pot pie topped with biscuits, bake the refrigerated biscuits as per the can’s instructions, and drop the fully baked biscuits (estimate about 1 per person) on top of the cooked pie filling in the skillet. Allow to sit for two minutes, or until the biscuits are warmed through on the pot pie. If you decide to use this method, be sure that the chicken pieces are cooked through before serving.
- Optional white cooking wine: add 1/4 cup cooking wine before step 4. Stir until mostly evaporated.
Try these Recipes Next
- Biscuits and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Perfectly Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
- Sriracha Orange Beef
- Baja Fish Tacos
- Monterey Chicken Sandwiches
If you love easy chicken recipes, then you’ll also love to make my Chicken and Mushroom Gnocchi Skillet, my Skillet Chicken In Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce, or my Skillet Spinach Artichoke Chicken dishes.
Easy Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter - plus extra for the dish
- 1 white or yellow onion - diced
- 4 whole carrots - peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks - chopped
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 medium-large chicken breasts - cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ยฝ cups half and half - or whole milk
- ยพ cup frozen peas
- 2 sheets refrigerated pie crust - or one homemade pie crust
- 1 egg - lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet, Dutch oven or frying pan set over a medium high heat.
- Stir in the onion, carrot and celery, along with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and have started to color.
- Stir in the fresh thyme, followed by the chicken, seasoned well with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken has started to brown. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a further minute.
- Pour in the broth, and the heavy cream or milk. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened to slightly thinner than you want your finished pie filling. Stir in the frozen peas, and remove from the heat. Add a little more salt and pepper, if needed, and set aside to cool a little.
- While the filling is cooling, lightly butter a 9 inch pie plate and line with one of the pie crusts.
- Add the filling to the pie dish, and brush the exposed edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Lay the other pie crust on top, and press down to seal the edges. Trim off any excess with a sharp knife and crimp the edges.
- Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and cut a small slit in the middle to let out steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the top is golden – you may need a little more or a little less baking time if your oven runs a little hot or a little cold.
- Let the pie to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- To prevent a soggy bottom pie, simply choose a metal pie plate which will conduct heat better. If you’re not sure if your metal pie plate will conduct heat, try this trick: When you preheat the oven, place a thick sheet pan or pizza stone to heat up in the oven, and bake your pie on top to help cook the pastry on the bottom.
- Just want that top crust? Easy โ just pour the pie crust into a heatproof glassย or ceramic pie dish or suitable skillet and brush the edges with egg wash. From there, proceed to top the pie with just a single pie crust and press down the edges. Continue with the recipe as stated.ย
- Want to top with homemade or store-bought biscuits? I’ve got you covered there too. For the best chicken pot pie topped with biscuits, bake the refrigerated biscuits as per the can’s instructions, and drop the fully baked biscuits (estimate about 1 per person) on top of the cooked pie filling in the skillet. Allow to sit for two minutes, or until the biscuits are warmed through on the pot pie. If you decide to use this method, be sure that the chicken pieces are cooked through before serving.ย
- Optional white cooking wine: add 1/4 cup cooking wine before step 4. Stir until mostly evaporated.
So Yummy! I substituted a can of coconut milk for the cream and added a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for a non dairy version. My husband and I each had to have two pieces!
If you used the wine, would you also use the chicken broth or does it replace it?
You would use both ๐ add 1/4 cup cooking wine before step 4. Stir until mostly evaporated.
Is the filling supposed to be soupy? How long should I cook it to thicken up?
Yes, it’s a bit soupy but it thickens a bit as it cooks. If you’d like it a bit thicker, you can continue to stir it until you get your desired consistency or you can even add more flour or a cornstarch slurry.
I tried this recipe yesterday for the first time and it was AWESOME! I am not a good cook and have never tried to make a chicken pot pie before. This recipe was easy to follow and came out amazingly yummy. I left out the ingredients my family doesn’t prefer, (celery and thyme,) and added corn. Super yum. This would also be great without the pie crust as chicken a la king over mashed potatoes.
The best chican pot pie I ever had