If you’re craving comfort food, homemade chicken pot pie is your answer! This completely from scratch recipe is simple to prepare, features a double crust, and nourishes the soul. For step-by-step photos, scroll to the bottom of this page.
When I’m craving a meal that’s truly comforting, this double crust chicken pot pie recipe hits the spot. It satisfies the soul—and, is surprisingly simple to throw together. We’ll use my favorite homemade pie crust recipe (it’s not just for Thanksgiving pies after all!) for a sturdy crust on the bottom and a golden brown, flaky cloak on top. In between the pie crust layers is a mixture of chicken and veggies topped with a creamy, rich white gravy that is flavored with a little cooked onion, salt, pepper, and thyme. Let’s get started!
This Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Is:
- Satisfying + comforting
- 100% homemade
- Simple to prepare
- Perfect for when you have veggies and meat to use up
- A delicious make-ahead recipe
- Customizable—use your favorite meats and vegetables
Overview: How to Make Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie
For the full recipe and lots of step-by-step photos to walk you through the process, scroll to the bottom of this page.
- Prepare the pie crust and let it chill for at least 2 hours.
- Boil the chicken, carrots, and celery.
- Make the gravy. Cook down the onion with butter and garlic. Whisk in the flour, salt, black pepper, thyme, chicken broth, and half-and-half.
- Divide the pie dough in half. Roll out one half into a 12 inch circle. Carefully place into your pie dish.
- Fill the crust-lined pie dish with the chicken and vegetable mixture. Add the peas, then pour the gravy over the top.
- Roll out the second half of pie dough into a 12 inch circle. Use this pie dough to cover the pie. Seal and crimp the edges, then slice a few small slits in the top crust.
- Brush the top and edges with a beaten egg.
- Bake until golden brown.
Craving a different variation? This biscuit vegetable pot pie isn’t your typical classic pot pie recipe, but it’s quicker and easier. Or for a single crust variation try this turkey pot pie recipe.
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 precooked meat, simply skip the boiling and cook the carrots and celery with the onion and butter.
- Vegetables: Try adding corn (frozen or fresh) when you add the peas. Feel free to add 1 diced Yukon gold potato; cook until soft with the onion and butter. You can also throw in a cup of sliced mushrooms—add them 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. Stick to 2 cups of veggies + 1 potato or less. (Onion doesn’t count!)
- Spices: Taste and season this pot pie how you like! Try adding fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of celery seed, or even a little rosemary (my favorite). As long as there is salt and pepper (definitely thyme too), the extra seasoning in the pot pie is up to you.
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 comfort food and don’t have all the time and energy in the world to whip it up! Make sure you check out the step-by-step photos at the bottom of the page, as well as my notes at the end of this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe homemade pie crust*
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cubed
- 1 cup (about 130g) sliced carrots (about 2 carrots)
- 1/2 cup (about 40g) sliced celery (about 1 stalk)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 and 3/4 cups chicken broth (I recommend reduced sodium)
- 2/3 cup half-and-half*
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 large egg, beaten
- optional: sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust as directed in my pie crust recipe, 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 saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook the butter, onions, and garlic over medium heat, 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 1 half of the chilled pie dough. Turn the pie crust dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. With a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang of dough and discard. Place the chicken mixture on top. Top with frozen peas. Pour gravy over top. Roll out 2nd half of pie crust dough just as you did the first. Cover the pie with the 2nd crust and trim the extra overhang off the sides. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork or your fingers. With a small and sharp knife, slice a few small slits in the top crust for steam to escape. Using a pastry brush, brush crust and edges with beaten egg.
- Bake for 32 – 38 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. I use a pie crust shield to protect the edges from browning too much too soon. Cool for 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 or bake to warm through.
- Pie Crust: Two 9-inch frozen (and then thawed) store-bought pie crusts are just fine instead of homemade. Puff pastry works too.
- Cream: Heavy cream or whole milk works instead of half-and-half to make an extra rich filling. 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 precooked meat. Simply skip the boiling and cook the carrots and celery with the onion and butter. Add some corn (frozen or fresh) when you add the peas. Feel free to add 1 Yukon gold potato, diced. You can cook them until soft with the onion and butter. Mushrooms 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 going over 2 cups of veggies + 1 potato. (Onion doesn’t count!)
- Spices: Feel free to add fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of celery seed, or even a little rosemary. As long as there is salt and pepper (definitely thyme too), the extra seasoning in the pot pie is up to you. Taste and season how you like!
Keywords: chicken pot pie
As directed in the recipe above, place chicken, celery, and carrots into your pot. Fill with water to cover. Boil for 12 minutes.
As directed above, in a skillet or separate pan, cook down the onion with some butter and minced garlic. Whisk in spices, flour, chicken broth, and half-and-half to make a thick white gravy.
As directed above, roll out homemade pie crust to fit into your 9-inch pie dish (a 9-inch square baking pan works too). Fill with the chicken and vegetable mixture, then top with frozen peas. I add the frozen peas at this point because they lose their vibrant green color when cooked with the chicken in the first step.
Top with creamy gravy, then the other rolled out pie crust. Cut holes in the top to release some steam, crimp down the edges, add the egg wash, and bake!
March 1, 2020
WOW!!! This recipe has caused a flavor explosion in my house! I had to expel everyone in the house from the kitchen stealing “tastes” or there wouldn’t be enough to put into the pie shell. This is one delicious recipe. So easy to make and takes me back to my grandmother’s pot pies. I am 68 years old and have made many pot pies but this is heavenly and you are an angel for sharing this. Thank you, Sally!
★★★★★
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit! I wanted to try to make individual size pies to freeze for meals. I wanted to know how long to cook them for if it is a 5 inch pan instead of a 9 inch pan? Also, if I want to take them straight from the freezer and cook them can I do that or do they need to be thawed first? What would I do to cook them straight from the freezer?
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Grace! So glad you enjoyed this pot pie recipe. I’m unsure of the exact time for smaller individual pies, so you’ll have to keep your eye on them. When they’re golden brown around the edges and when some of the filling bubbles up into the slits you made in the top crust, they’re done. You can bake straight from the freezer.
Okay so I am using a frozen deep dish pie crust. Do I need to blind bake the bottom crust first? I am using chicken stock instead of broth because I like the deeper flavor. Can I stir in thawed frozen mixed vegetables instead?
You can use frozen vegetables and a frozen pie crust. You can pre-bake the frozen crust if you’d like, but it’s not necessary.
Just finished making this with a handmade pie crust. The crust I made needed to be chilled for 4 hours or overnight so I let the filling chill overnight also. The filling was UNREAL (I added mushrooms) and the pie came out beautifully but we wont be ready to eat for another couple of hours. How would you reccomend reheating in the oven once its already cooked but not cut? I worry the 425 setting might be a bit high for a reheat.
Hi Matty, Once it’s fully cooked you can reheat on 350 degrees until heated through. Enjoy!
Yummm!!!! The absolute best Chicken pot pie recipe!!!!! I was craving one soo bad and so glad I stumbled on this. My fiancé who never really liked pot pie said he’s been converted to the other side. We just kept saying the whole time “wow with each bite it gets better and better!”. Lol it’s true. This was my first time making chicken pot pie from scratch and it did not disappoint!! We used an 8×8 square casserole dish and used up all the crust (the crust is my favorite part of a pot pie! Lol) and it turned out perfect (after following your homemade crust recipe to a T). The only thing was I like my gravy a bit more runny and I was wondering how I could achieve that next time and if you had any suggestions?! This is just my own preference but otherwise this is going to be my go to recipe forever and ever and will pass down to my daughter (17 months – who also enjoyed every last bite )!!
★★★★★
Is it okay to use salted butter instead? I accidentally purchased it by mistake and wanted to make sure there wasn’t a specific reason you say unsalted.
Hi Miranda, I use unsalted butter because every brand of butter contains a different amount of salt so we never really know how much is going into our recipe. You can use salted butter but you might want to reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe.
This looks delightful. We can’t have dairy in our house. I typically substitute full fat coconut milk. Do you think it would work here? Has anyone tried that? (I might experiment and report back!)
I have not tested this with non-dairy ingredients but let me know if you do!
So, we made this to the recipe, using full fat coconut milk and gluten free flour. It was amazing! If you need to go dairy or gluten free, do not shy away. It works!
Took me forever to make this — I made the crust yesterday and did the rest today, and I also prefer the flavor of sauteed veggies, so it took longer to cook the carrots and celery — but the results: awesome! I tweaked the salt and thyme quantities. Also used about half again as much of the chicken and all of the vegetables for a little extra volume. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I followed your crust instructions scrupulously, and while it wasn’t a thing of superb beauty, it’s the first time I got a nice, flaky crust, and I’ve baked a lot of pies.
★★★★★
I made this tonight with rotisserie chicken and it was amazing! I used a lattice top so it wasn’t Quite so heavy and I used whole milk for the gravy. Everyone loved it and I adore your crust recipe. I always use it. Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
This was by far the most delicious pot pie I have ever had!! I will bookmark this recipe for sure! Big hit in my house! Thank you
★★★★★
This chicken pot pie is the best one ever! The pastry and gravy were delicious! We love this recipe!
★★★★★
Awesome! I have recently been working on pie crust skills and took a class at Sur la Table. I have been wanting to try a chicken pie for a long time. I used the gold potato as recommended and had some parsnip chunks left from the roast chicken to add to the other vegetables. My pie crust has 2 sticks of butter (I used Tillamook extra creamy) instead of the butter/shortening mix. The recipe seemed easy, especially since I had leftover roast chicken. The results were wonderful! I chose your recipe over others based on the success of the salted caramel apple pie. My husband loved it. I will definitely make it again, and use it as a base for other meat pie recipes.
★★★★★
Hi Sally! I’ve made this recipe several times with great success, thanks for sharing. If I wanted to use shredded rotisserie chicken instead, about how many cups do you think I would need?
★★★★★
Hi Rebecca, I’m so happy you enjoy this recipe! You will want about 1 pound of rotisserie chicken. Enjoy!
From now on this will be my go to chicken pot pie recipe! Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
After trying hundreds of pot pie recipes and following this one to a T – THIS IS THE ONE!! Thank you so much! I make these now all the time for pot lucks, friends in need, etc. Today I am making two for a grieving friend — I am gonna bake them and then want to freeze one and have her refrigerate the other. Any directions on reheating a frozen and refrigerated baked pie??
★★★★★
I’m so happy that you found and tried this recipe, Jenna! For the frozen pie, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed (unbaked) or bake to warm through (previously baked).
Made this tonight…it was a big hit. Will be making it again
★★★★★
This is definitely a winner! I have made this many times and each time I have rave reviews. I have a quick question – I always bake mine in a deep 9” Pyrex pie plate but just made one in a beautiful stoneware dish as a gift. Would the baking time be different in the stoneware than in the Pyrex dish? I bake it in Pyrex for 35 minutes. Thanks for your help and Happy New Year!
Rita
★★★★★
Hi Rita! So glad you enjoy this chicken pot pie recipe. The bake time may be slightly longer since the stoneware is likely thicker.
I’ve tried a few different chicken pot pie recipes and tried yours tonight – I don’t need to search anymore! We are in heaven over this! I used store bought pie crust and boiled the veggies and chicken in chicken stock instead of water but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. So so so good!!
★★★★★
Could you make this work using already made frozen pie crust shells?
Absolutely!
Absolutely amazing dish, family love it. Completely from scratch, end result was so worth the effort. I did use a cast iron pan, square in design and requires a little more effort to roll crust out properly to fit. Definitely a keeper in our house. Thank you for posting this recipe.
★★★★★
I have made this recipe maybe a dozen times already and love it every single time! It’s a huge hit for my entire family. I’m making/ freezing this for when our new arrival comes so that we can enjoy it then too. Super easy and it’s even better the next day when it’s had time to really marinate together. Great with leftover turkey meat too!
★★★★★
Hi Sally
If making mini pot pies, would you still bake for the same amount of time? I plan on making them and then freezing. I see in your instructions to thaw overnight but wasn’t sure if baking time would be the same for smaller pies. Also, if freezing, do you omit the egg wash and then add before baking?
Hi April, if making mini pies the bake time would be less (exact time depends on the size of the pie!). You can add the egg wash before or after freezing, I haven’t noticed a difference between doing it either way.
I’ve saved several chicken pot pie recipes over the years and they were good. However, none have been really over the top. Today I tried yours. I used my own tried and true crust and my husband has problems with onions so I subbed fresh chives and made it exactly as written other than that. It was so, so good! Easy to make and perfectly seasoned. Thanks for the recipe. It’s my go-to from now on.
★★★★★
Can this be made as a Vegetable Pot Pie? (No meat). Would it work? And, if yes, still stick to the 2 cups of veggies and one potato?
Thanks!
You can definitely make this vegetarian. I suggest keeping the total amount of filling the same, so just substitute your favorite vegetables for the same amount of chicken, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Enjoy!
I’m not sure why I’ve never commented and commended you on this recipe but anytime someone comes down with something in our house, THIS is our go-to cure! I’ve done a mix of chicken breast and thighs, or only had whole milk instead of half and half, it doesn’t matter! It works EVERY time.
★★★★★
I don’t normally post about recipes, but this has to be said. My husband has been asking me to make him a chicken pot pie for a while now so for tonight’s dinner he got his chicken pot pie. I have made them before but they never turned out good or the crust was terrible so I stopped making them. First off I used your homemade pie crust and it is absolutely the best crust I have ever had. It was easy to make and it turned out flakey and yummy. Second I made the pot pie filling and it came together wonderfully. I didn’t have thyme so I used Italian seasoning and it turned out good. My husband said it was the best he has ever eaten and he loved the crust so much that he couldn’t stop talking about it. Thank you for such a wonderful and very delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Do you ever make extra gravy? Love making this recipe, especially for my parents and my mom loves gravy! I even removed the bottom layer of the pie and just do the top and make it more creamy and she wants more lol. Any suggestions?
The gravy is the best part. 🙂 I recommend keeping the written amounts of onion, carrots, and celery, but increasing the butter, garlic, flour, salt, pepper, thyme, broth and half-and-half. For a lot of extra gravy, double each except for the salt and pepper. That would probably be too much of both. Perhaps keep salt to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons and pepper to 3/4 teaspoon, but you can always prepare the gravy, taste, then add each to suit your tastes.
I made this recipe this past Sunday and it was delicious. The only issue I had was mine was on the dry side because I believe I added too many vegetables & I baked it too long because I was afraid the bottom crust would not be baked through. My question is there a maximum number of cups of vegetables & chicken that you should aim for when making this pot pie so to avoid having to add too much ? I used 1 cup of carrots, 1/2 cup celery, 1 cup frozen peas & 2 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes diced up. Also, I felt layering the ingredients instead of mixing the chicken with the vegetables & gravy contributed to it being on the dry side. If I wanted to mix the ingredients together & then pour into the crust, would that make the crust soggy? Thanks for such a yummy recipe.
Hi Debbie! These are great questions and I’m happy to answer. It sounds like there was simply too much “stuff” for this amount of gravy. It’s an easy fix for next time and I don’t recommend going over 2 cups of veggies + 1 potato. (In fact, I just added this to the notes so others can have the answer if they are wondering as well.) Mixing all of the ingredients together shouldn’t leave you with a soggy crust.
Thank you for this recipe. I eyeballed most of it quantity wise, but the ingredients and technique were so helpful. I’ve been wanting to make pot pie for a long time. Being as we’re living in a foreign country where cream is difficult to find, I appreciate that you can use whole milk for this as well. I did splurge and use some of my heavy cream from the big city though. There isn’t chicken stock here, so I cut up 2 small chickens and made stock with the backs, wings, necks, and crop and roasted the other pieces for use in the pot pie. The next day I made the gravy, putting the carrots and potatoes in with the onion and garlic. There isn’t any celery here that we’ve found. I used some of my favorite savory seasonings in moderation, sage, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, and rosemary and salt and pepper of course. There was enough for a 9 inch pie plate and a small patty pan pie. We had guests over, and even though one was vegetarian and didn’t eat any, we only had one piece left. It was delicious. Even the littles asked for seconds. This will be my “go to” pot pie recipe from here on out. I have bookmarked it.
Do you think this could be made as a vegetable pot pie only by substituting vegetable broth and using mushrooms or another umami ingredient instead of the chicken? Would any other changes be needed?
I’m so happy that you were able to make this work for you, Merindy, and that it was such a hit! You can definitely make the filling vegetarian using your favorite vegetables!
This has been on my baking “to do” list for a while but never having made my own pie crust, I kept putting it off. Until tonight! The pie crust was fairly easy to make but it ripped on my first try to put it in the pie dish so I just rolled it in a ball and stuck it in the freezer and tried again. Much better! This recipe is absolutely delicious and the crust came out perfectly flaky and no soggy bottom! It’s my son’s favorite and he just had a second helping and you cannot get a better compliment than that! I will keep practicing that crust. Thanks Sally!