If you’re craving comfort food, warm homemade chicken pot pie always hits the spot. This completely from-scratch recipe features a double buttery, flaky pie crust encasing tender chicken and vegetables in a rich and creamy sauce. Watch the video tutorial to see how it comes together!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial.
This is my very favorite chicken pot pie recipe. If you haven’t tried it in the past several years, I bet it will be your new favorite, too!
The reader-loved recipe uses my homemade pie crust (it’s not just for Thanksgiving pies, after all!) for a sturdy base on the bottom and a golden, flaky cloak on top. In between the pie crust layers is a mixture of chicken and veggies in a creamy, rich white gravy that is full of flavor. It goes without saying that this double-crust chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food and one of my favorite fall dinner recipes.
One reader, Amy, commented: “This is the new celebration meal, favorite meal, go-to meal & just-because meal in my house. Everyone loves this!! I make it exactly as written. The crust is legendary and I’ve used it for all crust-requiring recipes. I’ve also passed this recipe to my friends, and equally glowing reviews from them. ★★★★★”
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pot Pie:
- Satisfying, comforting all-in-one meal
- 100% homemade
- Gravy-like sauce is rich, creamy, and so flavorful
- Double the buttery, flaky pie crust for double the deliciousness
- Customizable—use your favorite meats and vegetables
- A wonderful make-ahead recipe
One reader, Emily, commented: “This is SO incredibly good. I followed the recipe to the T (including the pie crust recipe, which was my first time making pie crust ever) and it came out absolutely perfect. As always, your instructions are so clear and your recipe is perfect!… ★★★★★“
Start by Making the Pie Dough
Before you start on the filling, have your pie crust prepared, chilled, and ready to go. I love using this homemade pie crust, a dough made from both butter AND shortening to yield the flakiest, most tender crust. It needs to chill for at least 2 hours (and up to 5 days) before rolling out, so I always make it in advance. You could also use this all butter pie crust if you’d prefer a shortening-free option.
Grab These Ingredients for the Pot Pie Filling:
- Chicken: The recipe calls for uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can absolutely make this with chicken thighs instead. You can also use pre-cooked chicken—see recipe Notes.
- Carrots & Celery: You’ll start by cooking these together with the chicken in a pot of boiling water, then drain.
- Butter, Onion, & Garlic: The aromatic flavor base for many sauces and soups, including creamy chicken noodle soup.
- Flour: Flour thickens the sauce.
- Seasonings: We’re flavoring this pot pie filling with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Chicken Stock/Broth: Feel free to use vegetable broth/stock instead.
- Half-and-half: This is the magic ingredient for a rich, creamy sauce that coats the meat and vegetables in the pot pie filling.
- Frozen Peas: Here’s where you can mix things up and add the vegetables you love most or simply have on hand. I usually use frozen peas. No need to thaw or cook them, just add them directly into the pot pie. Add them at the end—if you cook them with the other vegetables and chicken, they’ll lose their vibrant green color and taste a little mushy.
These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help
Cook the chicken, carrots, and celery in a pot of boiling water, then drain. (See recipe Notes if using pre-cooked chicken.)
In a skillet or separate pan, cook down the onion and garlic in butter. Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme. (Major flavor building is happening here!)
After the flour soaks up the moisture from the cooked vegetables, add the broth and half-and-half. Let everything simmer and thicken on the stove, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is a thick, gravy-like consistency.
Roll out the first half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle, and fit it into your pie dish.
Add the cooked chicken and veggies, followed by the frozen peas, and pour/spread the gravy on top.
Roll out the second half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle, and lay it over the filling. Seal and crimp or flute the pie crust edges, then slice a few small slits in the top crust, to allow steam to escape.
Don’t forget the egg wash! The egg wash is what gives the crust its golden, glistening sheen. Without it, your pot pie will look a little dull. To make it, simply whisk 1 egg with 1 Tablespoon of milk (I just use a fork to whisk). You can use a pastry brush to brush the top crust and edges.
Bake in a hot oven (425°F (218°C)) until golden brown. The pot pie doesn’t take too long, because the filling is already cooked; you’re really just baking the pie crust and letting the filling ingredients and flavors mingle together.
The sauce in chicken pot pie is typically a gravy. I use a seasoned white gravy made from scratch with flavor-building ingredients, chicken broth, and half-and-half.
I have a trick for this! I add the filling ingredients including the chicken and vegetables first, and then pour the gravy on top. You’re not pouring the gravy directly on the bottom pie crust this way. The gravy seeps down slowly as the pot pie bakes, which gives the bottom crust some time to crisp up. Additionally, I recommend using a glass or metal pie dish for the best crust. Pies cooked at such a high temperature can bake unevenly in ceramic pie dishes.
Yes, absolutely. Skip adding the bottom pie dough to the pie dish and when the gravy is done and comes off heat, mix it with the chicken/carrot mixture, and then spoon into ungreased pie dish. I recommend lowering the oven temperature to 375°F (191°C) because there is just 1 crust to bake. Bake time is 35–40 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown. See my turkey pot pie recipe instructions—that recipe uses just 1 top crust.
Chicken Pot Pie Variations
- Pie Crust: I love using my homemade pie crust recipe for today’s chicken pot pie. Using a combination of butter and shortening yields the flakiest, most tender and buttery crust. For a pie crust made without shortening, try my all butter pie crust. Store-bought pie crust or even puff pastry also work!
- Meats: Turkey works wonderfully instead of chicken. If using pre-cooked meat, you can skip the boiling step, and cook the carrots and celery with the butter and onion. See recipe Note.
- Vegetables: Try adding corn when you add the peas. Feel free to add 1 diced Yukon gold potato; cook until soft with the onion. You can also throw in a cup of sliced mushrooms or chopped zucchini—add them when you cook the onion. I wouldn’t add ALL of these veggies, though, as there isn’t enough gravy for it all. Stick to 2 cups of veggies + 1 potato or less. (Onion doesn’t count.)
- Seasonings: Taste and season this pot pie however you like! Try adding fresh chopped parsley, rosemary, or sage. As long as there is thyme, salt, and pepper, the extra seasoning in the pot pie is up to you.
Craving a biscuit variation? This biscuit vegetable pot pie isn’t your typical classic pot pie recipe, but it’s quicker and easier.
Print
Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This double crust chicken pot pie is perfect when you’re looking for cold weather comfort food. Check out the step-by-step photos above, as well as my Notes at the end of this recipe.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust or All Butter Pie Crust (both recipes make 2 crusts, 1 for bottom and 1 for top)
- 1 pound (450g) skinless boneless chicken breast or thighs, cubed
- 1 cup (about 130g) sliced carrots (about 2 carrots)
- 1/2 cup (about 40g) sliced celery
- 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp; 71g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (45g) chopped yellow onion (1/2 of a small onion)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) chicken broth/stock (I recommend reduced sodium)
- 2/3 cup (160ml) half-and-half*
- 1 cup (125g) frozen peas
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare either pie crust recipe through step 5, including chilling for at least 2 hours. I usually make the crust the night before. The pie crust recipe makes 2 crusts and you’ll be using both crusts.
- In a large pot, combine chicken, carrots, and celery. Add enough water to cover the chicken and vegetables, then place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then allow to boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the butter, onions, and garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook until the onions are translucent and the butter is lightly browning. Whisk in the flour, salt, black pepper, thyme, chicken broth, and half-and-half. Cook and whisk until no flour lumps remain, then simmer over medium-low heat until thick. I simmer mine for 10 minutes. You want it to be a very thick gravy; simmer longer if necessary. Taste and add more seasonings if you prefer. Sometimes I add more thyme. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- After the pie dough has chilled: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish that’s 1.5–2 inches deep. Tuck the dough in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. With a small sharp knife or kitchen shears, trim the extra overhang of dough and discard.
- Spoon the chicken and vegetable mixture into the crust. Scatter the frozen peas on top. Pour/spread the gravy evenly over top.
- Roll out second half of pie crust dough just as you did the first. Cover the pie with the second crust and trim the extra overhang off the sides. Crimp the pie crust with a fork to seal the edges. With a small sharp knife, slice a few small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Using a pastry brush, brush crust and edges with egg wash.
- Bake for 32–38 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown. After 20 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. (See this post on the best pie baking tools for instructions on how to make a pie crust shield out of foil.)
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes amazing leftovers—the filling is so thick on the next day! Reheat as desired. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Filling and gravy can be prepared 1 day in advance, cover and chill in the refrigerator. Assemble, fill, and bake the next day as directed. The pie crust dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. The unbaked OR baked pot pie freezes well for up to 2–3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed (if unbaked); or (if baked before frozen) bake, covered with foil, at 375°F (191°C), until warmed through.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Whisk | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pastry Brush | Pie Crust Shield
- Pie Crust: Two 9-inch refrigerated or frozen (and then thawed) store-bought pie crusts are just fine instead of homemade.
- Can I skip the bottom pie crust? Yes, absolutely. Skip adding the bottom pie dough to the pie dish and when the gravy is done and comes off heat, mix it with the chicken/carrot mixture, and then spoon into ungreased pie dish. I recommend lowering the oven temperature to 375°F (191°C) because there is just 1 crust to bake. Bake time is 35–40 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown. See my turkey pot pie recipe instructions if you’d like.
- Can I use a puff pastry topping instead? You can use thawed store-bought puff pastry instead of a top pie crust (keep the bottom pie crust or skip it). However, keep in mind that the underside of the dough (that touches the filling) usually ends up tasting soggy.
- Can I use a biscuit topping instead? Biscuits are a great alternative to pie crust for a pot pie. You can skip the bottom pie crust and use the biscuit topping from this biscuit vegetable pot pie.
- Half-and-half: You can use half heavy cream and half whole milk instead, or use all whole milk. I wouldn’t use lower-fat milks; the gravy will be too thin.
- Filling Variations: This is a wonderful recipe if you have extra meat or leftover veggies to use up. Turkey works wonderfully instead of chicken. You can use pre-cooked meat. Simply skip the boiling step and cook the carrots and celery with the onion and butter. Try adding some corn (frozen or fresh) when you add the peas. Feel free to add 1 diced Yukon gold potato. Cook the diced potato with the onion and butter, until fork-tender. Mushrooms or chopped zucchini are great too; you can add 1 cup sliced mushrooms when you cook the onion and butter. I wouldn’t add ALL of these veggies, though, as there isn’t enough gravy for it all. I don’t recommend using more than 2 cups of veggies + 1 potato. (Onion doesn’t count!)
- Herbs: Feel free to add fresh chopped parsley, rosemary, or sage; or try adding a pinch of celery seed. As long as there’s thyme, salt, and pepper, the extra seasoning in the pot pie is up to you. Taste and season how you like.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Awesome recipe easy to follow. Everyone loved it. Thanks
This is just plain good, a little work and time but oh so worth it… always a big hit
nade this a couple weeks ago. it was fantastic. Going to make it again today but using turkey and homemade turkey stock. making a nice crusty bread to go with it.
This dish was a success for Thanksgiving!!! And now I plant to make it for my pescatarian daughter. Can I use salmon and / or shrimps instead of chicken? I love all your recipes – amateur bakers like me become confident!
Hi Marvin! We’re sure you could, though we wonder how the texture of shrimp or salmon would hold up here. We would love to hear how it goes if you try. Or, you could always make a vegetarian dish by leaving the chicken out and adding more veggies (mushrooms would add great flavor).
I love this recipe a lot! I leave out celery, thyme and rosemary. Use better than bouillon with water instead of broth. I also make it with beef stew at times and we gone loves it!
Great recipe!
The butter pie crust is absolutely wonderful! My own mother would be impressed if she was still here. She made lard based crusts and they were good, but……forgive me, Ma, this butter crust is like a pastry! It’s my new go to. I will never settle for a bought crust again.
Made this tonight with the “Homemade Pie Crust” recipe. Followed almost exactly – only change was adding some Italian seasoning and garlic powder to the water that I boiled the chicken and veg in. This will be going in my regular rotation, and I’ll probably start using this pie dough recipe instead of my normal go-to. Thanks!
Best pie I’ve ever eaten! Highly recommend this recipe as well as the pie crust recipe. I just wonder why the filling and the gravy arent mixed together before adding them to the pie plate to make sure that every bit isn’t dry?
Hi Briana! See the post above where Sally goes into detail about the method behind this recipe. This helps prevent the bottom crust from getting soggy. So glad you loved it!
I almost never leave comments on sites, but I used your recipe to make my first ever pie crust AND my first ever (turkey) pot pie, and the entire family LOVED it. I definitely made some errors along the way, but truly – it turned out so great. Flaky and delicious, just like we wanted.
I was checking out this lovely looking recipe and I kept getting these annoying pop-ups asking me to sign up and create an account I’m not ready to do that yet.. is there any way that these pop-ups can be stopped?..thanks
Hi Debbie, I don’t allow pop ups on my website. If you are trying to SAVE the recipe, a pop up will come up asking you to sign in so you can save it. Try refreshing the page and see if that helps clears it! Sorry for any trouble.
you can get a pop up blocker for your device. jusy google it. there are many.
Honestly, this recipe is perfect. I used shredded chicken breasts I had already cooked , carrots, kohlrabi, celery, and onion. All stuff I just had to use up! It tasted amazing and was super easy to follow, though I did cook mine for more like 45 minutes to get the crust all done.
Hi! I plan on making this recipe but using the biscuit topping suggested in note #6. Would I need to adjust the time and/or temperature for this?
Hi Tanya! We would follow the baking instruction from the biscuit pot pie recipe. Enjoy!
Hi! Would it be possible to substitute Half and Half for Heavy Cream?
I made this last night with cubed pre-cooked rotisserie chicken instead of poaching fresh chicken, and I was confused as to when I was supposed to add the pre-cooked chicken to the recipe. In reading the recipe, it states to first layer the chicken on the bottom crust so that is what I did, then the gravy recipe with cooked vegetables and then peas. My pot pie came out very dry. Was I supposed to add the cut up pre-cooked chicken to the gravy mixture with the cooked vegetables and simmer it on the stove? I was afraid of making the bottom crust soggy so I followed the instructions as I understood them but obviously something went wrong. My husband does not like vegetables in it so I only used one-half cup of carrots, one-half cup of celery, a cup of sliced mushrooms and one-half cup of frozen peas. Your instructions say do not use more than 2 cups of vegetables plus one potato & the onion does not count. Do the peas count as part of the 2 cups of vegetables? Counting the peas, I had a total of 2.5 cups of vegetables. I baked the pie for a total of 38 minutes because it was not done or golden at 32 minutes. Also, if using pre-cooked meat, would it be better to reduce the oven temperature to 375 or 400 degrees so it would not be so dry? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I would love to make this again as the flavor was very good, but it was just so dry and had no moisture. Thank You.
Hi Debbie! Sounds like you assembled the pot pie correctly. The peas do count towards the total veggie volume, so try less veggies next time. If the creamy sauce was too thick/dry, it could have been cooked a little too long, as well. Try a slightly lower heat next time. So glad you enjoyed the flavor!
Literally the best thing I’ve ever made. I used Sally’s pie crust recipe and it was so buttery and flaky. The sauce inside the pie was so delicious. This got rave reviews from my family and was a lot easier to make than I had anticipated. 10/10!!
I’ve always been intimidated by pastry of any kind and I’ve avoided it but after watching way too much Great British Bake Off I wanted to give it a try. I found this recipe and I decided to give it a go. I watched the pie crust video before beginning and Sally made it seem so easy; nothing to be afraid of at all and I’m so glad I tried it because this pie is delicious! I made the dough the night before which was very handy. I did find that I needed to cook the pie for almost an hour as opposed to 40 minutes; perhaps adding the tinfoil made it take longer. I will definitely make this again. It will make a great freezer meal and I’m looking forward to improving my pastry skills. Thank you, Sally!
Perfect in every way! I made this yesterday for my family and they couldn’t get enough of it! Even my granddaughters who are picky had seconds and thirds! I added extra seasonings to it which made it even better. I did use store bought pie crust and I’m glad I did. It makes it so easy to put together. Thank you for another great recipe!
Hi, I am trying this tomorrow. I have done alot of your recipes, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to try. Just one question: does the bottom crust need to be pre-baked before adding in the inside mixture?
Hi Cassandra, we don’t usually blind bake the bottom pie crust but you can certainly try it. We fear the top pie crust won’t adhere very nicely to the partially baked bottom crust. Hope you enjoy it!
I’m making this recipe today to try tomorrow, testing for freezer meals in the future. You said you don’t recommend ceramic pans as the bottom crust doesn’t crisp properly. Would it work to parbake the bottom crust and then continue with the recipe?
Hi RJW, while you could give that a try, it is tricky to adhere a top crust to par baked bottom crust.
I enjoyed making this recipe so much…such a change from throwing a chicken pot pie together using canned soup. My brother taster & I both loved it! Making it was so satisfying that when I went to bed last night I moved through the steps in my mind. I did use rotisserie chicken and a frozen pie crust but it was golden and beautiful just like the picture
Can you make this pie but use your vegetarian filling? I’d rather a pie than the one with biscuit top. Thank you so much.
Hi Cassie, you can make this pot pie vegetarian by adding your favorite veggies or potatoes instead of chicken. Let us know how it goes!
This recipe turned out perfectly! I used homemade turkey broth – it added an extra dimension to the flavours. Wonderful meal for our family.
Made just the filling and served over brown rice…delicious
I keep kosher but would love to try to make this pie Can’t mix meat with dairy. What substitutes can I use for the cream and butter ? Thanks
Hi Rick! It would be hard to substitute dairy in this recipe, especially in the crust. Perhaps instead you could make the filling without meat by adding your favorite veggies or potatoes instead of chicken. Let us know how it goes!
Delicious!!! My new favorite pot pie.
This turned out great! I added a touch of rosemary and sage to the gravy mix; one thing I might do differently next time is reduce the gravy for less time – being at a higher altitude, I think a little more liquid evaporated off than I would ideally want. Would definitely make again!
I completely DISAGREE with Cynthia V,s comment. I made this a month ago. I was hesitant about boiling the chicken/carrot/celery as I am used to baking the chickin and sautéing the carrots/celery. Before I boiled them, I checked again the 192 4.9 stars. So, I followed the recipe. This turn out AMAZING! It was thick, flavorful and didn’t fall apart when slicing the pie. Try this, I think it will be your go to.
This recipe is killer. I still think about this chicken pot pie like once a month.
I was lazy and used a rotisserie chicken from the store and shredded it for the recipe and it came out perfectly.
I used refrigerated pie shells. Turned out to be very delishious. Thanks
I made this because I could not find the link to my normal pot pie recipe and it was not even comparable. This is an okay recipe but the sauce is pretty bland and makes the entire pot pie feel mushy while you are eating it. Also boiling the chicken, carrots, and celery definitely strips the pot pie of a lot of necessary flavors needed in a classic CHICKEN pot pie. This recipe makes you do a whole lot of unnecessary extra work that adds absolutely no benefit and ultimately takes away the best flavors of the classic dish. If you are reading this then you should 100% check out other pot pie recipes before making this one. It’s alright and it is edible but there is much better recipes out there.
I’m sitting in my car waiting for my friend and fantasizing about this recipe. I’ve made it once and can hardly wait to be eating this.
Thank You so much for sharing! I need recipes and have relied on yours a few times.
Amazing recipe! If you go by the grams listed, this recipe fills (4) 4″ springform pans. It was a picture perfect presentation and the flavor was so good to