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
Am I correct that this has no bottom crust?
That is correct, just the pie crust. – Nicole
Can you make it with a bottom crust and would the cook times be the same?
You could, I would recommend pre-baking the bottom crust partway before adding everything else.
I’m not aware of the nutrition calculator used for this recipe, but with 4 servings I ended up with radically different readings on Calories, Fat Total and SatFat, Cholesterol and sodium.
What part am I figuring wrong?
Hi Gregory, was your number higher or lower? Are you also adding in each ingredient for the pie crust and not a store-bought one? – Nicole
4 Tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup butter equals 1 cup of butter for the recipe. So, the number I got was much higher for the whole recipe.
I’m just wondering how I get higher numbers, which is why I was wondering how the calories were figured. The autofill on the number of servings when I arrive at the webpage is 4. Was the servings figured at 6 for the recipe?
Thanks.
Btw, I’m not planning on using store-bought pie crust for any reason, any recipe, anytime in my lifespan. Just saying.
Be at peace, please. Looking forward to the answer to my confusion.
Hi Gregory – 4 tablespoons is actually 1/4 cup (not 1/2), so that is likely the cause of the discrepancy. The recipe serves four, and this is what was used for the nutrition calcs.
I just double-checked the recipe ingredients and forced a refresh of the nutrition calcs, which are based on https://spoonacular.com/food-api. For some reason they changed slightly (increased 35 calories per serving), so perhaps an ingredient was updated in the database. Anyway, it should be accurate. – Jason
This was fabulous! A hit with the entire family. Delicious! Thank you!
One of my most favorite recipes! Delicious!
Is there any reason the filling can’t be poured right over biscuits vs. baked into a pie? I mean, just in terms of cooking time for the filling. I assume that part is cooked sufficiently in the pot and the baking time is entirely for the crust?
Sure, that would absolutely work.
Can this be frozen unbaked then baked at a later date?
We’ve not frozen this unbaked, but yes, I’m sure you can.
Every time I make this the dough falls in because it melts from the heat so I don’t get the nice crust on top. What am I doing wrong?
Hi. Are you fully preheating?
I just made this in 4 individual bowls. It is super delicious. Even my twelve-year-old son, his favorite food is chicken pot pie loved it!
Has anyone tried making this with a milk/butter/egg alternative? My youngest has a dairy and egg allergy. Sometimes substitutes work, sometimes they don’t!
Hi. I’ve made it dairy free successfully but have not left out the egg. Let us know if you experiment.
Do you freeze first and then bake it?
Hi. You can do it either way. I prefer to bake and then reheat.
This came out amazing ! All 12 of the kids & 4 adults loved it ! Next time I’ll flatten out the dough better. Doubled the chicken and cubed it, left out the celery and made it in my cast iron skillet. (Very pretty too).
what size pan is ideal for this recipe?
Hi. I use a 2qt round.
It also fits in a 1.5 quart baking dish, if that’s what you have.
Can you freeze this recipe? Thank you.
Yes! :)
Yummy this looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing this for us.
Simon
I just made this for dinner tonight! I made it a few months ago, and the past week my 10 yr old has been begging me to make it! She made the crust by herself! This recipe is so yummy, and I love that you can throw just about whatever in it!
Would you recommend pastry flour for the crust?
Hi. Sure , pastry flour should work well for a pie crust.
I made this and the chicken noodle soup together to save time. I even had enough filling for another smaller pie. It’s the first time I’ve ever made pie crust and it was the best! So easy and fast with food processor. Now I want to make more pies!
Any way to check calories per serving?
Hi there. We do not provide calorie information but there are lots of online tools that could help you with that. My Fitness Pal is one.
Followed all steps correctly, and pie crust collapsed and fell apart in the oven.
My crust is soooooo gooey! I’ve added more and more flour but it’s still so sticky! I can roll it out but as soon as I try the transfer its in gooey pieces!! What am I doing wrong??
Hi. Those cold ingredients are really important as is transferring the crust when it is still cold.
Since this pie doesn’t have a bottom crust as well, how well does the filling hold while cutting out slices to serve? Thanks!
It doesn’t really “slice”. I use a spoon to serve.
What type of milk can I use instead of cow’s milk?
Hi. I typically sub with plain almond or coconut milk though I have not done so in this recipe.
I’m curious if you know if this recipe will hold up in the freezer prior to baking? I’d love to prep it ahead of time and freeze it as a meal for my sister who just had a baby.
Hi Jenn. It freezes fine, cooked or uncooked.
any tips for making the pie crust topping if you do not have a food processor? Thanks!
HI there. You can mix it by hand like you would any other pie crust. For instance: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/basic-pie-dough.html.