Chicken Pot Pie
Homemade chicken pot pie with a creamy chicken and vegetable filling and a flaky golden crust, plus the one step that prevents a soggy bottom.
21% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 55 min
- Resting
- 40 min
- Serves
- 6
- Calories
- 575
- Protein
- 25 g
- Per serving
- $2.01
Why this recipe works
Chicken pot pie is creamy chicken stew baked under a flaky crust, and it's one of the most comforting dinners you can put on the table. Using a store-bought crust and a rotisserie chicken makes it doable on a weeknight with time to spare.
- The filling is cooked until it thickly coats a spoon and then cooled before it goes in the crust, so the bottom crust bakes instead of steaming in hot liquid.
- Baking on the lowest rack puts the bottom of the pie closest to the heat, which crisps the base while the top browns.
- Rotisserie chicken keeps it practical: the meat is already cooked and seasoned, so the filling takes about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
For the filling
For the crust
You will need
- 9-inch deep-dish pie plate
- Large skillet or wide saucepan
- Rimmed baking sheet
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Cook the vegetables
Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and the carrots are starting to soften, 7 to 8 minutes.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Make the sauce
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, then the milk, and add the thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring, until it thickly coats a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Finish and cool the filling
Stir in the chicken and frozen peas and take the pan off the heat. Taste for salt. Let the filling cool for at least 20 minutes, until just warm. Meanwhile heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lowest position.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Assemble
Fit one crust into the pie plate, letting the edge hang over. Spoon in the filling and lay the second crust over the top. Trim, fold the edges under and crimp to seal. Brush with the egg wash and cut four slits in the top.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Bake
Set the pie on the baking sheet and bake on the lowest rack until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles through the slits, 35 to 40 minutes. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of foil.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Rest
Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before cutting, so the filling sets and slices hold together.
AI-generated illustration of this step.
Techniques in this recipe
1. Halve through the root 2. Slice toward the root 3. Cut across Dice an onion
Halve through the root, slice toward it without cutting through, then cut across. The root holds it together, so the pieces come out even.
Read the full guideRolling boil: too hard for most sauces Simmer: small, gentle bubbles Simmer, don't boil
A boil has big, rolling bubbles; a simmer has small bubbles that break gently. Most sauces, soups and stews want a simmer.
Read the full guide
Cook's notes
- The filling should be thicker than you'd want a soup. If it looks loose after adding the chicken, simmer it for another minute or two before cooling.
- Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it; cold filling in a cold crust gives the crispest bottom of all.
- Bake it straight from the freezer: assemble, freeze unbaked, and bake at 400°F for 60 to 70 minutes with the edges covered for the first half.
Nutrition per serving
575 calories
$2.01 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 18% of calories | 25 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 34% of calories | 48 g |
| Fat | 49% of calories | 31 g |
| Fiber | 4 g | |
| Sodium | 770 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
How do you keep chicken pot pie from having a soggy bottom?
Cool the filling before it goes into the crust, make sure it's thick, and bake on the lowest oven rack on a baking sheet. Hot, thin filling is the main cause of a pale, soggy base.
Can I use puff pastry instead of pie crust?
Yes, as a top crust. Skip the bottom crust, pour the filling into the dish and lay a sheet of puff pastry over it. Bake at 400°F until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.
Can I make chicken pot pie ahead of time?
Yes. Make the filling up to 2 days ahead, or assemble the whole pie and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time if it goes in cold.
