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! Hi Dozer! I can’t believe I just found you because you make food the way I like to make (and eat) food! Basically full of Umami flavor, all homemade, and your instructions and videos are so thorough and logical and the pics and videos are all about just good information. Not all the fluff of so many other food bloggers. You even take care to talk about things like ‘the sauce will be sludgy at this point’ or ‘don’t worry about defrosting the peas’. Sometimes along the way a recipe can seem like it’s looking weird but you have a knack for reassurance and knowing what an at home chef would worry about.
I’m super into pie crusts right now and used your filling recipe to make a pie. I’ll get into puff pastry at some point but for now I’m working on learning traditional pie crust.
So….I followed your recipe exactly and, as noted, I did substitute some heavy cream for milk, however next time I wouldn’t. The saucy part was a little too stiff and I think it would have been (more) perfect had I just used all of the poaching liquid. I also thought it was slightly too oniony but I think I used too much onion. They are all HUGE at the store right now and I used a whole one. (A yellow)
Well, this filling is SO GOOD! I even got all the extra stuff up from the pan and licked the spatula as I cleaned up.
So rich, so much Umami (that Parmesan…🤪) and just the way I would expect to have a pot pie taste. It has just the right vegetable to sauce ratio.
Thank you!
That vanilla cake you just posted is next on my list…
Hi Nagi another winner!!! your chicken hot pot pies are delicious!!! I made.mine in the pie maker and a hit with the family! Thankyou
If you have enough leftovers and you don’t put a label on it and then pull it out of the freezer and heat it up, it makes a great soup too….just sayin
Haha – I’ve done this plenty of times thinking “I’ll remember what that is”…. I never do 😂 N x
Hi Nagi,
May I use frozen vegetables in this recipe?
Thanks,
Kelli
Sure can Kelli, just thaw before using. N x
Great recipe, used with leftover roast chicken. Add mushrooms to carrots and celery. Delicious! Kids loved it. Thanks Nagi – you’ve saved dinner again 🙂
Excellent and very tasty recipe. I like the short videos which help to understand what the recipe looks like at various stages. This is the third Recipetineats I have tried and all have been great.
I still cannot believe how good this was. We changed a little, instead of making the pastry I used canned biscuits. I made mini pot pies and then I emptied the rest into a 9×13 and put the biscuits on top. I ate more than I want to admit. Even the kids finished theirs.
This was so rich and creamy and yum! I substituted dried thyme with dried oregano, and used white vinegar + apple cider vinegar + water instead of the white wine. It was perfect! Another family favourite, thank you Nagi!
Dear Nagi,
Love your recipes always looking for you when I am going to do something new.
Natalie
Made the pies over the weekend.. Turned out delish, using my new piemaker!!
Hi Nagi. I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I made it with cream and it was just plain awesome! Thank you so much for yet another great recipe!
That’s great to hear Elsje! Thanks so much! N x
Delicious – another winning recipe. Lots leftover to freeze. Thanks for all that you do. Fabulous website x
Another winner!!! It did make a bit too much sauce and even after adding some cornflour in a tiny amount of water I still needed to remove a cup of sauce. I did mine in an ovenproof frypan with puff on top to save washing up ( Jamie Oliver hack) and even fussy kid like it. Great for a cold wet night.
Hi Nagi, my mouth is watering by looking at the photos 😃
One question tho could sound silly…can I dump the filling in a pastry shell instead?
We love traditional pies 🥧
Ta x
Sure can Nicole! N x
OMG!!!!! I have not put them in the oven yet, but I’m tasting the pot…. these taste absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for a simple yet effective dish. I can’t wait to eat them later.
I adding a small amount of cornflour at water towards the end as I just couldnt get mine to a good thickness. My mum always taught me cornflour is best for quick thickness, hopefully that wont ruin them. 🙂
Hi Mooshie, yes you can always thicken with cornflour – I hope you loved them!! N x
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I’m doing it for the second time now as it’s so tasty and versatile. Really great clear-fridge solution! Perfect for the winter approaching Sydney!
Wahoo, I’m so glad you loved it Nicolle!! N x
What ramekins do you recommend?
Love this 😄 making it again i put mashed potato on it as i have Coeliac disease …love all your recipes i have made thank u
Perfect Karen! N x
Made this for the family and everyone loved it! Swapped the celery and peas for broccoli and mushrooms and it was delicious so thank you
I made this last week and it was the first chicken pie I ever made – it was absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad you loved it Jacqui, that’s great to hear! N x
Nagi, this chicken pot pie is amazing! I make it often and we love it!!
Thankyou for great recipes
Barb
I’m so glad you love it Barb, thanks so much for letting me know! N x