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 / 500 ml milk , any fat % (Note 1)
- 1 cup / 250 ml 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
- 50 g / 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup / 85 ml white wine
- 1/3 cup / 50 g flour
- 1/2 cup / 50 g 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, can I use this filling to make a whole pie? Or is it too watery?
Thanks 😀
This is the most delicious chicken pie the family loved it. The smell of garlic butter drifted through the house. It is a keeper thanks Nagi. Lovely to have now the weather is getting cooler in Sydney
Hi Ngai, I’m making this right now and the poaching milk has split – oh no!
Does anyone know what I should do?
Hi Hannah, sorry for the delayed response – it should come back together when you thicken it for the sauce. It will be completely fine 🙂 N x
My in-laws are very tricky to cook for. They like simple food – even mushrooms are too exotic for them. I made this for them last night and they cleaned their plates! My mother-in-law wants the recipe. An absolute winner!!!
Perfection. Thanks Nagi.
This is a solid chicken pot pie recipe!
This made a fabulous cream of chicken soup after realizing there was no time to make puff pastry. Thanks Nagi!
Hi Nagi, Your recipes are excellent. Such flavour and easy to follow. I love cooking and you make it fun for me.
I had leftover turkey and followed your recipe. So good! Your recipes Rock! Thank you so much ☺️
I had leftover turkey and followed your recipe. So good and loved the Parmesan cheese which gave it more flavour. Your recipes Rock! Thank you so much ☺️
Great work yet again Nagi 🙂
We substituted leek for the celery (not a fan) and also a small amount of chopped spinach leaves.
Very very tasty… looking forward to the ricer cream option next pie ! xo
Thank you so much for the chicken pie recipe. I loved the idea of poaching the chicken first and the use of parmesan cheese. Brilliant! It worked out amazing well and I’ve fallen in love with your site. Thank you again Nagi.
Nagi, do you have a puff pastry recipe? My family LOVED this, except for the puff pastry I used. It was Pepperidge Farm brand (in the US). It does have a few strange ingredients on the list. I think this would be perfect with a homemade top! (they only thing I had to add to the recipe was salt in the filling, stellar!!)
One to add to my list Janell!! N x
This was really delicious! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes- so tasty, so well described. I love your footnotes, options, substitutes… they make uoir recipes foolproof for sure
This recipe is just divine.
I made a similar recipe quite a few times I may add by Wolfgang Puck the CHEF, published on an American site called Tasty.
I have to say this recipe wins hands down!!!!
It’s so much more creamier and all round in the recipe steps so much more simpler.
The only modification I did was adding shredded cheddar cheese prior to baking.
Thank you so much Nagi for a simple easy step by step recipe!
Will absolutely definitely will be adding this to my recipe genre. X
Nagi, you are right about the Parmesan! It did give a nice creaminess and another depth to the taste! Family loved it!!
I’ve made this 3 times, once as a pot pie, once as a big pie and once as small pies, all times fantastic!
I also added seeded mustard to the mix, about 1 tbsp but can do to taste. And I use my home made chicken stock 😃😃
Me be big impatient as usual and not reading through it properly, I thawed the pastry beforehand and then it wouldn’t go on properly it was incredibly sticky it covered a whole pie pot with a couple of holes in it so not sure how well it’s gonna turn out but I’m sure next time I’ll remember not to thaw it!
Wow! Yum! The whole family enjoyed this even fussy kids. Will definitely become a regular. Quick, easy and simply delicious
I’ve made this twice now and both times I ended up with twice the amount of filling. The first time this happened, I got an extra pkg of puff pastry, followed your instructions, and froze it (unbaked except for the bottom crust which I baked 10 mins). But this second time, I put the extra filled pie in the oven before freezing. So my question is… is it okay to freeze this even though I’ve baked it through? I think you mentioned the issue with doing it this way is that the pastry won’t puff up as much since it was baked, frozen, and baked again. No big deal. But I just want to make sure this is okay to do – bake/freeze/bake. Thanks!