This is an easy chicken pot pie recipe that anyone can bake.
Homemade chicken pot pie is a favorite comfort dish for my whole family. This particular recipe came from my Memaw, she was a comfort food queen! (Man, I miss her cookin'.) You will want to plan a whole morning or afternoon in the kitchen, but it's all worth it in the end. In the past, I've broken up the work into two days of short tasks, when I didn't have a whole afternoon to dedicate.
Usually, I bake this recipe in a 13x9x2 dish or slightly larger pan. It makes quite a bit, which is awesome for leftovers. If you have a family of 4 to 6, don't bother freezing the leftovers. It will all vanish in a couple of days.
START WITH CHICKEN & BROTH
- 4 chicken breasts or your favorite chicken meat
- 2 onions, quartered
- 2 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
- 1 teaspoon each dried basil, thyme, oregano, sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chicken from broth, and strain broth. Discard vegetables. Reserve 1 1/2 cups chicken broth for this recipe. Store any extra broth in freezer for another recipe. When chicken is cool enough, remove skin and bones, then shred in large bite size pieces. (Chicken bites will get smaller after stirring them in later.)
PREPARE THE FILLING & CRUST
- 3 cups potato, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1-2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 packages of refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crusts or try my Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
Heat oven at 400ºF degrees.
Cook celery, carrots and potatoes in butter until crisp tender. Add flour and stir until smooth, cooking for 1 minute. Gradually add reserved chicken broth, milk and cream while cooking over medium heat, cook until sauce thickens and bubbly. Stir in shredded chicken, frozen peas, salt, pepper. If sauce looks too thick, keep adding broth. It's good to keep the sauce on the slightly soupy side, because it will keep thickening as it bakes.
Now, you're ready to assemble the pie(s). If you want a bottom crust, then use one package (both dough rolls) to line the bottom of casserole pan. Fill with chicken mixture and cover using second package of pie crusts. Use scraps to decorate top, if you feel fancy. Be sure to pierce the dough where needed.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
I, like Jill, enjoyed eating this luscious Chicken Pot Pie for years. Memaw, was my wonderful ma~in~law, and truly was all about comfort food.
I truly enjoy taking the time to cook this Chicken Pot Pie…and am as I write! I like to cook the chicken in the morning, or early afternoon, and when it’s done, before I remove the chicken, I let it kind of marinade in the hot broth for a couple of hours with the lid on. Along with the chicken breast, I use legs and thighs with the skin on….this adds a great richness to the broth, and to the overall flavor of the pie. Jill, thanks for sharing Memaw’s recipe….I know everyone who tries it, will fall in love with it, and will also know that it’s definitely worth the time it takes!
Love ya……aunt deb;)
I love you Debbie! You’re the BEST!
I just found your website and I tried this recipe with some minor alterations, and I loved it. My store only had the pie crust formed to pie pans, so I pulled out the last of my Bisquik and made a light wet mix to cover it, and I was useing some extra leg quarters I boiled the night before… This recipe was great, I will definately visit your site again for more recipes…
Jabes, I’m so glad to hear from you! Thank you for sharing.
I use Pillsbury pie crust dough found in the ready-to-bake cookie dough/biscuit section at my grocer. The pie crust with the tins are always in the frozen section.
I made everything last night and I am going to put it in the oven when I get home today. I will let you know how it comes out. Thank you for the recipe.
My family loved the chicken pot pie. The only thing I need to change is making it more soupy. I will make this again. Thank you for a great recipe.
That still happens to me. Sometimes, I add extra potatoes and I forget to add more cream or broth. I admit that after making it so many times, I don’t measure anymore. I just eye the broth/cream to make sure I get it soupy enough.
I’m glad to hear that your family enjoyed it as much as mine.
I made this recipe 2 years ago, and it was the best chicken pot pie I’d ever had. I’ve been searching for it again ever since, and now that I found it I can’t wait to make it! I’ve made sure to bookmark the link this time! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Brittany!
My family ***LOVED*** this fabulous pie!! It made a huge batch but you were right about the leftovers. Next time, I’m either going to divide it into two pies and freeze one, or make two giant pies and freeze one. This would make a fantastic dinner to give to a family who has had a baby/illness/death, or as a potluck at church/reunion, etc. It will surely impress. Thank you *SO MUCH* for sharing this recipe with me!! I know it will become a regular occurrance in my house.
You are so welcome, Denise! I’m thrilled to know it will be enjoyed in your home as much as it is in mine.
I came across your pot pie recipe a few months ago but did not have the chance of making it until about a week ago. I am normally not a fan of pot pies, or frozen ones at any rate so I thought I would give this a try. It was incredibly delicious, so good in fact that my husband and I fought over the last piece, (I won)!! It made a huge portion so there were a ton of left overs, but believe me it was all gone in just a couple days. It takes awhile to prepare and make everything but it was well worth it in the end and now I am constantly being asked to fix it again. Thank you so much for your fabulous recipe.