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?? 😂)
Nagi, for health reasons I need to follow a low carb diet. I will swap some of the vegetables for low carb options, but what can I use instead of the flour for a thickener?
I made this for Easter dinner tonight, but substituted the chicken and thyme for salmon and dill. Bloody delicious!! Will definitely make again, however will start earlier to give the mix time to cool down 🙂
I loved this recipe. So flavourful!!! I have Nagi’s book and I am so inspired but the one thing I have to mention is most of the recipes take a very long time to cook. I am a busy mum and this recipe said 1.5 hours, in reality it took over 2.5 hours, it would be great if the durations were more accurate
Beth… Go click BY CATERGORY then “Quick and Easy” recipes. on the menu bar. That will help your busy life.
So yeah, I split the milk! So I just strained it and carried on. But there was still some stuck to the chicken when I went to cut it so I tasted it because it’s just cheese right? It was tasty so I carried on and left it there It won’t be noticeable at the end and who doesn’t want a little extra protein? Right now my mixture is cooling and waiting for its pie crust topping. Y pie crust topping? Because I have extra and don’t want to waste it. I do love the puff pastry though!
I made it, instead of using pastry I used mashed potato all the way round as well as on top, also I made it family size in one. Excellent recipe easy to follow, easy to add to. Compliments on how great it tastes & looks. Thanks.
My dog was dying a slow and painful death, so poor little Rafey begged and begged to make this chicken pot pie. We made this dish together and spent his final hours making it, however my bed-ridden mother called in and told us about the tale of the chicken pot pie monster. This monster is menacing, and haunts many pot pies. I thought it was just her dementia however, when we cut open our pies, it was glowing red! I couldn’t look into the light because it was too bright for my eyes however, I heard little Rafey whimpering and start yelping. I looked over towards him, worried for both of our lives and to my suprise, he was in a fist fight with the pie!! The red light was too strong for us and our peepers and Rafey got put to sleep. Overall 6.3/10. Great experience however the pie was a bit burnt.
My baby boy threw up on the first sight of it and he said it made him fear food for the first time. The peas reminded him of boogers, the carrots reminded him of diahrea particles that appear from the poo and the pie looks like a over loaded ballon with a flat head. 😡😡😡
My dog tried to eat this and personally stood up and told me he despised it. He used his hands and put the whole dish in the rubbish, even the dishes. I tried to stop him, but I threw up at the sight of the inside of this dish. Wasted an hour of my life on this. Never again!
Thankyou my son loved it any being he is the only meat eater i didnt have to make a huge pie very handy in a pot 💕 did Dozer get some?💋
I love Dozer
When recipes give gram measurements, why don’t they do the same for vegetables, e.g. carrots, celery etc. It would be just as easy to give, e.g. 100gm carrots. I know it’s not a science, but vegetables do vary in size, and it would be helpful to all cooks. Same goes for flour. I have compared recipes and the weight comparisons vary by quite a lot; 1 cup can be 250gm or less. I would really love to read your explanation. Naji, you are so good with most of your explanations, especially freezing, and it is very much appreciated. Thank you. Sandra 08 Oct 2023.
Oh my! This pot pie is so flavorful, creamy, cozy and comforting. My daughters most favourite food is chicken pot pie. When she asked me to make it the first thing I did was check here first for a recipe. This did not disappoint. I can always count on your recipes to turn out and be a hot with my family. Thank you for sharing your talent and helping make dinner less stressful.
My family just loved, loved the pie!! Even my daughter ate everything on her plate. I have to admit, 7 recipes that have proven to work (all by Nagi of course!) is making me feel like I have an inner chef inside of me. I’m excited to try new recipes and we look forward to dinner time x
Tried this tonight and it was a huge hit. Halved the recipe and made 4 decent sized pies for two adults . Subbed broccoli for peas because that was what I had . Perfect dinner for a cold winter night. Thanks for sharing !
Great recipe to follow. Love the notes. Scrumptious pies. Thank you.
Love this recipe! I have made the filling a day before making the pies because chicken needed to be used up. I cooled the mixture down placed in fridge and the next day I assembled to pies! Child is very fussy with vegetables but he eats this. I do add mushrooms, spinach and really anything that’s in the fridge that needs using up!
Hi made the pot pies tonight followed the recipe only used gluten free flour to thicken. It was the right thickness, cooled it then cooked it in the pots when we opened them they where runny not thick at all can you tell me why this has happened thank you (it still tasted great and would make it again) I’m not sure if my milk split would this have made it happen
I love this recipe. It’s tasty delicious.
It’s relatively easy to make. Thank you. My family thought it was the best.
Made this last night. Loved it. Just noticed when watching the video that you added salt whereas I didn’t see it on the recipe.
Love your recipes!
I made this last night with a few variations and it was a big success. The major variation was that I made the four-person version as a single large pie – I should probably have made for 5 because the filling didn’t quite fill the pie dish so the pastry sat down in the dish instead of on top. It didn’t affect the eating though.
One big mistake I made was not to watch the poaching closely enough, with the result that it boiled and the milk separated and it all ended up a disgusting mess. I salvaged it by washing the milk solids off the chicken, tossing out the poaching liquid and making more stock and mild for making the slurry. In future I would poach in stock alone and not have to worry about the milk.
I forgot to add the peas so served them on the side and I think it looked better than just having a slab of pie on a plate.
I used a bit less liquid than in the recipe – about 2.25 cups instead of 3 – and the texture of the gravy that resulted was perfect. The .25 cup was cream, not milk.
I think the cooking temperature of 180 is much too low. Mr Pampas says to cook his pastry at 220, and having started at 180 and seen nothing happening for about 10 minutes I bumped it right up and it turned out perfectly.
I’ll definitely be making it again, having learned a lot in the first try. Which is what cooking is all about, really.