Double crust chicken pot pie is easy and quick to make at home. With two refrigerated crusts, you can have classic homemade chicken (or turkey) pot pie with tender vegetables and moist chicken. All in a simple roux you make yourself.
Introduction
This recipe is a simple old-fashioned pot pie with two crusts. A basic recipe that you can easily modify for your needs. Make it a turkey pot pie with leftover turkey; use rotisserie chicken; or cook a couple of raw chicken breasts. Add more veggies or make your own crust. Or spice to your taste.
I take requests for recipes, especially if they come from my wife. Chicken pot pie is one of her favorites, and we had several packages of Pillsbury pie crusts left.
I knew what I wanted and went full speed ahead with the simple technique. There are lots of things you can vary in this recipe. But my method is straightforward with excellent results. I included more steps than I usually include, but they are baby steps and go quickly.
👨🍳How to make this recipe
- While the oven preheats, chop vegetables and trim the chicken.
- Cook chicken and onion in a large skillet.
- Remove the chicken and make an easy slurry gravy.
- Add the vegetables and chicken to the gravy and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Prepare a standard-size pie dish with a refrigerated crust.
- Fill the pie crust with fill with the gravy mixture.
- Cover with a second pie crust and vent.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Protect the edges with foil about halfway through baking.
- Let the pie set for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken (or Turkey)
Any chicken will do. It should be shredded or diced into fork-size bites.
I have included instructions for raw chicken, which I usually use.
But, precooked chicken or turkey is an excellent choice, like rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey. Mix the precooked meat in when the veggies are added. You will need 3 to 4 cups of chicken or turkey.
Pie Crust
For the crust for chicken pot pie, I suggest refrigerated pie crusts. Comfort food should be easy and quick to come together.
You can make a homemade pie crust, but that takes this recipe from easy to moderately complex for most people.
Vegetables
The vegetables can be any of your choices, but you need about 2 cups total, so mix and match what you want.
Most commonly, carrots and peas are added. Potatoes are also commonly added with mushrooms and celery.
Be sure to cut the carrots thin. Quarter-inch is just about right. Thick will not cook well. Also, if you use potatoes, they need to be small cubes.
You can use frozen mixed vegetables if you want.
Gravy/Sauce
The sauce is made from scratch with a simple slurry method using the liquid from cooking the chicken, milk, all-purpose flour, and chicken broth. Any seasoning is added in this step also.
If you use precooked chicken or turkey, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of butter, and then make the sauce.
For more information on how to easily make homemade gravy and sauces, please see How to Easily Make Gravy from Scratch.
Seasoning
I consider pot pie simple comfort food, so I keep it simple with a small onion and salt and pepper.
Add some rosemary, fresh thyme, poultry seasoning, or garlic powder if you want to be a fancier flavor.
❓FAQs
Yes, a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet works great for pot pies. In addition to that "classic" look, cast iron is great for transferring heat evenly and is oven safe.
But a standard pie pan, usually 9 inches and 1-¼ inches deep, also works well.
Yes. To make thicker gravy, make up more of the milk/flour mixture and slowly whisk into the gravy until you get the thickness you want.
Add a little broth, milk, or water to make the gravy thinner.
Yes, like most pies, the edge will overbake. Metal shields are sold to protect the crust edge, but foil will also work. Leave the shield or foil on for the first half of baking, then remove.
The old trick is putting pies on baking trays preheated in the oven. It will melt the fat in the crust faster and create a shield to prevent the filling from penetrating the crust.
A pizza stone works great for this, or use a sheet pan.
❄️Storing Chicken Pot Pie
After cooking, chicken pot pie can be stored refrigerated for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen for 3-4 months, sealed airtight.
Uncooked chicken pot pie can be frozen if sealed airtight with plastic wrap and foil for 3-4 months. To cook, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake like fresh.
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📖Comfort Food Recipes
Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole with Parmesan Topping
Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Part of the Leftover Ham and Turkey Recipe Roundup
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Dice one small or ½ medium onion and two carrots. Try to keep the carrots no thicker than ¼ inch.
Clean and cut two skinless boneless chicken breasts into ½ to ¾ inch cubes. If you have one of those huge breasts, one will do. If using precooked chicken or turkey, skip to mixing the flour solution, saute the onion in butter and proceed.
Use a large pan over medium-high heat with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add chicken and onion. Cook until onion is transparent—about 8-10 minutes.
While chicken cooks, mix ½ cup milk with ⅓ cup of flour and mix well either in a bowl with a whisk or a Tupperware shaker.
Pour the chicken into a bowl and set it aside. Leave as much of any liquid in the pan, and the onion doesn't matter if it stays with the liquid.
Add one 14 oz can of chicken broth, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease to medium heat.
Slowly add the milk/flour mixture while continuously whisking. Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. You may not need all the flour solution.
Stir the chicken and veggies into the gravy and simmer for 5 minutes to precook the vegetables while you get your pie crust ready if not done already. Add any optional spices at this point.
Add the mixture to the pie crust and cover with a second crust.
Crimp the excess dough and seal the edges together, and cut multiple slits in the top crust to vent steam. Brush with an egg wash if you want.
Bake, and after about 20 minutes, protect the edge of the crust with aluminum foil or a shield to prevent burning.
Bake for about a total of 40 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
📖The Recipe Card
Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie—Quick and Easy
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts
- 2 Skinless boneless chicken breast - 1 to 1 ½ pound
- 1 small onion - chopped or ½ medium
- 2 medium carrots - pealed and cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 14 oz chicken broth
- ⅓ cup flour
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3-4 cups precooked chicken or turkey - replace the raw chicken
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms - optional
- 1 rib diced celery - optional
- 1 large potato-diced small - optional
- 1 egg whipped and brushed on the top crust - optional
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Dice one small or ½ medium onion and two carrots. Try to keep the carrots no thicker than ¼ inch.
- If using fresh chicken, clean and cut two skinless boneless chicken breasts into ½ to ¾ inch cubes. If you have one of those huge breasts, one will do. If using precooked chicken or turkey, skip to mixing the flour solution and saute the onion and proceed.
- Use a large pan over medium-high heat with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add chicken and onion. Cook until onion is transparent—about 6-8 minutes.
- While chicken cooks, mix ½ cup milk with ⅓ cup of flour and mix well either in a bowl with a whisk or a Tupperware shaker.
- Pour the chicken into a bowl and set it aside. Leave as much of any liquid in the pan, and the onion doesn't matter if it stays with the liquid.
- Add one 14 oz can chicken broth, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease to medium heat.
- Slowly add the milk/flour mixture while continuously whisking. Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. You may not want to use all the flour solution.
- Stir the chicken and veggies into the gravy and simmer for 5 minutes while you get your pie crust ready if not done already.
- Add the mixture to the pie crust and cover with a second crust.
- Crimp excess dough and seal the edges together, and cut multiple slits in the top crust. Optional: brush with an egg wash.
- Bake and after about 20 minutes protect the edge of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Bake for about a total of 40 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- You can use skinless boneless chicken thighs or precooked chicken or turkey. If the thighs, then 1 to 1 ½ pounds. If using precooked chicken or turkey, then 3-4 cups.
- You need about 2 cups of veggies. I chose peas and carrots. Mushrooms, celery, and potatoes are common choices. You can use frozen mixed vegetables.
- Be sure the carrots are cut only about ¼ inch thick. If using potatoes, the small cubes.
- You can make your own pie crust, but that is too much work for me.
- This is pretty bland. Add the optional poultry seasoning or some rosemary or thyme if you wish—other options in the post.
- This makes a great turkey pot pie—excellent use of your Thanksgiving leftover turkey.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days. See post for freezing instructions.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published May 10, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Brad says
Hi Dan,
I was thinking of adding celery and potatoes to the pot pie. Could the celery be cooked with the chicken and onion and would the potatoes be added with the chicken broth and be boiled?
Thanks,
Brad
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Brad,
I would guess to add them with the carrots and be sure to cut them small. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes before adding the peas and moving to the crust. That is all a guess but that cooking combined with the time in the oven probably will do it. If you try it, post back here so others will know.
Dan
Lee says
Your earlier recipe with buttermilk or milk and some vinegar is more handy and easier to do.
Lee says
Yes, it was very nice, can't remember exactly what type of flour and how it was mixed with milk and vinegar. It also added rosemary and garlic (it is never too much garlic) while cooking the chicken.
Lee says
Your early version of the recipe mixed some vinegar with milk, some butter and flour and then poured the thick creamy cream over the top of the filling before baking the crust to golden brown. I made it a few times then, but have forgotten the ratio of the 'buttermilk' pie crust mix. In my part of the world (Singapore), it is harder to find good pie crust, and this 'buttermilk' pie crust after it baked, also tasted very good. Do you have any advice on the 'buttermilk (vinegar-milk-butter)' pie crust recipe mix proportions? I think you described the mix to be something like moderately flowable, in different words.
Catherine says
I will try that! I love your site and visit often.
Betsie says
What size pie dish is used?
Thank you,
Betsie
DrDan says
Hi Betsie,
Welcome to the blog.
Standard 9 inch pie pan.
Dan
Catherine Langell says
I love this recipe and have made it many times. Only issue I can't solve is why the sauce/filling is runny after I bake it. When the pie goes in, it's thick but after I bake it, it comes out runny and does not thicken upon cooling.
DrDan says
Hi Catherine,
Welcome to the site or at least commenting.
I admit it is a bit runny. The more flour, the thicker it will be, so increase the flour. So try 1/2 cup of flour or even a little more. The should help a lot.
Dan