Chicken Pot Pie
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Take your comfort food to the next level with these elegant 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 pot pie can easily take up an entire day in the kitchen. For this version, I wanted to streamline the process without sacrificing flavor. After many trials, I found that using a rotisserie chicken for the filling and good-quality store-bought puff pastry for the crust were both game-changing shortcuts. With those solved, I tackled the usual problem with chicken pot pies: the bland, goopy white sauce. I thinned the sauce to a chowder-like consistency and added splash of Cognac for that extra depth of flavor that takes these pot pies to the next level.
“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.
- 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. 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
Take your comfort food to the next level with these elegant chicken pot pies. Made with rotisserie chicken and store-bought puff pastry, they’re as simple to make 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.
Gorgeous presentation. The puff pastry gave a sophisticated look on the outside and the inside was just as delicious. Definitely how I imagined a quality chicken pot pie would taste. Nice when imagination meets reality
I needed a recipe that I could trust for a potluck main dish. I turned to this site. The filling of the pot pie was fabulous!
I placed the filling in a 9” x 13” pan and topped with biscuits. It was devoured! Thank you for yet another successful dish!
How long did you bake the 9×13 pan?
I have made this twice now and my family just loves it. I’ve done it in individual servings and in a larger dish so this recipe works either way. Perfect cold weather food!
I made this with fresh chicken, just because I had already defrosted 2 chicken breasts. I also used a 9 x 12 pie dish because I didn’t have any small oven proof bowls. It came out pretty well but if any one else is thinking of doing this there are a couple of things you should do:
1. Sear the chicken first and set it aside to add in later, otherwise the skillet is too crowded and it is hard to turn all the bits of chicken over.
2. Increase the amount of flour (I would guess to half a cup) to thicken the sauce and stop the pastry sagging into the broth.
Apart from that it was a success and had a great flavour.
Does anybody know where I can get 20 ounce oven proof bowls? I would love to do your chicken pie recipe.
I haven’t found any. Jenn where you got yours??
Thanks
Hi Maria, You can find them at Williams Sonoma Hope you enjoy!
I found 16 ounce bowls…5 inches high at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They worked perfectly for my quantity of filling. Bowls were not filled too high as per recommendation from Jenn . They were the only bowls I could find and really wanted to try the recipe. Took a chance that this size would work.
I used the leftover chicken from our Sunday roasted chicken and it was delicious. A perfect way to use the leftovers too. I had just under 4 cups of chicken. This was fantastic! I did freeze two ramekins with the puff pastry in place. Anxious to see how it cooks after being frozen. I have always used another chicken pot pie recipe…but not anymore. Jenn this recipe is perfectly delicious. My puff pastry browned a bit too quickly so will cover with foil next time as suggested.
Jan
Jan:
How did your frozen chicken pot pies do when you reheated them with the pastry on top? Did you reheat them frozen or defrost them first? Would you do anything different, if so, what.
Thanks so much. I made a batch, ate half (it was absolutely delicious) and froze the other half. But I’m planning on eating it soon.
Thanks so much.
Ellen
This is, by far, the best pot pie I have ever tasted!!!!
Amazing! As always!
Prepared as instructed and was delightful. Tons of rave reviews from the family. For the vegetarians I prepared with veggie broth and baby Bella mushrooms. If you’re going to try that just make sure to decrease the cognac a bit, to taste. Was beautifully balanced with the chicken, but came out too strongly with the mushrooms.
Thanks for always making me look like the best cook, Jenn!
This sounds delish, but I’m trying to eat a lot more vegetarian. Would I be able to eliminate the chicken and add something else (I’m thinking mushrooms) instead? Wasn’t sure how much it would change the consistency.
Hi Christine, I’ve never tried this without the chicken, but I suspect a vegetarian version would work. I think mushrooms are a good option to use in place of the chicken as they have that “meaty” texture. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Hi. Is it okay if I prepared the filling 2 days ahead?
Sure, Rose – that’s fine.
Hoping you can recommend recipes that would freeze well to take to someone that has a newborn?
Love all your recipes and eager to purchase your cookbook!
Hi Brenda, Many of the soups will freeze well. If you’re looking for something other than soup, you could try the Sausage Lasagna, Italian Meatloaf, or these Fried Chicken Tenders. And just a heads up that I’m in the process of compiling a much more comprehensive list of recipes that can be frozen and will be adding a new category to the recipe section when I’m done with the list. 🙂