Chicken Pot Pie
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Take your comfort food to the next level with individual chicken pot pies. Made with rotisserie chicken and store-bought puff pastry, they’re as simple to make as they are delicious.
There’s something so comforting about chicken pot pie—the flaky crust, creamy sauce, and hearty filling make it the perfect all-in-one meal. But between the chicken, the sauce, and the crust, a traditional chicken pot pie recipe can easily take up an entire day in the kitchen! For this version, I’ve streamlined the process without sacrificing flavor. Rotisserie chicken for the filling and good-quality store-bought puff pastry for the crust are game-changing shortcuts. I also tackled the usual problem with chicken pot pies: the bland, goopy white sauce. Thinning the sauce to a chowder-like consistency and adding a splash of Cognac bring these pot pies to the next level.
“Made this over the weekend and the family said it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Pot Pie
- Frozen puff pastry: Provides the flaky, buttery topping. I recommend Dufour all-butter puff pastry if you can find it (it’s sold at Whole Foods), but Pepperidge Farm, which is readily available in the freezer section of most supermarkets, is very good too.
- Butter: For sautéing the vegetables and enriching the filling.
- Onion and garlic: These aromatics form the flavor foundation for the filling.
- Celery, pearl onions, carrots, and peas: These vegetables add texture, flavor, and nutrition to the filling.
- All-purpose flour: Thickens the sauce; also used for rolling the pastry.
- Chicken broth: Creates the savory base of the filling.
- Cognac: Enhances depth of flavor.
- Heavy cream: Contributes to the creamy texture of the filling.
- Fresh thyme: Provides aromatic herbal notes.
- Shredded cooked chicken: The main protein component; feel free to use leftover or rotisserie chicken.
- Egg: Beaten for an egg wash to give the pastry a golden finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and place the puff pastry over top.
Sprinkle the pastry with flour and roll to about 1/8-inch thick, smoothing the creases with the rolling pin at the same time. Using a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a pizza cutter, cut out 4 circles about 2 inches larger than the circumference of your soup bowls. Place the dough rounds on a foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
Next, make the filling. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter, Add the yellow onion, garlic, celery, pearl onions, and carrots.
Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the carrots are just cooked.
Add the flour.
Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.
Add the broth, cognac, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour.
Simmer until thickened, a few minutes. Off the heat, stir in the heavy cream, herbs, chicken, and frozen peas.
Ladle the filling into oven-safe ramekins or soup bowls (be sure they are oven proof up to 425°F). The filling should come up no more than three-quarters of the way to the top of the bowls. If you have extra, make another bowl.
Brush the outside edges of each bowl with an egg wash.
Place the cold dough rounds over the soup bowls, pressing firmly around the edges so that the dough adheres, and then brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. Using a sharp knife, make a ½-inch slit in the top of each pie. At this point, the assembled pot pies can be refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for longer storage.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is a rich golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer the hot ramekins to serving plates. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme sprigs over top of the bowls and serve.
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Video Tutorial
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 packages frozen puff pastry, best quality such as Dufour or Pepperidge Farm, thawed (see note)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions (no need to defrost)
- 3 carrots, sliced into ¼-in (6-mm) rounds
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the pastry
- 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup Cognac or brandy (okay to replace with more chicken broth if avoiding alcohol)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or a combination of thyme, rosemary and sage), plus a few thyme sprigs for serving
- 3 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken, from 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and place the puff pastry over top. Sprinkle the pastry with flour and roll to about ⅛-in (3-mm) thick, smoothing the creases with the rolling pin at the same time. (Depending on the brand of puff pastry you buy, you may not need to roll it out that much.) Using a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a pizza cutter, cut out 4 circles about 2 in (5 cm) larger than the diameter of your soup bowls. (Alternatively, cut out 6 circles if making smaller portions.) Place the dough rounds on the foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set an oven rack to the center position.
- To make the filling: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the yellow onion, garlic, celery, pearl onions, and carrots. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Add the broth, cognac, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom and corners of the pan to incorporate the flour. Simmer until thickened, a few minutes. Off the heat, stir in the heavy cream, thyme, chicken, and peas. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (Note that the broth will taste a little boozy at this point. That's okay - the cognac will cook off in the oven.)
- Ladle the filling into 4 large or 6 small oven-safe soup bowls. The filling should come up no more than three-quarters of the way to the top of the bowls. Do not overfill.
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
- Remove the pastry rounds from the refrigerator. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash.
- Place the cold dough rounds over the bowls, pressing firmly around the edges so that the dough adheres. Transfer the bowls to the foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Using a sharp knife, make a ½-in (13-mm) slit in the top of each pie. Place the bowls on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is a rich golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then use a wide spatula to carefully transfer the hot bowls to serving plates. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme sprigs over top of the bowls and serve.
Notes
- For this recipe, you'll need 4 to 6 oven-safe (to 425°F/220°C) soup bowls. For larger portions, use bowls with an 18 to 20-oz (532 to 590-ml) capacity; for smaller portions, use bowls with a 12 to 14-oz (355 to 415-ml) capacity.
- If making 4 servings, one (14-oz/397-g) package of puff pastry will suffice. However, if making 6 servings, you'll need another package.
- Nutritional information calculated using 1 package of puff pastry and 3½ cups (455 g) of chicken.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The pies may be assembled and refrigerated up to a day ahead of time. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash before baking.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This was absolutely wonderful and easy to make. I left out the cognac because kids were eating it too. But I would love to make it for an elegant dinner party with lobster (and cognac). Can I use this recipe and sub lobster tails for chicken? I loved that I could make it ahead.
All of your recipes are totally fool proof and delicious. Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed this! I’ve never tried this with lobster but I think it should work. 🙂
I really want to make this recipe, but don’t want to buy new ramekins. I have the the perfect vessel for them but they are only oven safe to 350. Can I increase the cooking time to make it work? Susan
Sure, Susan, I think it should work. It will take longer in the oven and the puff pastry may not rise as much but it will still be good. Please LMK how they turn out!
Can I make this with coconut milk in place of the heavy cream? We don’t do much dairy here. Can’t wait to try this.
It may have a slightly different flavor, but yes, it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Can you make these pot pies in 12 oz. Pie pans? If so, would the baking temperature and time be the same as the recipe! Thank you!
Sure, Linda, that should work with no modifications. Enjoy!
Great recipe! Everyone loved it! The only complaint was that the puff pastry really stuck to the sides and was very hard to get off. Do you know how to solve that?
Hi Kimberley, Unfortunately, there’s no solution for that; the only option would be to bake the puff pastry tops separately and then place them on top before serving.
This is a great recipe . I tried it the other day . Easy to follow and the end result tasted like something I would order from an english pub menu and wash down with a pint of beer . I would definitely make this again .
Comfort food at it’s best! A family favorite. I prefer Dufour (Whole Foods has this) and love the recipe as written. I make it in a soufflé dish versus ramekins but wonder if you could double and bake in a 9X12 or 10X13 for company. Not quite the presentation of ramekins but delicious. Thank you Jenn!
It was really good but very heavy on the onion. This is the second recipe of yours we have tried in three days! We will definitely check out a few more.
I used leeks. About the same amount as the celery and carrots. It was great!!
Hi Jenn,
I would like to make this tonight I never realized I don’t have pearl onions. What can I substitute or any suggestions? Can I use the French onion bowl for this? My ramekins too small.
Thank you.
Hi Rose, This also has a regular yellow onion in it, so feel free to omit the pearl onions. And as long as your bowls are 18 to 20-oz capacity (for larger servings) 12 to 14-oz for smaller portions, french onion soup bowls should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
Is there an alcohol substitute I can use? Or can I just leave it out?
Hi Ava, you can just replace it with more chicken broth. Hope you enjoy!
I made these last night using leftover beef short ribs (another recipe from this site) and substituted chicken broth for beef broth. Made no other adjustments and it turned out great! I’ll also mention I forgot to put the egg wash around the rim of the bowls before pressing down the pastry dough, and they seemed to stick well while cooking, but easily peeled off for eating.