Chicken Pot Pie Recipe: Flaky Crust, Creamy Filling, Holds Together
To make chicken pot pie, prepare a cold butter pie crust, cook onion, garlic, flour, broth, milk, chicken, peas, carrots, and seasoning into a thick filling, then bake it between crusts at 425°F until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let it rest before slicing so the inside sets instead of flooding the plate like a small poultry emergency.
A coworker of mine was out sick for a week — the kind of sick where you're home alone and everything is miserable and food sounds like too much effort to even consider. I offered to drop something off. She said "honestly, whatever you have." I had chicken, vegetables, and enough time to make a pot pie.
I had never made one before. I followed a recipe carefully, assembled the whole thing, drove it over still warm, set it on her counter, and watched her face when she lifted the foil. She looked like she might cry, which is the correct response to a homemade pot pie showing up when you're sick and eating soup crackers over a blanket.
What I learned making it: the filling needs to be thick before it goes into the crust, not thin and hope it thickens in the oven. A thin filling seeps through the bottom crust and you end up with a soggy base. Cook the béchamel until it's noticeably thick — it should coat a spoon — before adding the chicken and vegetables. It will loosen slightly in the oven, which is exactly where you want it to end up.
Vent the top crust so the steam escapes. Let the pie rest at least ten minutes before cutting so the filling sets enough to hold a slice. It's a patient dish. My coworker texted me the next day and said it was the best thing anyone had made her in years. I told her it was no trouble. It was actually quite a bit of trouble, but that's not the point.
Ingredients
- For the pie crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water
- For the filling:
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced (rotisserie works perfectly)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
- 1Make the pie crust: Whisk together flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Those butter pieces are not a problem —? they are the point.
- 2Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork after each addition, until the dough just comes together when pressed. You should need between 6 and 8 tablespoons. Do not overwork it. Divide the dough into two equal discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- 3Preheat your oven to 425°F. While the dough chills, make the filling. Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until softened and translucent.
- 4Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 full minutes. The mixture will look thick and a little pasty —? this is correct. Do not skip the two minutes. This step cooks the raw flour taste out of the roux.
- 5Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the milk and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, and cook for 3-4 minutes until thickened to a gravy-like consistency.
- 6Stir in the frozen peas, carrots, corn, shredded chicken, salt, pepper, thyme, and celery salt. Taste the filling and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes while you roll out the dough.
- 7On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish, pressing gently into the bottom and sides and letting the excess hang over the edge.
- 8Pour the cooled filling into the crust-lined pie dish and spread it evenly. Roll the second dough disc into an 11-inch circle and lay it over the filling. Trim both crusts to about 1 inch of overhang, then fold the edges under and crimp them together firmly with your fingers or a fork.
- 9Cut 4-5 small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the entire top crust and edges with the beaten egg wash.
- 10Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet (this catches any drips and also prevents you from cleaning your oven later). Bake at 425°F for 30-35 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is visibly bubbling through the vents.
- 11Remove from oven and let the pie rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. Cutting into it immediately will cause the filling to run. Waiting is hard. Wait anyway.
Pro Tips
- Cold butter is the entire reason pie crust works. If your kitchen is warm or your hands run hot, put the butter back in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start and work fast. Warm butter makes a mealy, flat crust and I have the potluck scar tissue to prove it.
- Let the filling cool for at least 10 minutes before it goes into the bottom crust. Pouring hot filling into raw pastry dough starts steaming the bottom crust from the inside and you end up with a soggy base. Give it time.
- If your edges are browning too fast before the center is done, tent a strip of aluminum foil loosely over the edges. This is a real technique. The foil does not know it looks ridiculous.
Substitutions
Storage Instructions
Cover leftover pie tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat individual slices in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes to keep the crust from going completely limp. Microwaving works for the filling but the crust will not recover its dignity. The whole assembled pie can be frozen before baking: wrap tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and one layer of foil, freeze for up to 3 months, and bake from frozen at 425°F for 60-70 minutes, covering the edges with foil for the first 30 minutes.
Make Ahead
The pie dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. The filling can be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Assemble and bake the day you plan to serve it. You can also fully assemble the unbaked pie, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking —? add 5-10 minutes to the bake time if starting from cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep the bottom crust from getting soggy?
Two things help most: let the filling cool for 10 minutes before pouring it in, and bake the pie on the lowest rack of the oven so the bottom crust gets direct heat. Some bakers also blind-bake the bottom crust for 8 minutes at 400°F before filling it, which gives you insurance. The egg wash is for the top —? it does nothing for the bottom, so don't bother brushing it down there.
Can I use rotisserie chicken in this recipe?
Yes, and honestly this is the move. One standard rotisserie chicken gives you roughly 3 cups of shredded meat, which is exactly what you need. It also brings additional seasoning into the filling. Pull the meat while the chicken is still warm —? it shreds faster and more cleanly than cold rotisserie chicken, which grabs onto itself and makes the whole process slower than it needs to be.
Why is my chicken pot pie filling too runny?
Two likely causes. First, the roux didn't cook long enough before the liquid went in —? two full minutes of cooking the butter-flour mixture is what activates the thickening. Second, the filling didn't simmer long enough after the broth was added. It needs 3-4 minutes of simmering to reach the right consistency. If it looks loose going into the crust, put it back on medium heat for a few more minutes before assembling.
Can I make chicken pot pie ahead of time?
Yes. The filling keeps in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours and the dough keeps for up to 3 days. You can also fully assemble the unbaked pie, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it up to 24 hours before baking. Bake directly from the refrigerator —? just add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time. This is one of the best make-ahead dinners available to the working adult.
How do I store and reheat leftover chicken pot pie?
Refrigerate covered leftovers for up to 4 days. To reheat a slice and keep some crust texture, use a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes on a baking sheet. The microwave works fine if you only care about the filling, but the crust goes soft and a little sad. For freezing the baked pie, cool it completely, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F for 45-55 minutes covered, then 10 minutes uncovered.
Can I make chicken pot pie gluten-free?
Yes, with two substitutions. Use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in both the crust and the roux. Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur both make blends that work reasonably well in pastry. The crust will be more fragile and may crack when you transfer it, so roll it out on a sheet of parchment paper and flip the paper into the pie dish. It's fussier, but it works.
What temperature and how long do I bake chicken pot pie?
Bake at 425°F for 30-35 minutes. You're looking for the crust to be deeply golden brown —? not pale tan, actually golden —? and for the filling to be visibly bubbling through the steam vents. If the edges brown before the center is done, fold strips of aluminum foil over the edges and continue baking. Internal temperature of the filling should reach at least 165°F.
Can I make individual chicken pot pies instead of one large one?
Yes. Divide the filling evenly between six 10-ounce ramekins or individual oven-safe crocks, cut circles of dough slightly larger than each ramekin, drape the dough over the top, and press the edges to seal. Cut small vents, brush with egg wash, and bake at 425°F for 22-26 minutes. Individual pies bake faster since there's less filling depth, so start checking at 20 minutes. This is also the better option if you're feeding people with different fillings.