Chicken Pot Pie
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Upgrade your comfort food game with these elegant chicken pot pies. Made with rotisserie chicken and store-bought puff pastry, they’re as easy to whip as they are delicious.
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 unmistakable depth of flavor that makes these chicken pot pies next-level delicious.
“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.”
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.
- Beaten Egg: For an egg wash to give the pastry a golden finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it’s possible to bake pot pies in a single pie dish, serving can be a bit challenging due to the soupy nature of the filling. Using individual ramekins helps contain the filling, making the pies easier to serve without the filling spilling out.
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.
Yes, it’s a great make-ahead dish. You can prepare the filling and even assemble the pie up to a day in advance. Keep it refrigerated, covered, until you’re ready to bake. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time if it’s going straight from the fridge to the oven.
Yes, the unbaked chicken pot pies and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the pies tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze. When you’re ready to enjoy it, you can bake it straight from the freezer; just be sure to allow about 10 minutes extra baking time and cover if the pastry starts to get too brown.
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Video Tutorial
Chicken Pot Pie
Upgrade your comfort food game with these elegant chicken pot pies. Made with rotisserie chicken and store-bought puff pastry, they’re as easy to whip as they are delicious.
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 Jen,
Can you tell me what size ramekins you have pictured in the photograph? Maybe even the manufacturer if you have that information. I was going to buy 18 oz ramekins, but the ones I saw didn’t look as deep as yours.
Thank you.
Hi Dan, I believe that they were 18 ounces, but I don’t remember who the manufacturer was (I purchased those so long ago) – I’m sorry!. Hope that helps at least a bit. 😊
This is our favorite pot pie recipe but if I just want to make it a soup, when should I add in the brandy so it has a bough time to cook out and give the same flavor as cooking it in the oven with the crust?
Hi Elle, so glad you like it! I’d add the brandy as the recipe instructs and just give it an extra 5 minutes or so to cook off. Please LMK how it turns out!
Good but not great. Way too much liquor remained even after cooking in oven. It overpowered the other flavors and made it bitter. I could see the potential if a lot less was used.
Hi Jenn – if made a day ahead how much longer should pies be baked?
Thank you
They may need about 10 extra minutes in the oven. (If you find that the pastry is browning more than you’d like before the center is hot, lay a piece of foil loosely overtop of the pies.)
Thank you!
I use your recipe to make a pie, as I don’t think making a crust is much trouble at all. Today, I started baking at 425F, for 15 min, then turned the heat down to 375 for another 25-30 min. It looks perfect.
So I added in some chopped broccoli (frozen) and mushrooms….. good gawd it was PHE-NOM-IN-AL…. only issue I had (and this is an oven issue) was 2 of the pies came out (to quote Alton Brown) golden brown and delicious…. the other 2 were a minute or two from being burnt. I have no explanation other than my upper oven is squirelly like that (burned a pie or 2) so if I use my head for more than a hatrack and use the LOWER oven….. next time will be perfect 🙂
Delicious. I halved the recipe, skipped the pearl onions and added mushrooms and potatoes. The cognac is an absolute game changer. In regard to the thickness of the sauce, my bf pointed out that breaking the pastry in to the dish is the appropriate thickener.
I halved this recipe-and added mushrooms and potatoes. delicious. the cognac adds a great flavor to the liquid.
Delicious recipe! Just a quick suggestion for those that wanted to add potatoes, and/or thicken up the sauce without using flour which alters the taste- a few teaspoons or 2 of Idahoan or other potato flakes will accomplish both!
Can I make one pic 9 inch pie instead of 4 small ramekins? I imagine I would just add all of the filling to the pie plate and cover it fully with the crust? Thanks!
Hi Lesley, Technically yes but the filling is on the soupier side, so it will be difficult to serve.
Trader Joe’s has all butter puff pastry. Seasonal; stock up.
Thanks for a delicious recipe with a beautiful presentation.
Yummy recipe. Make sure to use the cognac and fresh vs dried herbs. I love tarragon in here too. It makes a difference. I sometimes use a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust on top and that works well too. Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
How would a medium Maya sweet onion do in place of a yellow? They looked so similar in my pantry.
Love this recipe and trying it again with The cognac. And Jenn, the park onions….. genius.
Thanks,
Dawn
Hi Dawn, the onion should be find. And glad you like it!
Hi Jenn! Excited to try this recipe. Quick question – would you recommend substituting bourbon or white wine for cognac? We only use alcohol for cooking so I’m not sure what are acceptable substitutions, and I’m trying to use what I have on hand. ☺️
I’d go with the bourbon. Hope you enjoy!
Another great recipe! It was not my absolute favorite like many other recipes on the website but it was very good and I love the elegant presentation. I do believe I accidentally overfilled the bowls though because the pastry was quite soggy but that was no fault of the recipe’s (it explicitly states not to overfill 😅). I would definitely use this recipe again though.
I’m making this for the second time as the first was was so amazingly great! Thank you!
This is excellent! My whole family loves this recipe!! I’ve made it bunches of times now – it’s my go-to pot pie recipe after trying out many other versions.
Jenn, is it possible to make-ahead and freeze this recipe?
Anne, glad you like them! 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!
I made this last night. The cognac makes a big difference in enhancing the flavor with no booziness. I didn’t have pearl onions handy so I used double the yellow onion and I used frozen peas and carrots. I cut the recipe in half since there’s only 2 of us. Even with all the modifications I made to your recipe, it was the best pot pie I’ve ever had in my 56 years on this planet! I look forward to making it again without any substitutions. Thank you so much! This one is a keeper!
Delicious! I think the Thyme, and rosemary and maybe the brandy left it with a delicous taste!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Maybe add just a little more flour to thicken it up!
I was good, but I thought it tasted too much like liquor. I’d use a very small amount of it if made again. Also, the pearl onions aren’t needed.
Can this recipe be made using a bottom crust and precooking it before filling the dish?
Hi Helena, the bottom crust will get really soggy so I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. My husband who claims to not like chicken pot pie ( I however, do) ate 2 servings! Lol. This is definitely going into rotation.
Love this recipe, tastes great, my hubby likes a bit of curry in his pie.
Excellent recipe and a keeper! It was easy to do and full of flavor. I did purchase the puff pastry brand that was recommended or shown and it was worth it. I’m only buying that brand. White pepper and cognac is definitely on point.
Hi Jenn, this was delicious, kind of a shame to call it chicken pot pie ;)! I don’t have ramekins or soup bowls that are the recommended sizes. I purchased some just for this recipe and returned them when, my husband said ” I thought we are trying to purge and downsize?” He’s right, now that we’re empty nesters. Anyway… I cut the puff pastry into 6 pieces and baked them with the egg wash. I left the filling on the stove covered on low while they baked. I severed the filling with the pastry on top. When my husband went back for seconds he put the pastry on the bottom and said it was even better.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Sharon T
Hi Jen,
Would you recommend substituting Marsala for cognac? I have the same brand you use for your chicken Marsala.
Thank you!
Sure, Jan, that should work. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn!
I apologize if these questions have already been asked. What can I use instead of pearl onions? And are you using 4 oz or 8 oz ramekins? Thank you!
Hi Jessica, I would just omit the pearl onions, and my ramekins are actually 18 oz.
Oh ok, thanks! If I wanted to add some potato would that mess up the recipe at all? Do you have any suggestions in doing so? Thinking russet? Please let me know when you can, I greatly appreciate the advice!
Hi Jessica, It’s perfectly fine to add some potatoes and russets will work. I’d dice and cook them before adding to the other ingredients. Hope you enjoy!
I made this on New Year’s Eve for my family. I had only one sheet of puff pastry, so used my mini pie pans to get three pies. I just adapted the recipe to fit quantities.
Everyone was very happy with the outcome, and as it used up my leftover chicken, I was thrilled.
Another one of Jenn’s recipes that hit the ball out of the park for another home run!
Thanks again!
Jenn, if your chicken pot pie is too soupy for one larger casserole dish, could the filling be made using more flour thus getting rid of too soupy? thank you
Yes, you can add more flour to thicken it up; just keep in mind that it will dilute the flavor of the filling to a certain degree.
Hi Jen,
Can’t find pearl onions here. Can I maybe add celery instead and sauté them with the carrots? Or is there anything else you can suggest as a replacement for the onions?
I have made so many of your recipes and they have all turned out so well. One of my go to recipes is the pecan and honey crusted salmon. Always a crowd pleaser. Thank you.
So glad you like the recipes, Johara! It’s fine for you to replace the pearl onions with celery. Hope you enjoy!
Can this same recipe be used for a larger pie instead of individual pies? I’m sorry if this has already been asked and answered. Thank you.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, It’s a soupier pot pie, so it’d be difficult to serve from a large pie dish. Sorry!
Hi Jen,
I would love to make this but I only have 24oz ramekins. Can I use them instead?
I just love your recipes. Thank you!
Hi Maria, as long as they are individual servings, that should work. Enjoy!
Thanks, Jenn. Made it last night and it came out awesome and just delicious. Followed your recipe exactly except I cut the cognac a tad bit. The cognac sure adds that extra flavor and just a fantastic taste. My husband said it was the best chicken pot pie he’s ever had!
And thanks for recommending the Dufour Puff Pastry. It’s now my go-to pastry. Well worth the cost.
Would it damage the dish to freeze the completed ramekin? How would you heat it up — in the microwave? Oven?
Hi Chuck, 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!
And if you freeze them in their dishes, I’d remove them from the freezer about 24 hours before you want to serve them to thaw. (If you give them time to thaw, the dishes should be fine.) Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried them this way — I’d love to hear how they turn out if you do!
I followed this reviewer’s advice regarding freezing and reheating. I thawed overnight in fridge as you suggested. Before my oven finished heating to 425 the puff pastry was burnt. So I then covered with foil and reduced heat to 350 and cooked for 20 minutes so pies could finish warming thru. They were tasty but could have been so much better without the burnt pastry. I will adjust my reheating steps for the remaining pies in my freezer. Thanks for a tasty recipe Jenn; lesson learned for me to follow the pro!
This is comfort food in a bowl. My husband cuts his chops on putting together the filling from my mis en place. He doesn’t even add to the flavor which is his favorite thing to do. The recipe is perfect as is. An easy shortcut is using Costco hand pulled rotisserie chicken. I use half and freeze the other half for the next time I make this dish.
I’d love to try this but I don’t have small ramekins. Can I use same recipe for one larger dish to serve 6? Any modifications?
I love all of your recipes. They never fail me. I tell me family “ I’m making my friend Jenn’s dinner tonight. “ 🙃
Hi Jackie, so glad you like the recipes and happy to be your friend in the kitchen! 🙂
Unfortunately, this won’t work in one large dish as the filling is too soupy to be served. Sorry!
Can you freeze pre-made filling? If so, how long is it good for?
Hi Jasmine, I’ve never frozen it, but I suspect it should freeze okay for up to 3 months.
Tasted too much like liquor. And the onions became overwhelming
Jen,What is the oven temp for the pot pie
Hi Carol, the oven temp is 425°F/220°C. 🙂
Delicious!!!! Thanks for another winner! Made as is with the exception of the pearl onions as we don’t love them. This will be a repeat for sure!!
Jenn, what size ramekin do you use for this?
Hi Lori, For larger portions, I use bowls with an 18 to 20-oz capacity; for smaller portions, I use bowls with a 12 to 14-oz capacity.
Excellent!! I added some cut up potatoes. I will be making again!!
My husband and I love this recipe and he always asks me to make it (even in the summer)! I forgot to defrost the puff pastry so I ended up making this as a regular soup and it didn’t taste the same even though I followed the instructions exactly. Any ideas what went wrong or tips you can share so it works as a regular soup?
Hi Ellen, glad you like this! I suspect that you didn’t enjoy the soup/filling as much because it had less cooking time. Typically you’d cook it for 20 to 25 minutes longer after putting the bowls in the oven (which would allow the flavors to deepen). If you want to make this as a soup again, I’d let it simmer on the stove for 20 to 25 minutes. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
I don’t have individual ramekins, so I was wondering if I could make this in a large casserole dish?
Unfortunately, a large dish won’t work as the filling is pretty soupy (It would make it very difficult to serve). Sorry!
Hi Jenn, I’m excited to try another of your 5 star rated recipes! I’m a huge fan of your pumpkin bread. I make it every weekend in the Fall and always make as a gift for friends as well. Question on the chix pot pies…assuming the filling can be mase ahead and sit for a day or two in the fridge. Does that change anything?
Glad you like the pumpkin bread! Yes, you can make the filling a day or two in advance without any modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Hello,
Is there any way to get more crust into this recipe? I’ve read below that a bottom layer will get soggy. What if I place two layers on top? Or maybe just do the one layer on top and bake several pieces of the puff pastry separately and then place an additional piece on top? Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide. Jen your recipes rock and so do you!
Hi Greg, I think you could do either. Or instead of doing another layer, you could cut out shapes, like leaves – similar to this baked Brie. Glad you enjoy the recipes!
Excellent recipe! I added more chicken than the recipe called for only because I wanted to use all that I had left over. I used milk only because I didn’t have cream. It was fine, but cream probably would have been better. However, I wasted quality brandy which I could still taste it in the finished pie. That is one ingredient I would omit since it added a slightly undesirable taste.
My chicken pot pie was delicious
For many years I’ve made Emeril’s Chicken Pot Pie and everyone has always loved it. I made yours today thinking that it would not go over as well as my usual recipe and boy, was I wrong! My family loved it and it was so much easier to make than Emeril’s! The only thing that I personally found missing was the potatoes (although no one else noticed:).
Thanks Jenn for another great dish!
One of the best chicken recipes we have enjoyed. Will definitely be filed in my recipes as our favourite. I did not have a cooked chicken on hand so just poached three large chicken breasts in chicken stock. I also did not have pearl onions, so just omitted them. The end result was still amazing. Thank you.
Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect! Would not change a thing. I used 5 – 12oz bowls and 1 box of puff pastry. Jenn your recipes are amazing – thank you!
sounds delicious! can’t wait to try it.
This recipe is super easy, beautiful and tasty! I added mushrooms and used white wine. Even more delicious when reheated. It’s a keeper!
Fabulous! We regularly make rotisserie chicken in our Miele oven and it’s great – but using the leftovers for these pot pies was an even bigger hit! Thank you, Jenn – your recipes never fail and are so delicious!
I really like a top and bottom crust on my pot pies. Is it possible to add a bottom crust to this recipe without spoiling the integrity of the recipe? Thank you.
Unfortunately, the bottom crust will get really soggy so I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
I don’t see why you can’t use less liquid or ands more flour or a cornstarch slurry?
I suppose you could; you’d just be changing the recipe significantly.
My ramekins are small and I didn’t want to buy larger ones just for one dish so I used one large casserole dish. I had trouble with the puff pastry sinking so wish I had cooked it separately and put it on top as some others noted they have done.
The cognac flavor was a little too strong for my taste so if I make again I will either decrease the amount or omit it entirely.
This recipe is gold! I had neither fresh thyme nor heavy cream. I used half snd half. And melted 2 tbsp of butter with a generous tsp. each of dried thyme and rosemary and strained that into the filling. It was SO good