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This chicken pot pie recipe is the perfect comfort food for everyday dinner meals, and it comes together as an easy one-pot recipe that makes everyone feel good, mostly on cool and rainy days. This homemade chicken pot pie, also known as chicken casserole pie, is creamy, full of flavors and textures, and pleases kids and adults alike. The creamy sauce, made with butter, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, peas, chicken, chicken stock, and milk or cream, with the aroma of fresh or dried thyme and parsley, is the perfect filling for a great chicken pot pie with biscuits.
Quick Breakdown
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pot Pie
- One-Pot Convenience. Everything cooks in a single cast-iron pan, casserole pot, or baking dish, from sautéing the vegetables to baking the biscuit topping.
- Creamy, Flavorful Filling. Butter, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and peas simmer with chicken, stock, and milk or cream, seasoned with fresh thyme and parsley, for a rich sauce.
- Make-Ahead Friendly. The filling can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 2 days, then topped with biscuits and baked when you are ready.
- Golden Biscuit Topping. Buttermilk flaky biscuits, brushed with egg wash, bake on top of the filling until golden brown and crusty.
- Flexible Ingredients. The recipe allows leftover turkey instead of chicken, frozen or canned peas instead of fresh, lemon juice instead of white wine, and homemade biscuits instead of canned.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken. Use shredded pre-cooked chicken breast or thighs for this recipe, whether that is leftover, freshly roasted, or rotisserie chicken. Leftover turkey works perfectly in place of the chicken too, so it is a good way to use up extra turkey.
- Butter and aromatics. Unsalted butter, minced garlic clove, chopped onion, carrots, and celery stalks build the base of the sauce and get sauteed until tender and lightly golden.
- White wine or lemon juice. A splash of white wine adds flavor as it sizzles into the aromatics, though lemon juice works just as well if you prefer to skip the wine.
- Green peas. Fresh, frozen, or canned green peas all work fine in the filling, so use whichever type you already have on hand.
- Flour. Flour thickens the sauce once it is sprinkled over the vegetables and mixed until bubbly, giving the filling its creamy, scoopable texture.
- Stock and milk or cream. Chicken or vegetable stock combines with milk or half-and-half cream to create the rich, creamy sauce that coats the chicken and vegetables.
- Fresh thyme and parsley. Fresh thyme leaves go into the sauce while it simmers, and chopped parsley is stirred in near the end for a fresh, herby finish.
- Biscuits and egg wash. A can of buttermilk flaky biscuits or 8 homemade biscuits top the filling before baking, and an egg yolk mixed with water brushed over the tops helps them turn golden brown and crusty.
How To Make Chicken Pot Pie
STEP 1: For a one-pot meal, choose a medium cast-iron pan, casserole pot, or baking dish.
STEP 2: Heat butter, garlic, onion, carrot, and celery, sprinkle salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add wine and let sizzle. Mix peas sprinkle with flour and mix until bubbly and thickened.
STEP 3: Add chicken, thyme, stock, and milk and, stirring all time, let the sauce boil for 5 minutes, until thickened and flavorful. Season again with salt, pepper, mix chopped parsley. You can have it all prepared in the fridge for up to 2 days.
STEP 4: Preheat oven to 350ºF/medium/180ºC for about 10 minutes.
STEP 5: Just before baking, top filling with biscuits and brush with egg wash. Pop in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown and crusty.
A soft silicone pastry brush spreads the egg wash thinly over every biscuit, so the tops brown evenly instead of in patches.
Tips for the Best Chicken Pot Pie
- Choose the Right Cookware. Use a medium cast-iron pan, casserole pot, or baking dish so the filling and biscuit topping can go straight from stove to oven in the same vessel.
- Preheat Before Baking. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) for about 10 minutes before the biscuits go on, so the pot pie bakes evenly from the start.
- Watch the Bake Time. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the biscuits turn golden brown and crusty on top.
- Add Biscuits Last. Top the filling with biscuits and brush with egg wash only just before baking, not earlier, to keep the topping from becoming soggy.
- Simmer the Sauce Fully. Let the sauce boil for about 5 minutes while stirring, until it is thickened and flavorful, before adding the biscuit topping. The same approach works for our Popcorn Chicken.
Common Chicken Pot Pie Mistakes to Avoid
- Topping the filling too early. Adding the biscuits and egg wash before the filling has cooled or before you are ready to bake makes the topping turn soggy instead of crusty. Top the filling just before the pan goes into the oven.
- Skipping the preheat. Putting the pan into a cold oven means the biscuits bake unevenly. Give the oven the full 10 minutes at 350ºF to heat up first.
- Undercooking the sauce. If the sauce does not boil for the full 5 minutes while you stir, it stays thin and runny instead of thickened. Keep stirring until it is thick and flavorful before adding the chicken and topping.
- Using the wrong cookware. A pan that cannot go from stovetop to oven forces you to transfer the filling and dirty extra dishes. Stick to a cast-iron pan, casserole pot, or baking dish that handles both jobs.
- Pulling the biscuits too soon. Biscuits that look pale on top are usually not done yet, even at the 25-minute mark. Leave them in a little longer until they are golden brown and crusty all over.
How To Tell When Chicken Pot Pie Is Done
The easiest way to check this chicken pot pie is to look at the biscuits on top, since they bake right on the filling and get brushed with egg wash before going into the oven. Give them the full 25 minutes at 350ºF and watch for that deep golden brown color across the tops, with a crusty texture when you tap them lightly.
The filling itself is already cooked through before it ever reaches the oven, since the chicken is shredded and pre-cooked and the sauce is simmered until thickened, so the bake time is really about the biscuits. If the tops look pale, give the pan a few more minutes and check again, since ovens vary and a shallower dish may bake faster than a deeper cast-iron pan or casserole pot.
Once the biscuits are golden and crusty and the filling is bubbling gently at the edges, pull the pan out and let it rest for a few minutes before serving, so the sauce sets slightly and is easier to portion.
Make It Ahead
This chicken pot pie filling is a good one to get ahead of, since you can make it up to 2 days before you plan to bake it. Cook the sauce with the chicken, vegetables, thyme, and stock as directed, let it cool, and keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to finish the dish.
When you are ready to bake, skip straight to topping the cold filling with the biscuits and brushing them with the egg wash. Pop the pan in a preheated 350ºF oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and crusty on top, just as the recipe describes.
Storing Chicken Pot Pie
- Refrigerate leftovers. Cool the pie, then cover it tightly and keep it in the fridge, using it up within 3 to 4 days, according to the UC Master Food Preserver Program of Orange County.
- Freeze for later. Cooked casseroles and combination dishes like this one can go in the freezer and hold well for 4 to 5 weeks, so portion it out before freezing if that is easier for you, according to the ucanr.edu.
Variations and Substitutions
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut. Using rotisserie chicken instead of baking your own breast or thighs speeds up prep and minimizes active cooking, which makes this a solid choice for weeknight meals.
- Leftover turkey swap. Leftover turkey works in place of the shredded chicken, so this is a handy way to use up extra turkey after a holiday meal.
- Vegetable choices. Chop the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery fresh, or use frozen vegetables for the filling instead, whichever is easier to have on hand.
- Pea options. Fresh, frozen, or canned green peas all work in the filling, so use whichever type is already in your kitchen.
- Lemon juice instead of wine. Swap the white wine for lemon juice if you prefer to skip the wine, since either one adds the same bright note to the sauce.
- Homemade biscuits on top. Canned buttermilk flaky biscuits keep this quick, but homemade biscuits make a nice topping if you have the time to bake your own; for another one-pot chicken dinner, try this Coconut Chicken Curry.
What to Serve with It
This homemade chicken pot pie with biscuits already brings the protein, vegetables, and a starchy crust together in one dish, so it does not need anything extra on the plate to feel complete. The filling and the biscuits on top cover the whole meal by themselves, baked in that same cast-iron pan, casserole pot, or baking dish you used for the whole recipe.
If you still want something on the side, keep it light, since the sauce is already rich and filling. For a lighter starter before serving, ladle out a bowl of Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, or save extra broth for the next batch using this Instant Pot Chicken Stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Making It
Where did chicken pot pie originate?
What it does offer is a creamy chicken and vegetable filling with a golden biscuit topping baked on top.
Can I make chicken pot pie in advance?
Yes, cook the filling with the chicken, vegetables, thyme, and stock as directed, then cool it and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you are ready to bake, top the cold filling with the biscuits, brush with egg wash, and bake as directed.
Storage and Leftovers
Can I freeze this dish?
The recipe’s make-ahead step covers keeping the filling refrigerated for up to 2 days before it gets topped and baked, not freezing it, so plan to bake within that window.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 tbsp white wine or lemon juice
- 1 ½ cup fresh frozen, or canned green peas
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 cups shredded pre-cooked baked, or rotisserie chicken breast or tights
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups milk or half-and-half cream
- 4 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 can 18 oz buttermilk flaky biscuit or 8 homemade biscuits
- 1 egg yolk and 1tsp water for egg wash
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1 – For a one-pot meal, choose a medium cast-iron pan, casserole pot, or baking dish.
- 2 - Heat butter, garlic, onion, carrot, and celery, sprinkle salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add wine and let sizzle. Mix peas sprinkle with flour and mix until bubbly and thickened.
- 3 - Add chicken, thyme, stock, and milk and, stirring all time, let the sauce boil for 5 minutes, until thickened and flavorful. Season again with salt, pepper, mix chopped parsley. You can have it all prepared in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- 4 – Preheat oven to 350ºF/medium/180ºC for about 10 minutes.
- 5 - Just before baking, top filling with biscuits and brush with egg wash. Pop in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown and crusty.
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