Is there a law that says pies have to be baked with the pastry on top? If there is, it’s time to break the rules because this Quick Chicken Pot Pie is everything you know and love about chicken pot pie, but you can get it on the table – MADE FROM SCRATCH – in 20 minutes.
“I don’t know whether people will think this is wacky or clever or just weirdly lazy.”
This is the way I’ve been making chicken pot pie for midweek meals for as long as I can remember. It’s a “free form” pie, which means you bake the pastry separately from the filling, then to serve, you just pop it on top of the filling.
The reality is, whenever I make a large pie to share and dish it onto plates, the pastry becomes a crumbled mess and the filling oozes out everywhere. So I actually think this “free form” pie is neater looking, plus you have the added benefit that you can pick up the pastry pieces and munch through it using your hands, scooping piles of filling onto it. So much more fun than just using a knife and fork!
The filling for this Quick Chicken Pot Pie is made from scratch and has no cream in it (most chicken pot pies do). The sauce is made with flour, milk and a bit of cheese instead of using a carton of cream. Leaving out cream is not a conscious decision I made for health reasons. It is simply that I honestly cannot tell much difference between making this with or without cream, and cream is not a regular in my weekly grocery shop whereas I always have milk, flour and cheese.
“Marsala is like port and wine and it’s my secret weapon for gourmet cooking on a budget. The alcohol is cooked out so it’s perfectly fine for kids to eat.”
The other thing in this Quick Chicken Pot Pie recipe that makes this a bit different is that I use a dash of marsala to flavour the sauce. Marsala is one of my “gourmet cooking on a budget” secret weapons. It’s like port and sherry, it’s thick and sweet and has a great depth of flavour. It’s really cheap to buy and lasts for ages, and it’s a great trick for adding amazing flavour to things with just a little dash of marsala. A classic way of using it is to deglaze pans with it to make sauces.
You can substitute with sherry, port or even white wine, though if you use wine you’ll need to add a sprinkle of sugar (I’ve included directions in the recipe).
Because this is so fast to make, I don’t usually make ahead and freeze it but it does freeze really well. Once the Quick Chicken Pot Pie filling is made, just let it cool then then freeze it. You can even pop a piece of puff pastry on top then simply bake it to reheat (thawed).
I hope there are some people out there in this big wide world that don’t think I’m completely insane and think this is actually a pretty neat idea!
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Quick Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (25cm x 25cm / 10" x 10"), thawed
- Oil spray
- 2 tbsp butter
- 400 g/13oz chicken thigh fillets (or tenderloin or breast), cut into small bite size pieces
- 1 onion (small, brown, white or yellow), diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 bacon rashers , diced
- 1/4 cup marsala (or dry sherry, port or white wine) (see notes)
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 cups frozen mixed peas , corn and carrots, thawed
- 2 cups small broccoli florets (see notes)
- 2 cups milk (full cream or low fat)
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (any cheese that melts. I used tasty)
- 1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F. Lightly spray baking tray with oil.
- Cut puff pastry into 4 pieces and place on baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in large pan over high heat.
- Add onion and garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add bacon and chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until chicken is lightly browned but still not cooked through inside.
- Add marsala and cook for 30 seconds to allow the alcohol to cook out. Most of the marsala should evaporate.
- Add the broccoli, peas, corn and carrots and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the flour over and add milk, stirring to dissolve the flour into the milk.
- Bring to simmer then stir through cheese, salt and pepper. Adjust salt to your taste.
- Simmer, stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce is thickened, then remove from heat.
- To serve, divide the chicken filling between 4 plates and top with a piece of puff pastry.
Recipe Notes:
2. Break off broccoli florets so they are small because they need to cook through in just a couple of minutes.
3. This freezes very well. Allow to cool then place in an airtight container and freeze. Thaw before reheating on stove or microwave. You can also freeze it with the puff pastry on top and bake it like a traditional pie.
Nutrition Information:
Thanks Nagi for another wonderful recipe. I added dried tarragon because I felt like it and it was relish. I’m really enjoying your meals.
I’ve been trying your recipes and posting very favorable reviews without a single let down! And then I tried your Pot Pie recipe. Why would I follow your recipe when I have my own that draws great reviews from friends and family. Well I thought why not shake things up…It went together fast enough, Hmmm probably not as good as mine but good to know when I’m in a rush. I served the meal and we sat down, and she took a bite, and then another. This is where the camera goes to SLO MO and out of her mouth she says it: T H I S I S T H E B E S T P O T P I E I’ V E E V E R H A D! Well after regaining my composure I had to agree with her. And this is the person who said broccoli, pot pie doesn’t have broccoli.
As always your recipes are the best! Thanks Nagi!
What a great story Jim! Love it!
Hi there I am so excited I found your blog page, I really found you by error, while I was searching on Aol for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a marvelous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the excellent job.
Hi there! I’m so pleased you found me too, I hope you find recipes here you like! N x
What a delicious recipe! I’ve made tried plenty chick pie versions and was by far the best. Thank you it will be a regular for us xx
Wow! What a compliment Lynsey! N xx
Amazing! I used a blanco that I had in the fridge instead of marsala and it worked too. Didn’t add any extra sugar as I thought the wine was sweet enough! I doubled the recipe but it was so good, it was only enough for 4 meals 😉
So pleased to hear that Jo! N x ❤️
Very delicious, my husband and I loved it. I turned it into a bunch of individual pies for something different any they came out great! I have tried a lot of chicken pot pie recipes but this one by far is the best!
That’s so great to hear Chanetelle! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Trying this lil’ beauty 2nite! Great idea on the pastry!!
Also, there is a line above which says: “it’s thick and sweet and has a great death of flavour”.
Ha!! I think it should read “depth” of flavour…….
This was a cracker! Yummmm. Great out-of-the-box idea with the pastry!
That’s so great to hear John! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know! N x
Yikes. Thanks for letting me know, FIXING IT!! 😂
Looks grt…I’ll try it…thanks you!
Great take on the classic. I love puff pastry. Now I’m inspired to go play around with it some. Also digging the non-traditional addition of bacon and marsala wine!
Thanks Farah! The Marsala is my secret weapon – it’s like stock, but even better!
What kind of cheese do you like to use?
Hi Diana, I just used tasty cheese but it works with any cheese that melts. Thanks for asking! I’ve updated the recipe to clarify.
Winner winner, chicken dinner! Chicken Pot Pie in 20 minutes, you say?! I thought the 30-minute version was pretty impressive, but you knocked off 33% of the time! <– Mad math skills. First of all, thank you for using chicken thighs here. I mean, you allow for whatever type of chicken, but thighs are always the juiciest and best and I love when people put them to work. Second, my toddler eats vegetables mixed in with other things, so this will be perfect. He also follows order of operations while eating (i.e., always eats the bread first) so I'll have to set his pastry on the side so he eats the chicken and veggies first! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
You’re teaching him the right way Meggan! My mother did that to me and to this day, I still set my pastry aside because it’s the BEST PART so I save it for last!
What a great idea! It’s not weird at all. I just saw this type of recipe in a new cookbook, “The High Plains Sifter”.
Thanks for the validation Chris!! Must check out this cookbook, sounds like it’s right up my alley!
Lol! Right before I opened your blog, I literally just told my husband, ‘I haven’t had chicken pot pie in forever… I should make one’. Thank you! You’ve saved me the time and effort of scouring the Internet for a recipe, because yours looks damn delicious! I love the puff pastry that you used – what a great way to elevate a classic!
Glad my timing was bang on for you Kathleen! Love to hear what you think 🙂
What a delicious, modern version of the well known chicken pot pie! So healthy and easy to make !