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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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?? 😂)
Made this once and was so delicious!! Now that I’m heading back into the office, would be a great meal to keep in freezer in portion sizes to easily thaw and bake. But I’m struggling with what containers to use as can’t put plastic in oven. I like to make mine with pastry on the bottom also. This requires pre baking before filling. Can I do this then freeze? (if I find a way to get around which portion size containers I can use to freeze the use in oven.)
Hi Nadia – you can get some good smaller aluminum containers with lids at grocery stores these days which allow you to go from freezer to oven. Another trick is to make a whole pie, freeze then slide out of the pie tin and wrap and freeze. You can then use your pie tin for other dishes and when you are ready you just pop the frozen pie back into the tin and bake it. And yes, you can parbake crust, fill it and finish baking then freeze the baked pie for later. N x
Hi Nagi – do you need to update the timings on this? You’ve got it taking an hour, but there’s 15 minutes of chicken poaching, then shredding time (took me about 5 mins – struggled with the still raw inside), then the pie filling cooking time – at least 11 minutes. Then rest for 30 minutes, assemble pie and cook for 35 minutes. Total in my counting up at least 1hr 35 if not slightly longer. That makes a significant difference when trying to get a meal on the table after a long day at work! (I’m going to have to skip the cooling step and settle for soggy puff pastry 🙁 )
Thanks for that feedback Jo – I will have a look at updating it! N x
Hello Nagi. I don’t drink white wine at all so can you suggest a really good alternative to use in the recipe please ? Thank you. Nancy
Apple Cider Vinegar
Chicken Broth
Apple Juice
White Grape Juice
White Wine Vinegar
Ginger Ale
Water
Hi Nancy! I guess you found some substitutes! N x
I did everything exactly to the recipe, but my carrots would not get soft no matter what I did.. and the inside of the chicken seemed chewy. I have no clue what I did wrong. I even cut the carrot pieces smaller.
Next time try cooking the diced carrot a bit longer in the butter until it’s almost fully cooked before adding the other ingredients. N x
Wow! This was delicious. I will definitely make this again. The whole family loved it. Thank you so much, Nagi 😊
Emily (4 years old) says hi to Dozer x
I have made this a few times and my family loved it. I’m not a great cook but thanks to your recipes which are easy to follow and use simple ingredients I manage to make meals that my family enjoy. Love the pic of Dozer..
Why not just buy a cooked chicken to use in this recipe.
I read another recipe that topped a chicken pie filling with Panko and then browned the top under a grill. Has anyone tried that?
This is clearly addressed in the instructions. However, the poaching just makes it better, more your own. But you cook you 👍
“Or speed things up by using cooked chicken!”
can I make the filling ahead, freeze it then defrost and finish with the crust when I’m ready to use?
Absolutely! N x
I’ve made this recipe so many times. Its just perfect. I love the step of poaching the chicken in the filling liquid. I read a few were having trouble with this step. I was too. Until I monitored the temp. and kept the poaching liquid under 180F. That’s low on my electric. stove. I was using med low. Once I figured that out, my pie went from good to show stopping. Also kept the milk from splitting. Thanks Nagi for the best pot pie recipe I’ve ever found (tried many)
Thanks for that tip Andrea!! N x
Thank you for your fabulous recipes and everything you do! My family thinks I can cook all because of you. Your details, notes and tips are so helpful. Your Mom and Dozer are the Icing on the cake while following you.
I’ve made this a few times now, it’s a firm favourite and makes a great meal to give to friends as a gift/helping hand. Another Nagi classic!
The first couple of times I was a bit impatient at the poaching stage so the chicken wasn’t as tender as I’d hoped – now I poach it in the slow cooker (1/2 the liquids) and it turns out perfectly (the meat is also perfect for sandwiches this way so do some extra chicken and you’ve got a great meal and lunches sorted for the week!)
How long do you cook it in the slow cooker and do you use low or high?
This recipe looks delicious but my kids are allergic to eggs and dairy. Would it work if I omit these in the recipe?
Just wondering if you made this without milk and how it turned out? Would rice or soy milk work as a substitute?
That should be fine just I would just use some extra water/broth to make up for the missing milk.
I’ve never made chicken pie before, and this was an absolute winner, we all loved it, it was soo tasty. Thank you Nagi 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! N x
This recipe is wonderful, it has become a real staple in my repertoire and I cook it for all my friends after they have a baby! I especially appreciate the inclusion of the freezing details, it is so helpful and makes all the difference when gifting it to somebody (I would have no idea what to advise otherwise!) Thanks again!
Nagi, I made this last night, exactly according to the recipe. My husband, who knows that I tinker with recipes a lot, declared this one of the best things he has ever eaten and made me promise never to change a thing. And to make it often! It was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
Can you please tell me what white wine do you use?
Another winner! I was hesitant to make this recipe as the poaching sounded complicated…turns out it wasn’t at all! I can’t get puff pastry where I live so I made it from scratch and baked it separately like your Quick CPP recipe (so basically a hybrid of your two CPP recipes). Hubby and I loved this and will definitely be making it again as the weather cools down here in the northern hemisphere.
An absolutely deliscious pie. Ill be making this again.
Very good. Opted to use boneless thighs. I baked it in a 12″ cast iron skillet but only had one sheet of puff pastry so I cut it into squares and covered the top within the skillet overlapping the squares slightly- was just enough pastry with a few little peep holes.
Thanks Nagi!
Magi, this recipe is amazing! The flavour was spot on. My only issue was that the chicken was a bit tough and chewy. What did I do wrong when poaching?
Hi Carol, it definitely shouldn’t be tough or chewy, what type of chicken cut did you use? N x
I used chicken breast.
Hi Carol,
That happened to me too at first, I think I’m just impatient! I’ve been using my slow cooker for the chicken (1/2 the liquid quantity) and it’s so tender that way!
Beautiful flavour. All the fam loved it!
It was bit watery but that’s my cooking skills, was ignored by the flavour n succulent chicken. Better than any other chick pie Ive done. Did in a big dish instead but same same 😛
I’m excited about freezing also, think this will be great for the nights when you can’t do dinner