Chicken Pot Pie
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Store-bought rotisserie chicken and puff pastry make these individual chicken pot pies easy to prepare.
Between the chicken, the sauce, and the crust, you could spend an entire day in the kitchen making traditional chicken pot pie. For this version, my goal was to come up with an easy recipe that didn’t sacrifice flavor. After many trials, I found that using a rotisserie chicken for the filling and a good quality store-bought puff pastry for the crust were both excellent shortcuts. With that settled, I moved on to tackle the problem with most chicken pot pies: the bland, goopy white sauce. I thinned the sauce to a chowder-like consistency. I also borrowed an ingredient from my favorite turkey gravy – Cognac – and it added that je ne sais quoi that makes these chicken pot pies next-level delicious.
What you’ll need to make chicken pot pie
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.
How to make chicken pot pie
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 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. 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 ramekins to serving plates. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme sprigs over top of the bowls and serve.
For this recipe, you’ll need oven-safe (up to 425°F) soup bowls. To make four servings, use bowls with an 18 to 20-oz capacity. To make six servings, use bowls with a 12 to 14-oz capacity.
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Chicken Pot Pie
Store-bought rotisserie chicken and puff pastry make these individual chicken pot pies easy to prepare.
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-inch rounds
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the pastry
- 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ 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 thyme, rosemary and sage), plus a few thyme springs for serving
- 3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken, from 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- NOTE: For this recipe, you'll need 4 to 6 oven-safe (to 425°F) soup bowls. For larger portions, use bowls with an 18 to 20-oz capacity; for smaller portions, use bowls with a 12 to 14-oz capacity. If making 4 servings, one (14-oz) package of puff pastry will suffice. However, if making 6 servings, you'll need another package.
- 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-inch 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 inches 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 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-inch 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.
- MAKE AHEAD: 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.
- Note: Nutritional information calculated using 1 package of puff pastry and 3 ½ cups of chicken.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (5 servings)
- Calories: 747
- Fat: 45 g
- Saturated fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 678 mg
- Cholesterol: 163 mg
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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Hi Jenn,
I’ve got some chicken tenders in the freezer that I’d like to use for this. How would you suggest cooking them before adding them to the pie mix?
Jim
Hi Jim, You could either poach or bake them. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn!
I’ve never seen frozen pearl onions here. I’ve only seen them pickled in jars. Would those work? Or would they be too acidic?
Any other substitutes you can recommend?
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Helen, I think you could get away with using the jarred version, but I’d rinse them before incorporting into the recipe. Alternatively, you can omit them or substitute another vegetable – more carrots or peas would be easiest but anything likecorn, cut green beans, etc.would work. If the vegetables are already cooked, add them with the peas. Please LMK how it turns out!
Thank you so much for the tips, Jenn!
If I find the jarred onions, I’d like to give them a try (I love them even as a snack! Hahaha!). If not, I’ll add more veggies. I’ll keep you posted 😀
Hello again!
Almost a year later, I finally got to try these out. It’s hard to work with pastry during hotter, more humid months here in the tropics 😅
I found the jarred onions, and I rinsed them as suggested. But I have to report that their acidity disrupts the harmony of the filling. I think I’ll try substituting them with mushrooms next time.
But the recipe is great! Thank you for yet another winner! 🙂
Glad it came out well, but good to know about the jarred onions. I’m sure other people will appreciate that info!
Hello again!
Almost a year later, I finally got to try these out. It’s hard to work with pastry during hotter, more humid months here in the tropics 😅
I found the jarred onions, and I rinsed them as suggested. But I have to report that their acidity disrupts the I harmony of the filling. I think I’ll try substituting them with mushrooms next time.
But the recipe is great! Thank you for yet another winner! 🙂
Hi Helen, Glad to hear it came out nicely. Good to know that the jarred onions added an acidic flavor; I’m sure other readers will find that helpful!
Just letting you know that my book club was thrilled with the shrimp version of the pot pie recipe! I substituted fresh shrimp and crabmeat for the chicken, made stock with the shrimp shells, and followed your recipe for the rest of the preparation. I cooked the shrimp briefly since the pies were going to be baked after adding the pastry. I couldn’t find pearl onions so I added extra chopped yellow onions and a two small cubed sweet potato just because I thought it would be tasty and pretty. I doubled the recipe, spooned 10 large ramekins with the cooled filling, covered them tightly, and froze them. I defrosted the pot pies in the refrigerator the day before I served them and them proceeded with the rest of the recipe. Next time, I will add a bit of flour to the filling to make it a bit thicker, but it was truly delicious and a big hit with my friends. I served a grapefruit, beet, and feta salad over mixed greens with the pot pie along with your chocolate truffles and a raspberry almond kringle for dessert. It was both beautiful and delicious!
Glad the pot pies were a hit — sounds like a delicious meal!
I made this and it was stunning. I just made it in a Staub cast iron pan instead of individual ramekins. Amazing amazing.
I always follow your recipes just as written the first time since you are the expert. However, this time, I did reduce the amount of chopped onions because it seemed like an awful lot of onions especially since you also called for pearl onions in addition to an entire medium chopped onion. While this recipe was tasty, I still found it to be overwhelmed with onions even though I reduced them. I would omit the pearl onions entirely next time, reduce the chopped onions even further and add in diced potatoes because chicken pot pie needs potatoes (to me anyway 🙂 I loved the idea of the puff pastry crust as opposed to a regular pie crust and will definitely make this again … just using less onions.
I should have commented a while ago. I’ve been using this recipe exactly as written for quite a bit. Such a huge hit whether I’m entertaining or a simple family dinner. Thank you so much!
Just made the filling and it is truly amazing. The brandy added such a beautiful flavor and it was super easy to make. Thank you so much for this recipe!
This looks like a delicious recipe. However, I am confused as to what size dish/soup bowl/ramekin to buy/use. I see the Williams Sonoma ones, but what size? Thanks,
Dianne
Hi Dianne, For larger portions, use bowls with an 18 to 20-oz capacity; for smaller portions, use bowls with a 12 to 14-oz capacity. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
The recipe was fine but puff pastry will not adhere to dish rim, sinks down to the filling. Maybe better to bake separately and place it on dish before serving if dish bigger than suggested.
You should start your recipe with how much to pre-heat your oven. That would be helpful.
Did you bother to read the recipe before your negative comment? It is clearly stated like everything she does.
Jenn is so amazing on her directions and her generosity and she doesn’t deserve that.
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was delicious! I followed the recipe to a T and ended up with 5 servings in 16 oz ramekins (purchased from Amazon). Forgot to take the puff pastry out to defrost before starting prep but was able to microwave it on a paper towel lined plate for 30 seconds on each side so it was malleable but still chilled. The Dufour brand is delicious—my one regret is not saving the excess trimmings and baking it in the oven for extra biscuits on the side.
These reheat beautifully in the oven uncovered at 250 deg F for about 30 minutes (I poke extra slits in the dough so the heat reaches the inside better). Next time I make these I’ll sprinkle extra flakey sea salt on the crust before baking.
My husband, who has never craved chicken pot pie, said this might be the best thing I’ve ever made and is already asking when I’ll make it again. Thanks Jen!!
This sounds delicious, Jenn, and I would love to make it for a special dinner. I have two questions:
1. Can I double the crust recipe and make a top and bottom crust?
2. Can I assemble the pie in advance on the day of serving it (up to the point of putting it in the oven), refrigerate it, and then put it in the oven when we’re getting hungry? And if so, how long and at what temp should I bake it? Or once its fully assembled, does it need to go in the oven right away?
Thank you for your help. I have had such success with your fabulous recipes!
Hi Elaine, in answer to your questions:
1. I would not recommend doubling the crust and putting it on the bottom. Because it’s puff pastry, it will get soggy.
2. Yes, you can assemble these up to a day in advance and refrigerate. I would bake it at the same temperature; it will just take a few more minutes in the oven.
Hope you enjoy it!
Can I use turkey instead? I am looking for ways to use leftover roasted turkey.
Sure!
Hi I was wondering if I could use Dairy free Elmlea cream as a dairy replacement? Would love to try this recipe!
Hi Abbie, I’m not familiar with it, but it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
I’ve made your delicious chicken pot pie recipe several times. Do you think this recipe could be adapted to a shrimp pot pie by substituting shrimp and crab meat and shrimp stock for the chicken? If so, should I change anything else?
Hi Donna, so glad you like the pot pie! I think it would work with shrimp and crab. I’d use cooked shrimp. (I can’t guarantee that the shrimp won’t come out a little tough as they will cook more in the oven.) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi! I would love to make this recipe tonight, but I was wondering if the cognac or any alcohol ingredient is extremely necessary. I would prefer not to add it. Thanks.
Hi Lina, It’s fine to replace it with more chicken broth. Enjoy!
Can whiskey be used in place of the cognac?
Sure – enjoy!
Absolute perfection!!! No change needed (and I usually doctor up most recipes I find online)!
Thank you 💗
Can you freeze these after preparing?
Hi Laura, I’ve never frozen these baked or unbaked, so I can’t say from experience. One reader shared the following that you may find helpful: I baked the pot pies and after eating one, I froze the other 3 uncovered on a baking sheet. Once frozen, I covered them with heavy duty foil. Took one out of the freezer, defrosted it in the frig the day before cooking, uncovered it, turned the oven to 425 and put it in a cold oven on a foil-lined baking sheet. When the oven hit 425, baked it for 20 minutes. The pastry turned a beautiful mahogany and the pie was delicious! Hope that helps!
Thank you. Very Helpful. My entire family uses your recipes. You’re ‘Our Lady’!
🙂
This turned out wonderful!! I did make the filling the day before as this was for a dinner party and wanted to test it out first. I did add some mushrooms and potatoes other than that I followed it to a T. The only thing is the puffed pastry did come out a little soggy in the middle, maybe a couple more slits in the middle. Also, it was very hard to clean so as suggested in another comment I baked the puffed pastry by itself and just placed it on top.
I did buy the 14oz threshold ramekins from Target $3.00 each baked @ 425 and they stood up to the Temp.
Hi Jen: I think I read you can make this ahead of time? I want to make this today for a dinner party tomorrow night. My question is if I can make it ahead of time just the pot pie mix will it thicken? I am sure this is going to be a 5 star you’re my go-to chef.
Hi Barbara, the filling may thicken just a bit but not significantly. Hope everyone enjoys!
Can you double this recipe?
Sure, as long as you have enough bowls to put them in!
This literally couldn’t have turned out better. There was a restaurant in toronto that I loved, and they made an amazing chicken pot pie with the puff pastry top. I was hoping this would come close and it did not disappoint. So good. I used 8.2 oz ramekins because that’s all I had, but it still worked perfectly. I’d say the thyme flavour is pretty strong, but I was into it.
Thanks for the update! I ordered some ramekin bowls and just realized they are only 8 oz. capacity! Glad to know they will still work!
I’ve made these twice and both times it was a big hit with my family. I used white wine because I didn’t have cognac. I also roasted three chicken breasts in my air fryer. The pies turned out amazing! Fresh thyme is the key!
This is one of several recipes I’ve made repeatedly from Once Upon a Chef. I’ve made these pot pies not only with chicken but with turkey and fish as well. It’s an easy and delicious recipe that has quickly become a family favorite.
Followed recipe to the T. Easy to follow. Microwaved the vegetables. Made the white sauce in a pan. Smooth & yummy. I used the cognac. When I added in the vegetables, my lovely white sauce lost some of the flavor. How do I correct this next time?
Hi Cathy, You mentioned microwaving the vegetables. Are you referring to the onion, garlic, celery, pearl onions, and carrots? If so, that would account for the lack of flavor in the sauce as the sauce gets some of its flavor from the sauteeing of the veggies in the butter.
This used to be my go to when I had leftover roasted chicken. Now I cook chicken specifically to make this.
Hi Jenn!
If I make this in a regular pie dish or 9×9 dish due to lack of small bowls should I do anything different with the pastry? Still roll it out and everything?
Hi Courtney, I don’t recommend making one large version of this — the inside is soup-like so it would be very challenging to serve. Sorry!
Fantastic. I had a few additions/changes. I added 8 Oz of mushrooms (combo of white, Shitake, and oyster) in with the vegetables and used a half cup of dry white wine instead of the cognac (that’s what I had). I made chicken breast in the crock pot earlier in the day (salt and pepper and a cup of stock — on low for 4 hours – shredded perfectly) so I didn’t use rotisserie. Thanks for the great recipe! My family went crazy for it.
Best ever. My wife is a pot pie nut and just loved it. It will be made many times in the future. Thanks Jenn
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.
Phenomenal recipe. Super easy to make and as always, I already have most of the ingredients in my kitchen. Couldn’t locate pearl onions at my local grocery so I substituted cipollini onions and roasted them prior to adding them to the recipe. This certainly added a more complex flavor that was a delightful bonus. My daughter and I test tasted along the way and also found that the mix was equally delicious without the cream. It’s great to know a simple option for those lactose intolerant. Hmm, this is making me hungry. Thanks Jenn.
I had been searching for a good homemade chicken pot pie recipe for a very long time … until I found this one! Goal achieved!! I made this for my boyfriend (who now wears the title “husband”) one night when he was arriving home from a business trip at dinnertime. It took me longer to prepare this than the recipe said, but it was Well Worth The Effort and Extra Time!!
The chicken pot pie is another of Jen’s lovely recipes. I added a few cooked golden potatoes to the filling and it was delicious and loved by all. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
This is the only recipe I use when making chicken pot pie. I give it five stars. I’ve made numerous recipes by Jenn Segal and everyone one of them is five stars. I’ve bought two cookbooks – one for myself and one for our daughter. Thank you Jenn!
This is comfort food with a step up in flavor. Easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but appropriate for company!
The hardest part about this recipe was finding the right size ramekins to buy! (Finally found them at Target by Threshold) This recipe was excellent! I substituted oat creamer for heavy cream and it still came out delicious. Next time I will probably reduce the amount of cognac.
Hi, Janet I just bought the ramekins – Threshold from Target, but nowhere can I find what temp these ramekins can go to. I guessing they did fine at 425?
I also bought and used the Target Threshold ramekins-they do just fine in the oven at the stated temperature.
Haha! This made me laugh because I had to search all day for the ramekins and finally gave up. I decided not to get the threshold ones because I was unsure about the oven temperature. Thank goodness for Amazon prime- tonight is pot pie night.
These chicken pot pies were loved by all. Thaw will definitely go into the dinner rotation!
This chicken pot pie is a family favorite! I make one big pan vs the individual ones.
I love this recipe, i make it as is, but i cut up the puff pastry into 6 pieces and bake and serve on the side, it puffs up more when baked alone
When I told my husband I wanted to make pot pie with some leftover roasted chicken, he was expecting the usual two crust pot pie. When he saw me taking out four bowls he was confused. By the time I had the puff pastry crust on the bowls and put them in the oven, he was intrigued. It was love at first bite!
I didn’t have any pearl onions because I personally don’t like them, so I increased the amount of chopped onions. I don’t have any oven safe soup bowls so I used 2 cup Pyrex glass storage bowls and they were the perfect serving size.
Neighbors and I thought this was the best chicken pot pie ever! I added 1 cup each of frozen corn and small chopped par boiled potatoes instead of the pearl onions. I am sure it is just as delicious as written!