Okay, I am not gonna lie – this is not your super quick weeknight kind of recipe. BUT if you were to chop all the veggies, cook and shred the chicken, and make the pie crust dough in advance, I think it could happen on a busy night. And I don’t have to “sell” Chicken Pot Pie….we all know how incredibly delicious it is!
It’s possible though that I do have to talk you out of using convenience ingredients like cans of cream of mushroom soup and packaged pie crust. Trust me, making this dish from scratch in order to avoid highly processed additives like partially hydrogenated oils (i.e. trans fat), artificial dyes, and MSG is so worth it. Not only will it taste amazing, but you’ll feel good about the dish you’re serving your precious family.
My Go-To Frozen Peas: Cascadian Farm
In this recipe I used Cascadian Farm organic frozen peas. It’s no secret that we love some frozen peas in my house and that my daughters will even eat them plain by the handful (still frozen – try it sometime)! So I was excited to learn that Cascadian Farm has some new products hitting the frozen food aisle – frozen kale and Swiss chard. Adding some of those greens would be a fun twist to this classic recipe and also a great addition to just about any lasagna or stuffed shells dish.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup onion (diced)
- 3 carrots (diced)
- 3 ribs celery (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup frozen peas (no need to defrost – I used Cascadian Farm brand)
- 3 cups chicken (shredded and cooked)
- 4 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- ¼ cup parsley (chopped (leaves only))
Pie Crust
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour (+ 2 tablespoons, and extra for rolling out the dough)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter (unsalted and cold)
- ¼ cup water (plus ice)
- 1 egg (beaten with a splash of water)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of the butter. Once heated add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until it begins to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, frozen peas, and chicken (I highly recommend the Best Whole Chicken in a Crockpot recipe for this!) and cook for about 2 more minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir just until the flour is almost completely absorbed. You can add a little more butter here if your pan gets too dry.
- Add the broth and milk and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of a thin gravy.
- Meanwhile, to make the crust pulse together the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Cut the cold (straight from the fridge) butter into tablespoon-sized chunks. Drop them on top of the flour and turn the machine on until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While the machine is still going pour in the ice cold water (cubes removed) until the dough comes together. Roll it out onto a floured surface into a big circle just slightly larger than your round baking dish.
- Once the chicken mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and parsley. Pour into a round baking dish and position the dough on top while pinching all along the sides. Brush with the egg and pierce some holes in the top with a fork.
- Bake on a rimmed baking sheet (it may spill over) until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Round baking dish
- Baking sheet
- Food processor
Made this last night. SO GOOD! I used a square pan, added 2 potatoes cubed and will definitely be making it again. P.S. I forgot to season it with salt/pepper and my husband still wants me to make it again! I say 5 star recipe!
I like my pot pie with a top and bottom crust. so would I just double the crust recipe and roll out first the bottom crust, then the top?
Hi Caroline. Yes, that should work. ;)
I made this a few days ago and while it was delicious, it was very soupy. I read some other reviews of people who used less liquid. I used frozen vegetable and wondered if that was the problem? Should I have thawed out the frozen veggies before cooking them. I thought maybe that added too much water. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Hi Ashley. Yes, frozen veggies will add to the liquid.
Can you make this ahead and freeze? If so, at what stage do you freeze…before baking but after assembling? Looks like a great recipe to make a bunch of small ones ahead of time and then freeze. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi. You can freeze it cooked or uncooked. I’ve cooked mine first to save time later.
If you cook first – you can line the pan before assembly then when it is done cooking, just pop it out of the baking dish, wrap and freeze. That way you don’t have to put your baking dish in the freezer.
As ‘Soup Season’ is just upon us, I wanted to leave a review on one of my favs. After reading several reviews, I used only 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of milk. Everything else in the recipe is as listed. I usually make a slow cooker chicken every week or so, so I often have the shredded chicken on hand. And dicing up a couple of carrots, celery, and an onion doesn’t take more than 5 minutes so once you’re in the swing of things, it can be super fast for busy nights. Also if I am running short on time, I will just serve it as a soup with biscuits on the side. 40 minutes and I have an awesome meal on the table that my whole family loves.
I made this for dinner tonight and my first impression was that it took a really long time! I think using a bag of pre-chopped, frozen carrots and peas would help and making the dough by hand will help with clean up time. The second thing I noticed was how soupy the filling was. I was very hesitant to add FOUR whole cups of liquid (3c broth + 1c milk) to the veggies/chicken, but I wanted to follow the recipe exactly for my first time making it. I simmered the mixture for even more than 20 minutes and it just didn’t thicken up. I let it sit for a while, then hoped that baking it would thicken it up. No luck. Still very soupy. I’m used to my mom’s thicker, creamier pot pies so will plan to use less liquid next time. Tips/advice welcome! Four star because the flavor is still hearty and healthy!
Hi Becky. You absolutely can use organic frozen mixed vegetables to save time. I have also chopped them in my food processor to save time. You can add more flour to the mixture to make it thicker or use less liquid like you suggested. We are happy you enjoyed the flavor!
I love homeade chicken pot pie. I make this in individual ramekins and my family gobbles then up.
What size ramekins do you use?
A total hit! I used some fresh veggies along with a bag of frozen mixed veggies. My two year old asked for a second helping and ate all the veggies. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Found this while just randomly searching on the web for a healthy pot pie (I try to stay away from processed sugars.) This was easy and delicious! I did omit one cup of the broth to make it ‘thicker’ and it still tasted great. I baked the chicken with lots of garlic prior to putting it into the recipe. My 3 year old is battling a cold and she enjoyed this dinner. She declared it “delicious” in her little sick voice. :)
WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER!!!! This was amazing! My husband said he was prepared to have “Pinterest fail” for dinner (Come on, who hasn’t had that? haha) but this was delicious! I changed the veggies and used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, since that’s what I had on hand. Also, I made the crust by hand, since I don’t have a dough blade for my food processor, but that wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be! I found a video tutorial on Youtube. One of my 9 yr old twins has recently become a picky eater, and she ate 2 servings! I’ll definitely make this again, and I’ll save my carcass to make broth for the next one! :)
What video did you watch on Youtube?
Absolutely delicious, one of the best I’ve ever made!
I really want to make this but I do not have a food processor ….how can I make the crust? I don’t want to buy the store bought….thanks!!!!!!!!
Hi there. You can mix it by hand as you would any pastry dough. ;)
Do you think this would work with gluten free all purpose flour? Has anyone tried it?
Hi Lynn. I do think it will work though I’ve not tried it with this recipe.
I’ve now made this 3 times and my husband has told me it’s the best thing i’ve ever made. I did reduce the broth to 2 cups as i found it too soupy.
Hi – This looks delicious!! Would the crust still turn out if I omitted the egg wash at the end on top of the crust. Or does anyone recommend a substitute for that part? Thank you!
Hi Michelle. The crust will be fine. It just won’t brown as nicely.
I’m looking to freeze this. Do I need to cook it first or should I freeze before cooking? Then should I thaw before cooking?
Hi Laura. I usually cook, freeze, thaw and reheat. ;)
This was excellent! I do not have a big enough food processor yet to make the crust so I did that by hand like my grandma used to and it turned out just fine. Even my teenage daughter who has been trying to not eat her veggies,(she thinks she can pick around her food and we will not notice!)cleaned her plate and went for seconds.
This is a family favorite!
Thanks for this site! It has been a big help with getting me on the right track to getting my family eating less and less processed foods.
So there is no bottom crust?
This chicken pot pie is exceptional! A bit of prep work, agreed, but that’s typical if you’re making food from scratch. It’s so delicious that my family decided this will go in my “repeat often” recipe list. The only adjustment I made was to replace the fresh carrots and frozen peas with a frozen veggie mix including carrots, peas, corn and green beans.
We made this on 3-14-15 in honor of Pi Day. We didn’t want to celebrate with a dessert, and this was a great alternative. It was fabulous! We used frozen peas with pearl onions- in addition to the chopped onions-as “pearls” are a family favorite:)
I had extra chopped chicken, so we doubled the veggies in the recipe and made 4 individual pies in soup crocks, in addition to the big pie. Had plenty of crust to top them all without doubling that recipe. We baked the mini pies for dinner, and re-heated the large pie for lunch the next day. I will definitely make this again on a weekend! The crust was so good, we made a mini whole wheat pizza with the leftovers. Yum!
As long as I have the chicken already prepared and shredded (one time, I did it all on one day and that was a bit overwhelming).. this dinner actually isn’t too terribly difficult and it’s a family FAVORITE.. Hubby and kids were jumping with excitement when I said I was making it tonight.. that’s a good feeling for me and you! :)
Hi Donna. Sorry, but we are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. Removing the fat is up to you. Lisa does not add water to the broth. :) How did it all turn out?
Have a question. If I’m using my own homemade broth, do you ltake the fat off the top of the broth before you drain it? Also how much water do you mix in with it? Mt granddaughters and I are making all of this tomorrow. Thank you.
I got a hankering for chicken pot pie so I decided to check on your website. So glad I did! I had everything on hand to make it, but I did cheat with the pie crust (we’re working toward this who food thing). All I have to say is AMAZING! The filling was undeniably delicious!
I made this tonight, sort of… I used an Immaculate brand pie crust that I ran across on clearance and put it on the bottom too, so I took a shortcut. I also added potatoes, which are a chicken pot pie “must” for me! Instead of parsley i seasoned with thyme. Needless to say, I like playing with recipes :)
It was amazing, though. I will try making the crust next time.
This recipe definitely takes a little more time, but it was worth it! I was skeptical because my family already has a chicken pot pie recipe that we love…but it includes canned veggies, canned “cream of” soup, and packaged pie crusts (yes, plural!). This one was different, but still DELICIOUS! I will definitely make this one again.
This chicken pot pie is AMAZING. I have never really been a big fan of chicken pot pie but this dish has changed that. I chopped up the vegetables and made the dough the day before so it was easy to put together. I made the dough in my kitchen aid mixer using the dough hook and the butter did not break up or spread out very easily and the dough seemed like it could have used a little more flour but I left it as is and I am glad I did because it was wonderful and very flaky! Will definitely be putting this dish into rotation. Thanks!
Yummiest chicken pot pie in the history of ever!I did the crust in my KitchenAid mixer, and it was super easy and delicious.I added 1 TBS flour to the filling because it was a little runny, but I did everything else by the recipe. So so so good!
i would like to make it over the weekend and freeze for the week. I saw that you said this is possible but you didn’t say at what point to freeze. Do you assemble it all with crust and freeze to cook later. Or do you assemble and cook and then freeze? Thanks. I am a huge fan of your website and incorporating more and more real food and less and less of the bad stuff every day!
Hi Suzanne. You could do it either way, but I prefer to cook and freeze.
I have made this a couple of times and found a great way to make it easier / quicker. Instead of the listed veggies I used frozen corn, frozen peas, frozen carrots and even frozen chopped onion (cut way down on prep time) in the dish. I also upped the spices and added some more of my own because my family found it a little lacking the first time I made it. This dish is now super easy and my whole family will eat it (husband, 1 yr old and 4 yr old) without complaints – WIN! Thanks for the great recipe.
Do you think the pie crust would work with almond meal flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Hello Amber. Almond flour typically cannot be subbed 1:1 for whole wheat flour. It would be an experiment, for sure. ;)
This recipe was delicious and simple if you just follow the directions! I am new to real food and cooking in general because I just don’t really like cooking. in the past, I’ve made pot pies using canned chicken, cream of chicken soup, and premade crusts. Well, I was inspired! I used the best chicken in a crockpot per the suggestion and used chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. I used King Arthur white whole wheat flour and I left out the celery (husband’s picky). I actually loved making the pie crust so much that I made a bottom crust and top crust (I made the crust beforehand and refrigerated it then baked the bottom crust while I was making the filling). The only other change is that I added extra flour to the filling like others. My husband and I both raved about this chicken pot pie all evening and will make it again for company!
Nice flavor! We really enjoyed this dish. I tripled the sauce, but next time will only double as it was too sweet with that much extra sauce. I did add a bit more garlic and used pineapple juice instead of apple juice.
This chicken pot pie was amazing! And the family ALL loved it!! Thank you for so many if my families favorite recipes!!!
What size “round baking dish”? 2 Quart?
Hi Shawna. Yes, a 2 quart dish is perfect.
I made this over the weekend, as it was okay, I felt as though it was missing something. Any way to make this taste better? I feel as though there are herbs missing or something lacking. Any suggestions?
Hello Danielle. You can go heavier on the listed spices or add any spice combination that you feel you would like.
5 stars all the way!
Have made this twice now and my family loves it. It is more work so this time using my leftover turkey and turkey broth I one and a thirded the recipe and one and a halfed the crust recipe. This made two deep dish pie dishes for us and I will freeze one for a future meal. One pie feeds my family of six with not a crumb left! Being able to freeze one with little more effort makes making this totally worth it.
The first time my husband saw this he asked for ketchup saying he’d need lots to get it down, remember yucky cheap ones from his childhood. He was pleasantly surprised at how yummy this was and he didn’t use a speck of ketchup! My daughter had three helpings and asked if I could make this more often. It’s a keeper! Thanks Lisa. You rock!
SUPER YUMMY!!!!! FAMILY LOVED IT!!!!
This recipe is delicious! I tried it and instead of making the crust, I served it over your whole wheat biscuits which worked great. I’m wondering if you have any suggestions of how to convert this to the slow cooker. I usually make my chicken pot pie with the cream of chicken soup in the crock pot and then pour over biscuits, clearly the shortcut method but it works for us. Any ideas of how to make a supplemental sauce for the crock pot that is real food friendly?
Hi Lori. That is not something we’ve tried. Maybe our readers can throw out some ideas. I did find this recipe for a real food cream of chicken: http://nourishedkitchen.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/.