This old fashioned Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe is the perfect cozy dinner for a chilly day! This hearty casserole features chicken and vegetables tossed in a creamy sauce and finished with a buttery, flakey pie crust. A simple comfort food meal that the whole family will love!
What is Chicken Pot Pie?
This savory pie is filled with chicken, carrots, celery, onion and peas in a creamy made-from-scratch sauce. Some versions include a bottom crust and a top crust, while other pot pie recipes only use a top crust. The topping can be made with a classic pie pastry, with biscuits, or even with puff pastry.
While pot pie is believed to have originated in Greece, it's now a very popular dish in America (source).
How to make Easy Chicken Pot Pie:
This is the best Chicken Pot Pie recipe in the world! While that's obviously a big, subjective statement, it's truly the meal that epitomizes "home" and "comfort food" in my mind. This is the recipe that I grew up with, and it comes straight from the browned, stained index card on which my mom originally jotted down her favorite dish. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ingredients in Pot Pie:
- Cooked, diced chicken
- Chicken broth
- Half-and-half
- Butter
- Carrots, onion, celery and peas
- Pie crust
- Flour, salt and pepper
First, whisk together the chicken broth and half-and-half and set aside.
Next, prepare the filling by melting butter in a skillet and cooking the carrots, celery and onion for about 10 minutes. Add the flour, cook for one more minute, and then stir the chicken broth mixture into the pan. Continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce thickens -- about 5-6 minutes.
Next, season with salt and pepper, and then add the chicken and frozen peas. Your pot pie filling is done!
At this point, you can either transfer the filling to a 2-quart baking dish or deep pie plate, or you can just add the crust (as shown here) to the top of your oven-safe skillet.
I make this easy chicken pot pie with a pie crust, using a prepared refrigerated crust. It's the best shortcut! You literally just unroll the pastry and lay it flat over top of the dish. Don't forget to crimp your edges or use a fork to press and seal; and then cut slits in the top of the crust to allow the steam to escape.
This box comes with two pie crusts. Since you only need one crust for the recipe, you can freeze the extra for a later meal!
Bake the easy chicken pot pie with crust in a 400 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
What to serve with this meal:
Since the casserole includes lean protein, vegetables and a crust, you really don't need any additional sides. That said, here are a few easy options that go well with the chicken pot pie:
- A simple green salad tossed in Buttermilk Dressing
- Southern Fried Apples
- "Angel Fluff" Cool Whip Fruit Salad
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Southern Collard Greens
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- You can use a 2-quart casserole dish or deep pie plate to bake your pot pie, or you can use a 2-quart oven-safe skillet (like the cast iron braiser shown here). Using the oven-safe cast iron skillet cuts down on the dishes because the pot pie becomes a one-pot meal!
- This is great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. If you don't have leftovers, you can purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken or you can bake your own chicken at home. To bake chicken at home, I use about 2 lbs. of raw boneless, skinless chicken breast to yield 4 cups cooked and chopped. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and use in the recipe as instructed.
- Do not thaw the frozen peas before adding them to the filling.
- If you don't want to use the store-bought pie crust, you can prepare your own homemade pie crust to use with this recipe.
- Is chicken pot pie keto friendly and low carb? No, this recipe includes 32 grams of carbs per serving, so it would not be a good option for the keto diet.
- Turn this into an individual chicken pot pie recipe! You can divide the filling evenly among smaller ramekins or oven-proof bowls and cut the pie crust to fit over each smaller dish. You may need to use 2 pie crusts, since you are cutting the dough and will likely have some waste from the scraps. The baking time will remain about the same.
- Can you make chicken pot pie ahead of time? Yes! To do so, prepare the filling as instructed, transfer to an airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to bake the pot pie, allow the filling to sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Then transfer to a baking dish, top with crust, and bake as instructed.
- Can you freeze chicken pot pie filling? Yes! You can freeze this filling in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to freeze chicken pot pie: You can bake the chicken pot pie before freezing, or you can simply assemble the dish and freeze before baking. To freeze an already-baked pot pie, allow the pie to cool to room temperature before wrapping tightly and placing it in the freezer.
- How to reheat chicken pot pie in the oven: Thaw a frozen pot pie in the refrigerator overnight. Allow to sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking. Place in a 300 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. If the crusts starts to get too brown, you can cover the edges with foil while the rest of the dish warms.
More super easy pot pie recipes that you might enjoy:
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pot Pie {an easy chicken pot pie with biscuits and a filling that's made with cream of chicken soup!}
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pot Pie Pasta Casserole
- Quick and Easy Pizza Pot Pie
- Turkey Pot Pie Pockets {with puff pastry}
Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- Β½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ΒΌ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups chopped, cooked chicken (use leftovers, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or see note below to bake your own chicken at home)
- Β½ cup frozen peas, not thawed
- 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 14.1 ounce box)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside (or you can use a 2-quart oven-proof skillet like the 10-inch cast iron skillet shown in the photos).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth and half-and-half. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; sautΓ© for 10 minutes. Add flour and continue cooking and stirring for 1 more minute. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the chicken broth mixture.
- Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring regularly, until thick and bubbly (about 5-6 minutes). Make sure that the mixture doesnβt boil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add chicken and frozen peas.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish (or leave in the oven-safe skillet). Top with the pie crust, sealing and fluting the edges as desired. Cut slits into the top of the crust to allow the steam to escape.
- Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Notes
- You can use a 2-quart casserole dish or deep pie plate to bake your pot pie, or you can use a 2-quart oven-safe skillet (like the cast iron braiser shown here). Using the oven-safe cast iron skillet cuts down on the dishes because the pot pie becomes a one-pot meal!
- This is great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. If you don't have leftovers, you can purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken or you can bake your own chicken at home. To bake chicken at home, I use about 2 lbs. of raw boneless, skinless chicken breast to yield 4 cups cooked and chopped. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and use in the recipe as instructed.
- Do not thaw the frozen peas before adding them to the filling.
- If you don't want to use the store-bought pie crust, you can prepare your own homemade pie crust to use with this recipe.
- Is chicken pot pie keto friendly and low carb? No, this recipe includes 32 grams of carbs per serving, so it would not be a good option for the keto diet.
- Turn this into an individual chicken pot pie recipe! You can divide the filling evenly among smaller ramekins or oven-proof bowls and cut the pie crust to fit over each smaller dish. You may need to use 2 pie crusts, since you are cutting the dough and will likely have some waste from the scraps. The baking time will remain about the same.
- Can you make chicken pot pie ahead of time? Yes! To do so, prepare the filling as instructed, transfer to an airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to bake the pot pie, allow the filling to sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Then transfer to a baking dish, top with crust, and bake as instructed.
- Can you freeze chicken pot pie filling? Yes! You can freeze this filling in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to freeze chicken pot pie: You can bake the chicken pot pie before freezing, or you can simply assemble the dish and freeze before baking. To freeze an already-baked pot pie, allow the pie to cool to room temperature before wrapping tightly and placing it in the freezer.
- How to reheat chicken pot pie in the oven: Thaw a frozen pot pie in the refrigerator overnight. Allow to sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking. Place in a 300 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. If the crusts starts to get too brown, you can cover the edges with foil while the rest of the dish warms.
Nutrition
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Oh my, this was the best hockey pot pie I have tasted. I made it exactly as listed and it came out delicious! I have tried different pot pie recipes and the filling was either to watery or the crust would burn. Thank you so much for this truly delicious and truly easy recipe. I still have a pie crust left so Iβm definitely making another one to freeze.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, Annette! We actually had it for dinner last night as well, since I had the extra pie crust in my freezer from before. π
I just made this tonight, so good!! A definite keeper! A few minor changes, I have a few peeps that can't eat onions/celery so left out the onions and added diced potatoes and used 2 cans of chicken broth instead of 2 cups, definitely needed the extra moisture. I had left over filling so lucky us we get to have the yummy filling over noodles or with biscuits π
Wonderful! So glad that you enjoyed it, Kathy. It's such comfort food! I imagine you would need the extra liquid when adding potatoes -- good thinking! Enjoy those leftovers! π
Made this tonight just as directed and it was delicious!
Wonderful! Thanks, Kelly! Total comfort food. π