Everybody will fall in love with this easy Chicken Pot Pie!! With a creamy chicken and vegetable filling lightly infused with herbs, this Chicken Pot Pie made with puff pastry lids can be served in individual pots or made as one big pie.
This Chicken Pot Pie recipe is made by poaching uncooked chicken in stock and milk which is then used as the broth for the creamy filling. Or speed things up by using cooked chicken!
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Pot Pie was a staple in my 20’s. When I was an ambitious lass in the corporate world juggling university in the evenings, Chicken Pot Pie was a handy one-dish freezer-friendly meal that I could cram loads of extra veggies into.
So while fellow uni students were living on instant ramen and cheap sausages, I was making Chicken Pot Pie.
How very homely of me…. Some might even say daggy! 😂
I like to make Chicken Pot Pie in POTS – for maximum pastry to filling ratio!
What goes in Chicken Pot Pie
Here’s what goes in Chicken Pot Pie. Nothing unusual here – but just a couple of comments on some of the ingredients:
Stock powder – this adds more flavour in the creamy white sauce. I like to use Vegeta which is a vegetable stock powder, but any stock powder will do – vegetable or chicken;
Parmesan adds umami (which means savouriness and depth of flavour) rather than cheesiness into the sauce. If you don’t have parmesan, use about 1 1/2 cups of your favourite cheese (cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, tasty); and
Peas are missing! 🙂
There’s no definitive way to make Chicken Pot Pie. While some choose to make it like a traditional pie with a pastry base and shortcrust topping in a pie dish, I have always – and will always – make Chicken Pot Pies in POTS with puff pastry lids.
Let me emphasise that in case you missed it – I make Chicken POT Pie in POTS. 😜
Truthfully though, the way I make it has nothing to do with the name. I make it in pots because it’s quicker and easier, and I love draping the pots generously with puff pastry so that the golden flaky lid is fitted tightly on top and around the pots, rather than just a round piece floating on top.
How to make Chicken Pot Pie
There’s nothing really ground breaking in this Chicken Pot Pie recipe, but there are two little things I do that is a bit different to the usual:
Poach chicken and use poaching liquid to make the creamy filling. Most recipes bake the chicken. I prefer poaching so I can use the poaching liquid which becomes infused with extra flavour from the chicken; and
Parmesan in the creamy filling. Not for parmesan or cheesy flavour, for seasoning. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I use parmesan cheese regularly in recipes. It’s because it adds salt as well as umami to recipes, just giving dishes an extra something-something that makes it so good!
Tips for making Chicken Pot Pie
This is a pretty straight forward recipe, especially when made you make individual Chicken Pot Pies like I’ve done. I only have 2 tips to ensure you nail The Pot every single time:
Thicken filling to desired consistency before putting it in the pots. The sauce won’t thicken at all once the lid is on. So keep cooking until the sauce is a nice creamy consistency and not watery. Nobody likes a watery pie filling!
Cool filling before topping with puff pastry. Hot filling = melts butter in pastry that creates layers = less puff.
That moment with this Chicken Pot Pie comes out of the oven, all golden and puffed up, and you know that under that buttery lid the creamy filling is bubbling away with the tender chicken and the vegetables and it just smells so amazing…
….and THEN you crack through that almost impossibly flaky crispy puff pastry to reveal the piping hot creamy filling, and you blow furiously on it, trying to cool it down as quickly as you can so you can shovel a huge spoonful in your mouth without giving yourself 2nd degree burns….
I shouldn’t even joke about that. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve burned my mouth with Chicken Pot Pie. 😂 – Nagi x
More Cosy Pies
Cottage Pie (beef)
Shepherd’s Pie (lamb – because Shepherd’s herd sheep!)
Browse all cosy Winter Warmers
And more cosy Chicken recipes
Slow Cooked Chicken Stew and a faster Chicken Stew (Casserole) – on the table in under an hour!
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Chicken & broth:
- 600 g/1.2lb chicken breast (or boneless thighs)
- 2 cups milk , any fat % (Note 1)
- 1 cup chicken broth (stock)
- 2 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder (Note 2)
- 2 sprigs thyme , optional
Chicken Pot Pie:
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 2 large carrots (3 small). chopped
- 3 celery ribs , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 50g / 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup white wine (sub more chicken stock)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas , no need to thaw
- 2 sheets puff pastry (enough to cover pots, with drape)
- 1 egg , lightly whisked
Instructions
Chicken:
- Place milk, broth and stock powder in a large saucepan. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat, add chicken and thyme.
- Place lid on, simmer gently on medium low for 15 minutes (do not boil, can make milk split).
- Remove chicken, shred or dice (don’t worry if inside a bit uncooked). Cover pot and set poaching liquid aside.
Chicken Pot Pie:
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add thyme, carrot and celery, cook for 3 minutes or until carrot is softened.
- Add wine. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until wine is mostly evaporated.
- Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Add about half the reserved poaching liquid and stir until all flour is incorporated – it will be a thick sludge.
- Add remaining milk broth, parmesan, pepper. Stir.
- Add chicken and peas, stir.
- Once mixture is heated (you’ll see steam), cook for 3 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring regularly. (Note 3)
- Remove from heat. Spoon into oven proof pots – 4 large or 6 small (Note 4). Cool in fridge at least 30 minutes. (Note 5)
Assembly & Baking:
- Meanwhile, remove puff pastry from freezer to partially thaw. Then use a bowl as a guide to cut rounds from the pastry about 2.5cm / 1″ wider (all the way around) than the pots – be generous!
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Brush edge of pots with egg. Top with puff pastry, folding down the edges.
- Brush pastry with egg. Cut a 2cm / 2/3″ slide in the middle with a small knife.
- Bake 35 – 40 minutes until deep golden.
- Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Few snaps from Dozer’s weekend away with my besties! Clockwise from top left: Smiling happily at the sight of his weekend bag, on the road, enjoying the beach and assuming the best position at the dinner table…. (and I think he fell asleep waiting for food to drop?? 😂)
Hi Nagi.
In the UK pie pots are sold by dimensions not capacity. Could you please publish the diameter and depth of the pots you used? Ideally in centimetres! 🙂
Thanks in advance
Hi David! I gave a batch to someone and don’t have the pots back yet! 🙂 But I’ve made an educated guess – they are about 11 – 12 cm wide (big ones), my small ones (to make 6) are 10 cm. Will pop this in the recipe notes 🙂
Thank you – because this is freezer-friendly (and delicious looking) I’m buying some pots.
Pot pies are yummy but I like broccoli in mine, instead of peas. I love puff pastry also! I so need to try to poach chicken N!
Glad Dozer and you had a great weekend with friends!
Is Dozer sleeping with his tongue hanging out? 😂
Ooh yes to broccoli! YUM! PS Yes he DOES sometimes sleep with his tongue hanging out, he looks ridiculous! 😂
😂 Dozer is quite the character!
What an amazing cook you are – Having just discovered your site and sifted through many delicious recipes, I really have to take my hat off to you, Absolutely Brilliant Lady – You are an inspiration to me and I’m sure many others – Thank you for your time.
Thank you for the compliment Toni! 🙂 N x
One of my sons favorite dishes! I usually buy frozen Marie Calendars pies. I would also like to know if we could make this into a double crust pie using pie dough. Thanks!!
Hi Wanda! You can absolutely make this into a double crust pie using pie dough 🙂 The filling is nice and thick so it’s suitable for that. Just be sure to blind bake the base and cool the filling before putting it on the cooked base 🙂 N x
Hello Nagi. I have bought my turkey for Christmas as Costco had them on sale after our Thanksgiving. Would you have a recipe for cooked turkey pot pies. I had no choice and had to buy an extra large one so will have lots of meat leftover and by the way they have the best turkeys. I don’t know if you have them in Australia. Thank you so much. This chicken pie recipe will be tried by me as well as it look so delicious.
Hi Lesley! I have a Turkey Pot Pie recipe which is linked at the bottom of the post BUT you can just switch the chicken for turkey in this recipe! Just skip the poaching step 🙂 N x
Single or double sheet of puff pastry topper
Single sheets – though you can totally do double if you want! N x
I always thought pot pies were extremely difficult, this recipe looks easy. Mahalo Dozers mom 😎
Gosh no, they’re super easy made this way! It does get complicated if you start making your own pie dough and making pies with pastry bases 🙂 N x
Love this Nagi! I have never made chicken pot pie at home. Definitely giving this a try 😀
Must must must! 🙂
Hi! I have a question. Could this recipe be made into a 2 crust pie format? Is it too moist to be totally encased in pastry? I wouldn’t use puff pastry, but my own pie pastry crust. Thanks!
Hi Kelly! Gosh no, this is perfect to put inside a pie crust, you will see at the end of the video that the sauce is thick and creamy not watery. Just make sure you blind bake the pie crust base, and cool the filling before putting it on the base. N x
I really love your idea of poaching the chicken then using the liquid for the sauce. I love Pork could you poach the pork also. I recently started to put my chicken and pork in a brine before cooking and found that it really works particularly with breast for snitty or southern fried chicken I haven’t had dry chicken or pork since.. With the chicken for these pot pies would the chicken benefit with being brined, as it is twice cooked….
Hi Lindi! You could definitely poach pork too then dice it 🙂 I don’t think there is a need to brine it for this recipe but you could if you wanted to!
This sounds and looks delicious, I like pot pies with a bottom crust and haven’t baked a lot with puff pastries in savory food, do you think you could use it as a bottom crust also? I will be making this regardless of the bottom crust. I followed your blog for so long and every recipe I try is just easy and delicious. Thank you for all the great recipes.
Hi Debbie! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes 🙂 you can absolutely use puff pastry for the bottom crust as well but it won’t be puffed, it compresses down into a crunchy crisp flaky pie crust. But you need to weight it down and bake it separately before filling with the cooled filling. Do you want full directions for how to do it? 🙂 N x
I too want to know whether or not you can use the puff pastry in the bottom of the bowls!
Done! New Note 6 with directions 🙂 N x
Hi Rob and Debbie! I’ll pop directions in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
I have a bunch of cooked shredded chicken in my freezer I’ve been wracking my brain recently to use as it’s taking up valuable space for hubby’s pre-cooked dinners. Thanks Nagi, you’ve solved my problem! I’m going to do a batch of pot pies and take advantage of some of the cooler days we have coming up in the Southern Highlands to enjoy this fresh from the oven. Added bonus, they freeze well and can feed everyone when I’m not around to cook ;-). This is the blog that keeps on giving!
Perfect!! Just skip the poaching step 🙂 Is it cool down there is it?? It’s VERY warm up here in Sydney!! N x
Yep, temps in the mid to high teens and a few days in the very low twenties. We’re having the lovely spring that Sydney should be enjoying. Perfect for warmer foods with sides of salad. Can’t wait to make this!
Nagi, love you recipes, videos and Doozer. BUT the the chicken pot pies, when do you freeze, after pots are filled? with uncooked pastry on top? with cooked pastry on top?
Hi Gill! Please see Note 7 🙂 Fully assemble and even do egg wash and slit, then freeze! N x
Thank you !! And greetings from chilly Canada. Sorry about Dozer being Doozer. We used to have a wonderful dog called Doozer. Wee slip on my part.