This homemade chicken pot pie has a buttery, flaky pie crust filled with a creamy, perfectly spiced filling of fresh vegetables and tender chicken!
This chicken pot pie is my go to recipe when I want to impress someone. I’m also pretty sure it’s what made my boyfriend fall in love with me. Every time I make it, he eats nearly half the pie in one sitting (it’s both terrifying and impressive). He also once told me he likes it better than his mom’s chicken pot pie, which is probably the utmost compliment I will ever receive (Michelle, if you’re reading this, I’m so sorry. You weren't supposed to find out like this).
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Ingredient Notes
This recipe is easy but not particularly quick, but I promise the extra time and attention is worth it. You can substitute any of the fresh veggies for frozen if necessary, but I promise it tastes so much better with fresh produce. Similarly, you can use whatever pie crust you want but I'm very partial to my Pie Crust recipe.
Pie Crust - I use my homemade buttery pie crust recipe for this chicken pot pie! But you can use store-bought crust or your own homemade crust if desired.
Chicken - I use my favorite poached chicken breasts for this pie, but you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken or whatever else you have on hand!
Fresh Veggies - I HIGHLY recommend using fresh green beans and carrots for this pot pie! You can use frozen if that's all you have, but the flavor and texture is SO much better with fresh veggies.
Potatoes - I leave the peels on my potatoes because I'm too lazy to peel them and I don't mind the taste of the peels. But peel if desired!
Vegetable Stock - I always use my homemade vegetable stock, but any store-bought stock or broth will work great! Just note that store-bought stock typically has a much higher salt content, so you may need to adjust the seasonings.
Cayenne Pepper - I love adding just a little bit of cayenne for some added flavor and heat! But just leave it out if you prefer.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Homemade Pie Crust
I have a whole post on how to make Perfect Pie Crust with tons of tips and tricks but I'll briefly summarize it here. You'll need:
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup cold water
- Cut butter into small cubes and place in the fridge to firm up while you get the rest of your ingredients together.
- Combine flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Add shortening and combine with your hands or a Pastry Cutter until coarse crumbs form (about pea sized). After the shortening is fully incorporated, add the cold chunks of butter until you have a very dry crumbly dough.
- Add cold water and combine until dough forms a lumpy ball but be careful not to overwork it. The dough should form a nice ball but still be slightly sticky. (If too dry add more water, if too wet add more flour until desired consistency is reached).
- Take the formed ball of dough and separate into 2 equal sections and form into slightly flattened disk. Cover the disks in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (I usually make my dough the night before). This is important to keep the butter from melting so that the crust will be nice and flaky. The chilled dough is also much easier to work with for rolling out and creating designs. Dough can be chilled longer or be kept in fridge for up to 3 days.
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie
While the pie crust is chilling, Make the filling!
In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add the butter, onions, garlic, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until softened and aromatic.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Then stir in the potatoes and vegetable stock (I use my homemade Vegetable Stock because I always have some in the fridge, but you can use water or store bought stock instead).
Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Add in the green beans, corn, shredded chicken, herbs, and spices.
Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water and stir into the filling for 1-2 minutes until it begins to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Remove the filling from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roll out the pie dough to about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking.
Pour filling into crust and top with second piece of rolled dough (or any number of fun designs, lattice is my favorite).
Brush top and edges with egg wash and lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is heated all the way through.
Tips for the Best Pie!
For all my pie recipes, I like to use my classic flaky pie crust! I have a whole blog post with tons of tips and tricks for perfect pie crust, but the most important are listed below. Be sure to check out the rest of our pie recipes too!
Keep it cold! The secret to a super flaky pie crust is keeping the dough cold at every step. Use cold butter and cold water while making the dough, and try to keep the dough as cold as possible while working with it. I often refrigerate my pies for at least 10-20 minutes after each step so that the dough stays as cold as possible. You want very cold dough going into a very hot oven for the best results!
Use a metal pie pan! Not all pie pans are created equal! Most pie pans on the market are either metal, glass, or ceramic. Overall, metal pie pans are the best of the best because they keep the crust very crispy and they're also the most durable and affordable. A fun alternative to classic aluminum pie pans that yields the same results is a cast iron skillet! I know ceramic pie plates certainly are pretty, but unfortunately the bottom crust just never gets crispy so I just don't recommend them.
Brush the crust with egg wash before baking! Brushing the crust with an egg was (just a beaten whole egg) before baking, gives a beautiful, glossy, golden brown appearance! For savory pies I like to sprinkle with flaky sea salt and for dessert pies I like to sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
Par bake for extra crispy crust! For pies with more runny fillings (like a berry pie or custard based pie), par baking the crust before filling helps ensure a super crispy bottom! It also helps prevent overcooking the filling. Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is just beginning to brown. [Note: unfortunately this won't work with double crust pies]
Let it rest! Letting the pie rest for a bit after removing from the oven helps the filling thicken up and prevents a runny pie. For pies that you want to eat immediately while they're still hot, it's still best to let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting so that the filling can thicken up slightly. But for fruit pies or custard pies, letting the pie rest for at least 4-6 hours is ideal!
My Favorite Pie Making Tools!
Recipe Notes
My biggest pet peeves are when your pie has been baking for 40 minutes, the top is nice and brown, but the very center of your pie is still cold or under-cooked. Also when you cut into your pie and the filling is super watery which means your bottom crust ends up getting soggy. So what I started doing a couple years ago, is pre-cooking my pie filling and it is a total game changer!
I usually make the filling and the pie crust dough the night before I plan on making pie and just stick them in the fridge. Then in the morning I just take out the filling and let it come back up to room temperature before baking. I find this saves me time the day of (especially since I often make this for other people) and I also get much more consistent results.
If you prepare the filling the night before, the biggest thing to remember is (and I cannot stress this enough) do not put the filling straight from the fridge into the crust! Either let it come up to room temperature for a few hours first, or pop it in the microwave for a minute or two. This will ensure that you don't have cold filling in the center of your pie after 40 minutes.
Also, one of my favorite thing to do if I have leftover crust or filling, is to make mini chicken pot pies!! I love using little ramekins for single serve pies! Just reduce the baking time to about 20 minutes.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes of course! I prefer homemade crust, but store-bought crust works just as well! You can also bake the pie in a casserole dish and top with frozen puff pastry!
Baked chicken pot pie will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the oven for 5-10 minutes for best results.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Chicken Pot Pie
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Perfect Pie Crust
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 cup carrots, sliced (about 4 large carrots or half a bag of baby carrots)
- ½ cup white cooking wine, optional
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 cups potatoes, diced (1-2 russet potatoes or 3-4 red potatoes)
- 1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups corn
- 2 cups poached chicken breasts, substitute grilled or rotisserie chicken
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, substitute dried thyme or poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped (substitute dried sage or poultry seasoning)
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare pie crust according to directions.
- While the pie crust is chilling, Make the filling!
- In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add the butter, onions, garlic, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until softened and aromatic.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Then stir in the potatoes and vegetable stock (I use my homemade Vegetable Stock because I always have some in the fridge, but you can use water or store bought stock instead).
- Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Add in the green beans, corn, shredded chicken, herbs, and spices.
- Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water and stir into the filling for 1-2 minutes until it begins to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- If the filling is still runny, add in more cornstarch until the filling is very thick.
- Remove the filling from heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll out the pie dough to about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking.
- Pour filling into crust and top with second piece of rolled dough (or any number of fun designs, lattice is my favorite).
- Brush top and edges with egg wash and lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is heated all the way through.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Clarise says
The flavor was incredible! So much better than any store-bought pot pie I've tried. Will definitely be making again!
Maggie L. says
The flavor was amazing but my pie crust didn't turn out well. I'll definitely make the filling again but use a store-bought crust next time.
Arielle M Boulton says
I made this for dinner and shared with a friend and her family that were sick. It was a complete win! Seriously the best chicken pot pie I've ever made. I did omit the white wine and green beans, personal preference, but it had the richest flavor and was the ultimate comfort food. Thank you for this incredible recipe!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This looks insanely, incredibly good. Yummmmmmy!
Jill says
So good!!!