The key for this easy chicken pot pie is refrigerated pie crust dough. The filling in this pot pie recipe is homemade but simple -- even without cream of chicken soup!
If you are looking for an easy chicken pot pie that has all the deliciousness of homemade, this is your recipe! You will not be laboring over a dough from scratch, and although the filling is from scratch it is very easy. If you love pot pie, make sure you check out my other pot pie recipes, Leftover Turkey Pot Pie, Chicken Pot Pie Crescent Ring, and Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust!
Why We Love This Recipe
Chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food. We love this dish so much, especially this recipe because it's the best of all chicken pot pies.
The only thing about this homemade chicken pot pie that is not homemade is the crust dough. Store-bought refrigerated pie crust saves us time and energy. But wait! Don't abandon me yet. Just because there is no cream of chicken soup in the chicken pot pie filling, it is still a very easy chicken pot pie recipe. I'm serious. Don't believe me? Let me convince you.
Ingredients for Easy Chicken Pot Pie
(full printable recipe at end of this post)
I like to focus on recipes with easy and accessible ingredients right from the grocery store or already in your pantry. Below are the ingredients to make this pot pie recipe.
Here's what you need:
- Refrigerated pie crusts (unbaked) - Use generic store brand or name brand. You need two crusts.
- Shredded chicken - You can grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and pull of the chicken, or plan ahead with my favorite two methods of prepping shredded chicken. Some stores, like Costco, now sell pulled chicken from a rotisserie.
- Frozen peas and corn - I use frozen peas and frozen corn, about ½ cup of each from a bag in the freezer aisle. You can use 1 cup total of mixed peas and corn. Whatever your store has!
- Yellow potatoes - You'll dice these. No need to peel!
- Fresh carrots - Grab two medium in the produce section. I prefer the fresh carrots over frozen, but see tips below for using frozen.
- Yellow onion - Or a sweet vidalia onion works here, too! White onion is also fine, but the yellow and sweet onions pack more flavor.
- Unsalted butter - If you use salted butter, cut down the salt in the recipe.
- Flour - A little bit of all-purpose flour for the roux to thicken the filling.
- Chicken broth and milk - For our homemade filling.
- Seasonings - Salt, pepper, and celery salt. Find the celery salt in the spice aisle with all the other spices. Don't feel like you're buying this for a one time use. We love it sprinkled on our hot dogs and mixed into our macaroni salad, breakfast bake and chicken salads.
- Egg - Just one so you can brush an egg wash for that golden brown crust.
Click here or scroll to the bottom of this post for detailed recipe ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the step-by-step instructions and video on how to make this pot pie recipe. The general steps are as follows:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line bottom and sides of pie plate with unbaked pie crust and fill with chicken, peas and corn.
- Cook potatoes and carrots in boiling water on stove top until tender. Drain and place into pie plate.
- Using same pan, cook onions in melted butter until soft.
- Add more butter to pan with flour and seasonings.
- Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Cook until sauce is thickened.
- Pour sauce into pie plate over the mixture of chicken and vegetables.
- Top with second unbaked pie dough. Pinch to seal.
- Brush with egg white and slice slits into top to allow steam.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Expert Tips
Chicken - You can buy a rotisserie chicken and pull it apart, but I highly recommend prepping the best shredded chicken ever once a month and then storing in the freezer so its ready when you need it.
Pan - Use a large sauté pan or skillet, and you will only dirty one pan (plus the pie dish). Quickly cook the potatoes and carrots until just tender and then wipe out the pan to sauté the onions and make your creamy soup.
Crust - Watch the crust near the last 15 minutes of baking time. If it's starting to brown more around the edges, lightly place foil around the sides to avoid burning.
Serving Suggestions
Vegetables - If you are short on time, you can use a bag of mixed frozen vegetables in place of ALL the vegetables in this recipe and skip the part of cooking the carrots and potatoes. This is not a recommendation, but only a suggestion as I prefer the taste of using the fresh carrots and potatoes in this recipe.
Potatoes - Do not peel the potatoes. Waste of time.
Seasonings - As always, adjust seasonings to more or less for your taste buds.
Make Ahead or Freeze
The total time to make this pot pie from start to finish is 1 ½ hours . If you get home from work at 5PM, you can be eating by 6:30PM but we all know that's not completely feasible. So, I'm happy to tell you this is a perfect make-ahead recipe!
You can assemble all of this the night before and place in the fridge to bake the next day. You can even freeze it, my friends!
Your Questions Answered
Should you prebake the bottom crust of chicken pot pie?
For this recipe, we do not prebake the pie crust. I found it unnecessary and never do, however, you can if you want. I haven't had a soggy crust yet.
How do I thicken my chicken pot pie filling?
We start with cooking a butter and flour roux on the stovetop to make the chicken pot pie filling. The sauce can be as thick as you want. The longer you cook it on the stove top the thicker it will get.
Why is my pot pie liquidy?
After removing the pot pie from the oven, allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to set and not be too runny when slicing into the pie. A runny pie may also mean you didn't cook the sauce long enough to thicken.
What to Serve with Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie can be a meal in itself, but you can also serve it with more vegetables, a salad, soup, rolls or sweet fruit. Try these recipes with your pot pie.
- Green Bean Almondine
- Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
- Spinach Salad
- Dinner Rolls
- Brussels Sprouts
- Fruit Salad
PRINT this recipe or PIN it to save for later. Made this recipe? Leave a star rating and tag me on Instagram @seededtable so I can see. I love hearing from you!
This article was originally published February 5, 2013 and updated February 2022 with tips, video and step-by-step photos, but no changes to the recipe.
Recipe Card
Semi-Homemade Chicken Pot Pie {+VIDEO!}
Ingredients
- 2 (9-inch) unbaked refrigerated pie crusts
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 1 cup small diced yellow potatoes (no need to peel)
- 2 medium fresh carrots , peeled and diced
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- ½ large yellow onion , chopped
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- ¾ teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth (homemade or store-bought)
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9- or 10-inch pie plate with 1 pie crust. Fill the bottom with the shredded chicken, peas and corn; set aside.
- Place the diced potatoes and carrots in a large sauté pan or skillet. Fill with cold water, until the vegetables are just covered. Heat over high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain, then transfer to the pie plate over the chicken, peas and corn.
- Wipe out the pan and return to heat. Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter in the same pan, then add the onions. Cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the other 3 Tablespoons of butter and toss until melted. Stir in the flour, celery seed, salt and pepper. Slowly mix in the chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Season with more salt, to taste. Pour into the pie plate over the chicken and veggies. Do not stir.
- Place the other pie crust over top of the filling, then tuck the edges under the bottom crust and pinch to seal. Brush lightly with egg wash. Slice an "X" in the center of the crust to allow steam during baking. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Make Ahead: Assemble the night before and keep in the fridge, or freeze for the day you need it. If frozen, allow to thaw overnight in the fridge. Place refrigerated pie in the oven while it is preheating and bake until cooked and heated through. (Mine requires about 1 hour and 15 minutes of baking time.)
- Watch the crust. Once it is golden, cover just the sides loosely with pieces of foil to prevent burning.
