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On a cold night, nothing beats a homemade chicken pot pie fresh out of the oven — flaky golden crust, creamy filling, chunks of chicken and vegetables in every bite. I make two at a time because one is never enough.
Why You’ll Love It
- Thick, creamy filling — not watery or thin, real comfort food texture with hearty chunks of chicken and vegetables
- Golden, flaky crust — brushed with egg wash so it comes out beautifully every time
- Flexible ingredients — canned potatoes, store-bought crust, frozen vegetables all work perfectly
- Makes great leftovers — reheats beautifully and tastes just as good the next day
- Impressive without being fussy — looks like you spent all day, but the steps are straightforward
A Word About Ingredients
The chicken: I use boneless skinless breasts, two pounds, which I’ve found is just right for a deep-dish pie. You could use thighs — probably more flavorful if I’m being honest — but I’ve always made it with breasts and I’m not changing now.
Half and half is important. Don’t use milk. I tried it once, years ago, and the filling was thinner than I wanted and it never quite recovered even with extra flour. Half and half gives you that richness without making it feel heavy. Or, I don’t know, maybe heavy in exactly the right way.
The vegetables: I use a standard bag of frozen mixed — corn, peas, carrots, green beans — thawed before it goes in. I’ve added mushrooms before. Sometimes I add a little more celery than the recipe technically calls for because I like celery in ways that other people in this house do not fully appreciate.
Potatoes: I’ve made this with fresh cooked potatoes and I’ve made it with canned small white potatoes, cubed. The canned ones are fine. Better than fine on a tired night. I’m not going to judge.
The crust: store-bought. I’ve made homemade pie crust maybe four times in my life and twice it was excellent and twice it was a disaster and I’ve decided I’d rather spend that energy on the filling. Get a good refrigerated crust — the kind that’s already rolled out — and you’ll be fine.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups chicken broth, plus a little extra if needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ cups half and half
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped — I go a little generous here
- 1 cup celery, chopped (or more, if you’re me)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 medium potatoes, cooked and cubed — or one can of small white potatoes, cubed and drained
- 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- Pie crust for a double-crust pie
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
How to Make It
Start with the chicken. Cut each breast into thirds — not because it matters enormously, just so it cooks evenly — and put it in a large saucepan with the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover it, and let it simmer for about thirty minutes. You want the chicken completely cooked through, no pink anywhere, juices running clear. I’ve pulled it too early before and had to put it back in. Don’t do that.
While the chicken cools — and it needs a few minutes, it’s hot, don’t rush it — pour that broth into a measuring cup and let it stand a minute. Spoon off whatever fat floats to the top. Now add enough extra canned broth to bring it up to one cup, then add your half and half until the whole thing measures 2½ cups total. Set it aside.
Cut the cooled chicken into ½-inch pieces. Smallish chunks. You want them to fit on a fork without being a project.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and celery. Sauté for about three minutes, stirring — you want them softened, not browned. Add the flour and stir until it’s all well blended with the butter and vegetables. Then add the parsley and thyme. Then slowly pour in your broth and half and half mixture, stirring constantly, and keep stirring while it thickens and comes to a simmer. This is the part I find strangely meditative. Just stand there and stir. It’ll come together.
Once the sauce is thick and bubbling, add the chicken. Then the potatoes and the vegetables. Stir everything together and taste it — sometimes I add a little more salt here, sometimes not, depends on my broth.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a deep pie dish with one of the crusts, letting it hang over the edges a bit. Pour in the filling. It should be generous — you want it slightly mounded. Lay the second crust over the top and pinch the edges together, pressing them against the rim of the dish. Cut a few vent slits — I usually do four or five — and brush the whole top with the beaten egg. If you have any scraps of crust left, roll them out and cut little shapes to press onto the top. A leaf, a little flower, whatever. It sounds fussy but it takes thirty seconds and looks lovely and I’ve never once regretted doing it.
Bake for thirty minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling up through the vents. Let it sit for ten minutes before you cut into it. I know that’s hard. Do it anyway.
Variations
Switching to thighs instead of breasts adds more flavor — worth trying if you’re open to it. A splash of white wine added to the broth mixture is another good variation. I tasted it once, nodded, said nothing. It was good. I still don’t do it.
I’ve made this with leftover roast chicken when I had it, which cuts the whole simmering step and honestly works just as well. Maybe two cups of shredded chicken or so. The filling doesn’t know the difference.
If you want to skip the potatoes entirely and add more mixed vegetables, that works too. I did it once when I was out of potatoes and no one said a word.
Leftovers
Store it covered in the fridge. It reheats beautifully — I do individual slices in the microwave but the oven is better if you have time, keeps the crust from going soft. It’ll last three, maybe four days. We have never once made it to day four.
Classic Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into thirds
- 2 cups chicken broth plus more if needed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 onion medium, chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 potatoes cooked and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables frozen, thawed
- 1 double pie crust homemade or store-bought
- 1 egg large, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Place chicken, broth, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until fully cooked.
- Remove chicken and let cool. Reserve broth, skim fat, and adjust with additional broth if needed. Combine with half and half to make 2 1/2 cups.
- Cut cooked chicken into 1/2-inch pieces.
- In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
- Stir in flour, parsley, and thyme until well combined.
- Gradually stir in the broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling.
- Add chicken, potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Stir until evenly combined.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a deep pie dish with one crust and pour in the filling.
- Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut vent holes.
- Brush with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set.
Notes
Nutrition