Chicken Pot Pie is a common comfort food in American culture. Chicken, veggies, in a souped-up flavorful suprême sauce (which is a cross between a béchamel and velouté) and baked in a pie crust creates quite the hearty dish. Pot pies can be easy to make. I prefer from-scratch baking and cooking, so this recipe focuses mainly on homemade ingredients including my own poultry seasoning. However, you can make this recipe in no time using pre-made pie crusts, rotisserie chicken, and commercial poultry seasoning.
My Chicken Pot Pie Inspiration
Cold months for me include seasonal dishes like soups, casseroles, and veggie or meat pies. Throw in some homemade yeast rolls or southern biscuits and I’m a happy camper. Growing up, I didn’t eat a lot of pot pies, and when I did, they were usually frozen, single serving-size versions. After getting married and learning to cook from scratch, since we didn’t have much money, I decided to try my hand at a homemade chicken pot pie. Luckily, my first attempt worked. We loved the warm, comfort, homey feel of a pot pie so much it became an annual winter dish. I’ve been making versions of this recipe for years and we just love it! I’m excited to share this one with you going rustic all the way to make it easier and fun. No fuss! No fancy pie crust crimping or artistic designs. This is truly a homey, feel-good kind of dish.
From-Scratch or Commercial Ingredients?
Any and all work in a homemade pot pie. The ingredients I use in this pot pie are mainly homemade except for the chicken, stock, and vegetables 😉. You’ll see my grandma’s 3-ingredient pie crust, my homemade poultry seasoning, and a souped-up suprême sauce that incorporates butter, flour, poultry seasoning, chicken broth, and whole milk. However, you can always substitute the homemade versions with store-bought variations. You can use 2 commercial pie crusts, store-bought poultry seasoning, or even a jar of Alfredo sauce instead of making your own suprême sauce. It’s hard to make a mistake with homemade savory pies. Let’s check out this chicken pot pie!
Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients
The ingredients are quite a few, but remember that most of them can be store-bought and many are found the typical kitchen pantry, fridge, or freezer. For the ingredients, you’ll need 2 unbaked pie crusts (like my grandma’s 3-ingredient shortening based), cooked shredded or ground chicken or turkey (like rotisserie), all-purpose flour, poultry seasoning, salt, black pepper, oil, onion, garlic, frozen mixed vegetables, 1 medium Russet potato, mushrooms, butter, chicken broth, milk, and any kind of melting shredded cheese (like Colby Jack).
Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 425°F (220˚C). This high heat is needed to par-bake the bottom pie dough. The heat will be decreased to bake the pie.
TIP: Par-baking the bottom crust is important to eliminate a soft, mushy, doughy bottom crust at the end. You can also eliminate the bottom crust entirely to make it easier.
Make the Filling
Combine Dry Ingredients Needed for the Sauce
To a small bowl, add 40 grams (⅓ cup) of all-purpose flour, 5 grams (1 tablespoon) of poultry seasoning, 6 grams (1 teaspoon) of salt, and 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground black pepper. Stir the ingredients to combine and set the bowl aside.
TIP: I use my homemade poultry seasoning in this pot pie, but I have used commercial versions in the past. Whatever you have on hand will be just fine. I would not skimp on the poultry seasoning; it is important to the overall flavor of the dish.
Sauté the Vegetables
Add 1 tablespoon of oil (avocado, canola, olive, etc.) to a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add ½ of a small, diced onion and cook until softened and translucent (about 2-4 minutes). Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then, add 130 grams (1 cup) of frozen mixed vegetables of any kind, 175 grams (1 cup /1 medium) Russet potato that is diced small about the size of the other veggies, and 100 grams (1 cup) of fresh or frozen chopped mushrooms cut about the size of the other veggies. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft. The potatoes will take the longest to cook. Once all veggies are cooked, turn off the heat and set the skillet of vegetables aside.
TIPS: Use 3 cups of any vegetable combination you like or have on hand. You might consider broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, squash (delicata, acorn, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)
Make the Sauce
To a large saucepan, add 76 grams (⅓ cup / 5¼ tablespoons) of butter (salted is fine). Heat on medium until melted. Whisk in the flour mixture consistently for 1-2 minutes to reduce the raw flour taste. While whisking, slowly pour in 420 milliliters (1¾ cup) of chicken stock or broth, and 160 milliliters (⅔ cup) of milk. I prefer whole milk, but any kind will work. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk while simmering until thickened. It will take 5-15 minutes.
TIPS: The mixture will thicken more quickly if using warmed broth and milk. Consider heating the broth and milk together either on the stove or in the microwave prior to pouring them into the saucepan. The sauce is thick enough when the sauce clings to the spoon when dipped into the sauce and removed.
Combine All Filling Ingredients
Turn off the heat. To the thickened sauce, stir in 113 grams (1 cup) of cheese; you can use any type of cheese or mix of cheese you like. Add 1 pound of cooked shredded or ground meat. Dark meat chicken thighs would add a nice, rich addition here. I just used shredded chicken breast. A rotisserie chicken that you shredded would be easier. Add the sautéed vegetable mixture. Stir well. Set the mixture aside to slightly cool.
TIP: You can make the filling the previous day. If so, transfer the cooked filling to another bowl and store in the refrigerator. Reheat the filling over the stove or in the microwave prior to filling the pie crust.
Assemble the Pie
Roll out 1st Pie Dough & Shape to Dish
Place one rolled out pie crust (12 inches) into an ungreased 9-10-inch pie plate or 1½- 2-quart casserole dish. I like to use a deep casserole dish for my chicken pot pies, because I like a double crust with a thick runny center. I guess it becomes more of a casserole than a pie 😉. Regardless, form the dough to the dish allowing the crust to hang up and slightly over the dish. Trim off excess pie dough to just above the edge. The dough will shrink as it bakes so leave a little at the top. Sit the pie plate or casserole dish on a metal baking sheet covered with foil.
TIPS: Placing the dish on a foil- lined baking sheet catches any crust or filling that may fall. You can also bake excess dough pieces on the baking sheet during baking, so there are extra pieces to add to the pie. Yummy!
Blind Bake the Pie Crust
Blind bake the pie crust by adding a sheet of crumpled parchment paper or foil to cover the inside bottom and up sides of the dough. Add pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice just to cover the bottom of the paper or foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes just until the dough is no longer raw and still pale. Upon removing the blind baked crust from the oven, lift the parchment paper or foil edges to remove it and the weights and set them aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Once the crust has baked, if there is any crust hanging over the dish, while warm, take a knife and trim it off, so that the top is flush with the edge of the dish.
TIPS: After removing the paper/foil and weights from the crust, if the dough still looks a bit underbaked or wet, return the pie crust to the oven (without the parchment paper/foil and weights). Bake for another 2 minutes to dry out. The parchment paper/foil and weights prevent the crust from bubbling up as it bakes. Once the weights (beans, rice, etc.) have cooled, you can keep them to use for another par-baking pie day 😊. No wasting!
Fill the Pie
Scatter the remaining 56 grams (½ cup) of cheese over the par-baked crust to act as a barrier between the crust and the liquid ingredients. This helps keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. Scoop the filling into the par-baked, crust-lined casserole dish on top of the cheese. Fill dish to the top if not slightly above in the center.
TIP: If you happen to have more filling than your dish can hold, simply set it aside and eat it when ready. It is cooked so it can be eaten with a side of extra crust (cook’s treat 😉).
Top Pie with Remaining Pie Dough
Roll out the remaining pie crust to 10 inches or a couple of inches beyond the casserole dish/pie plate. Place the 2nd pie crust over the filling allowing the crust to hang rustically over the dish. If you want a “clean” look, trim off excess pie dough that’s more than 2 inches beyond the dish edge and tuck and crimp the edges against the dish. However, I like the extra crust and prefer to leave it hanging over the dish. It looks rustic, and you can break off the extra crust once baked and eat it with the filling.
Cut Vent Slits in top of Dough
Use a knife to cut 3-4 slits in the top crust for vents to allow steam to escape during baking. It’s important to bake the pot pie on a larger baking sheet to catch any crust that may fall off or any liquid that may ooze out of the pie.
TIP: While any pie crust should work, I have found that a shortening-based pie crust (as opposed to butter or mix of butter/shortening) holds together better when hanging rustically down along the dish. A water-based fat like butter used in a pie crust tends to separate when melted and can split during baking causing any dough hanging down to fall to the baking sheet. No worries if this happens, though! Just serve it on the side with the pie.
Bake the Pie
Place the pie in the oven to bake for 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Once baked, allow the pie to sit for 15 minutes to set and cool a little before cutting and serving. The pie will be runny, but that’s expected in this rustic pie.
Check it out: Chicken Pot Pie is Baked!
Notice the crust baked all around. Since this is rustic, it doesn’t matter if any crust falls off. You’re just going to eat it anyway. Waste not want not 😉! Once cut, the filling will be runny, but it will firm and set once cooled completely; however, we want to eat it hot and fresh so runny is what we get. Use a big serving spoon to dig down deep to reach the bottom crust and scoop it up and out onto the plate. Don’t forget the extra crust on the edges, too! The filling will ooze down into the crevices in the casserole dish. Check out all the veggies and chicken in the filling. The sauce has a brown tent from the poultry seasoning and chicken stock. The crust is crusty! This pot pie is rustic, sort of a down-home comfort food for the soul 😋.
Serving Suggestions
Serve chicken pot pie along with a salad, roasted veggies, yeast rolls, biscuits, cornbread, or whatever your heart desires. There are no rules. For us, this is comfort food on a cold winter day, so we prefer a side of bread and roasted veggies.
Storing Suggestions
This chicken pot pie stores very well covered in the fridge for several days. Once chilled, the filling firms and holds its shape making it much easier to cut and scoop out onto a plate. The crust remains crunchy even days later. When ready, scoop out desired amount onto a plate and heat until warm in the microwave or oven. Eat and enjoy with more crust!
Ingredient Substitution Suggestions
Short on time? Here’s a quicker way to make a pot pie or substitutions to adjust the ingredients. For commercial substitutions or ingredient substitutions, consider…
- rotisserie chicken in place of boiling and shredding the chicken yourself,
- 16 ounces (1 pound) of cooked, crumbled tofu in place of meat for a vegetarian option,
- vegetable broth or stock in place of chicken broth or stock,
- cheddar, mozzarella, or other melting cheese in place of Colby Jack,
- 1 cup of any other vegetable to replace each mushrooms or potato,
- any 3 cups (total) of vegetables you have or like (consider broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, diced squash (delicata, acorn, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)
- commercial bottle of poultry seasoning or make a homemade version ahead of time,
- two store-bought pie crusts instead of homemade or make the pie dough a day ahead of time,
- store-bought Alfredo (pasta) sauce and heat it up. Stir in poultry seasoning, cooked chicken, cooked veggies. You may or may not want 1 cup of additional cheese in the sauce. You decide! Then follow the recipe as described.
Chicken Pot Pie Final Thoughts
We eat a version of this recipe at least once during the winter or early spring seasons. We often eat a vegetarian version using tofu or adding extra veggies. This recipe is so versatile, it’s like cleaning out the fridge or freezer when I make this dish; whatever I need to use up… in the casserole dish it goes! I think the key ingredients are having good pie crusts and a good sauce. I focus on making these from scratch and with that the pie never disappoints.
Baker’s Perspective
This chicken pot pie can be as easy as you need it to be. Use store-bought ingredients and forgo any tucking, crimping, or pretty decor of the crust. To save time, you can make the pie dough and filling the day before and store both separately in the fridge. On baking day, you simply need to assemble the pie and bake. You can even forgo the bottom crust and just grease the dish, add the filling, and top with 1 sheet of pie dough. You can bake any pie dough pieces that were trimmed off the dough on the baking sheet around the casserole dish for the same time and duration as the pie. These are great, tasty pieces to add along side a scoop of chicken pot pie on a serving plate. This pie is versatile and doesn’t waste.
Taster’s Perspective
Can I say… oh, yeah!? We love this meat pie. The crust adds texture and flavor to the ooey, gooey filling. In one bite, you get a variety of vegetables, chicken, and the balanced flavored sauce. The poultry seasoning is evident with the variety of spices. The cheese adds richness but also contributes to the sauce thickening. I love the extra pie crust on the side! Yummy! We look forward to the next winter season!
Check out my YouTube video on making this Chicken Pot Pie. “Rustic Chicken Pot Pie: Keep it Simple or Use all Homemade Ingredients Including Poultry Seasoning.”
Rustic Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts or double-crust pie crust recipe store-bought or homemade
- 1 lb cooked shredded chicken such as thighs, breasts, tenderloins rotisserie or ground chicken or turkey
- 40 g (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
- 5 g (1 tbsp) poultry seasoning store-bought or homemade
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground black pepper
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) oil avocado, olive, canola, etc.
- ½ small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 130 g (1 cup) frozen mixed vegetables green beans, corn, carrots, peas, etc.
- 175 g (1 cup/1 medium) Russet potato diced (size of other veggies)
- 100 g (1 cup) fresh or frozen mushrooms (cremini or bellas) chopped (size of other veggies)
- 76 g (⅓ cup/5¼ tbsp) butter salted or unsalted
- 420 ml (1¾ cup) chicken broth or stock or other broth like vegetable or beef
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) milk whole is preferred but any kind will work
- 170 g (1½ cups) Colby Jack cheese (or mix of cheeses) shredded & divided
- additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Filling:
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220˚C) to blind bake the pie crust.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add onion and cook until softened ~ 2-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then, add frozen vegetables, potato, and mushrooms. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and set aside.
- Add butter to a large saucepan and heat until melted. Whisk in flour mixture consistently for 1-2 minutes.
- While whisking, slowly pour in chicken broth and milk. Reduce heat and continue to whisk while simmering until thickened, about 5-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.TIP: The mixture will thicken more quickly if pouring in warmed broth and milk. Consider heating the broth and milk together in a measuring cup in the microwave prior to pouring it into the saucepan.
- To the sauce, stir in 113 g (1 cup) of cheese, all meat, and vegetable mixture. Taste mixture and add more salt and pepper to your tastes. Set aside to slightly cool.
Assemble the Pie:
- Place one rolled out pie crust (12 inches) into a 9-10-inch pie plate or 1½- 2-quart casserole dish and form it to the dish allowing the crust to hang up and slightly over the dish. Sit the casserole dish on a foiled-lined metal baking sheet.
- Blind bake the pie crust by adding a sheet of opened, crumpled parchment paper or foil to cover the inside bottom and sides of the dough and add pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice to cover the bottom. Bake for 10-15 minutes just until the dough is no longer raw and still pale. Once removed from the oven, lift the parchment paper or foil edges to remove it and the weights. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).TIP: If dough is still wet or raw after removing the paper/foil and weights, return the pie crust to the oven (without the paper/foil and weights) and bake another 2 minutes until dry.
- Scatter the remaining cheese (56 g or ½ cup) over the par-baked crust to act as a barrier between the crust and the liquid ingredients. Scoop filling into the par-baked, crust-lined casserole dish. Fill to the top, if not slightly above, in the center. Trim off the overhanging pie crust edges with only the top exposed.
- Roll out the other pie crust rustically to about 10 inches or to a couple of inches beyond the casserole dish/pie plate. Place 2nd pie crust over the filling allowing the crust to hang rustically over the dish. Use a knife to cut 3-4 slits in the top crust for vents to allow steam to escape during baking.TIPS: If you want a "clean" look, trim off excess pie dough that’s more than 2 inches beyond the dish edge and tuck and crimp the edges against the dish like a regular pie. While any pie crust should work, a shortening-based pie crust (as opposed to butter or mix of butter/shortening) holds together better when hanging rustically down along the dish.
- Place the pie on the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 50 minutes or until the crust is light golden brown.TIPS: Baking the pie on a larger baking sheet prevents any leaks or crust from falling off onto the oven floor. During baking, some crust may separate and fall off onto the baking sheet. No worries, allow the crust to bake the same duration of time as the pie. Serve the fallen off crust with the pot pie.
- Once baked, allow the pie to sit for 15 minutes to set before cutting and serving. Dig in a enjoy with a side of additional pie crust to dip into the pie filling. The pie will still be runny. Serve along with a salad, roasted veggies, yeast rolls, biscuits, etc.
Video
Notes
-
- rotisserie chicken in place of boiling and shredding the chicken yourself,
-
- 16 ounces (1 pound) of cooked, crumbled tofu in place of meat for a vegetarian option,
-
- vegetable broth or stock in place of chicken broth or stock,
-
- cheddar, mozzarella, or other melting cheese in place of Colby Jack,
-
- 1 cup of any other vegetable to replace each mushrooms or potato,
-
- any 3 cups (total) of vegetables you have or like (consider broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, diced squash (delicata, acorn, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)
-
- commercial bottle of poultry seasoning or make a homemade version ahead of time,
-
- two store-bought pie crusts instead of homemade or make the pie dough a day ahead of time,
-
- store-bought Alfredo (pasta) sauce and heat it up. Stir in poultry seasoning, cooked chicken, cooked veggies. You may or may not want 1 cup of additional cheese in the sauce. You decide! Then follow the recipe as described.
You might be interested in some of these other recipes.
Canadian Tourtière: Holiday Meat Pie
3 Simple & Flavorful Pie Crusts
Southern Buttery Yogurt Biscuits
Super Easy Everyday Yeast Rolls: No Knead & Egg Free
Sour Cream Pocketbook Yeast Rolls
The Berry Rolls: My Grandmother’s Yeast Roll Recipe
Cinnamon Rolls & Yeast Rolls: One Recipe
Colombian Pandebono GF Cheese Rolls
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!