There are some dinners that feel cozy before you’ve even taken the first bite.
Chicken Pot Pie is definitely one of them.
You cut through that golden, flaky top crust and underneath there’s a thick, creamy filling loaded with tender chicken, celery, onion, carrots, peas, green beans, and corn. And because this version uses a crust on both the top and bottom, every slice gets plenty of buttery pastry along with that creamy filling.
This is the kind of dinner that makes a cold evening feel considerably less annoying.
It takes a little more effort than throwing everything into one pot, but none of the individual steps are difficult. Cook the chicken, make the creamy filling, tuck everything between two pie crusts, and let the oven handle the rest.
And when that golden pie comes out bubbling around the edges?
Waiting 15 minutes before cutting it suddenly becomes the hardest part of the recipe.
Why This Chicken Pot Pie Is So Good
A good Chicken Pot Pie needs two things:
A filling that’s actually flavorful.
And enough crust.
This recipe handles both.
Instead of using canned soup for the filling, you make the creamy sauce from scratch with butter, flour, milk, seasonings, chicken bouillon, and some of the water used to cook the chicken.
That last part is particularly clever.
The chicken is gently simmered in water first, and instead of throwing all that cooking liquid away, you reserve about 1¾ cups and use it in the filling.
Then there’s the crust.
This is a proper double-crust pot pie, so there’s pastry underneath the filling as well as over the top. The original recipe recommends homemade pie dough, with one crust for the bottom and another for the top.
What You’ll Need
For this Chicken Pot Pie, you’ll need:
- 1 recipe homemade pie dough, chilled — enough for 2 crusts
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup celery, sliced
- 1/3 cup onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, or more to taste (or 1 bouillon cube)
- 1 cup milk
- 8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables — carrots, peas, green beans, and corn
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk, for the egg wash
You’ll also reserve approximately 1¾ cups of the water used to cook the chicken.
That’s what becomes part of our creamy sauce.
And you’ll notice something else:
There are no potatoes in this recipe.
The vegetables are carrots, peas, green beans and corn from the frozen vegetable mix, plus the onion and celery used in the filling.
10 Steps to Make Chicken Pot Pie
Step 1: Cook the Chicken
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Place them in a large saucepan and cover them with water.
Bring the water to a simmer and cook the chicken until it’s just barely cooked through.
Don’t keep boiling it unnecessarily—we’re going to bake this chicken inside the pie later, so there’s plenty more heat coming its way.
Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and let it cool for a few minutes.
Then chop it into bite-sized pieces.
And before you drain that saucepan:
Stop.
We need that water.
Reserve approximately 1¾ cups of the chicken cooking water in a measuring cup and discard the rest.
Step 2: Cook the Onion and Celery
Add the butter, chopped onion, and sliced celery to the saucepan.
Cook them for a few minutes until the vegetables become soft and translucent.
This simple butter-and-vegetable base is where our filling starts developing flavor.
And yes, using the same saucepan means fewer dishes.
Always appreciated.
Step 3: Start the Creamy Filling
Stir the flour into the softened onion and celery.
Then add:
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Chicken bouillon paste
- Celery seed
Mix everything together.
The flour and butter will become the thickening base for the sauce.
Right now it won’t look particularly exciting.
Give it another minute.
Step 4: Add the Reserved Water and Milk
Slowly pour in the reserved chicken cooking water and 1 cup milk, stirring as you go.
Keep the saucepan over medium-low heat and let the mixture simmer until it thickens.
You’re looking for a proper creamy pot-pie filling—not soup.
As the flour does its job, that thin liquid turns into the rich sauce that will hold the chicken and vegetables together inside the crust.
Step 5: Add the Chicken and Vegetables
Stir the chopped cooked chicken into the thickened sauce.
Then add the 8 ounces of frozen mixed vegetables.
The mix should contain:
carrots, peas, green beans, and corn.
Taste the filling.
The source allows you to adjust with additional salt, pepper, bouillon, or garlic powder if needed.
Once you’re happy with the seasoning, take the filling off the heat and allow it to cool.
This part matters.
You don’t want to pour piping-hot filling straight into your chilled pie crust.
Step 6: Prepare the Bottom Crust
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Take one portion of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured counter.
Roll it into a circle approximately 12 inches in diameter.
Carefully transfer the dough into a 9-inch pie pan.
Press it gently into place without stretching it.
And now we’ve officially reached the stage where dinner starts looking like a pie.
Good progress.
Step 7: Fill the Pie and Add the Top Crust
Spoon the cooled chicken filling into the bottom crust.
Roll out the second portion of chilled pie dough and carefully place it over the filling.
Seal the edges of the top and bottom crusts together.
You can crimp the edges if you’d like.
It doesn’t have to look bakery-perfect.
A slightly imperfect homemade pie edge is still holding chicken pot pie, which means it’s doing an excellent job.
Use a sharp knife to make a small slit in the top crust so steam can escape while the pie bakes.
Step 8: Brush With Egg Wash
Whisk together:
1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk.
Brush a very thin layer over the top pie crust.
This is what helps give the finished Chicken Pot Pie that beautiful golden-brown surface.
You don’t need to drown the crust in egg wash.
A thin coating is enough.
Step 9: Bake Until Golden and Bubbling
Place the Chicken Pot Pie in the preheated 425°F oven.
Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the top crust is beautifully golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Keep an eye on the crust toward the end.
If it’s browning faster than the filling is cooking, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil and continue baking.
That way the filling gets the time it needs without turning your beautiful golden crust into something considerably darker than planned.
Step 10: Let It Rest Before Cutting
Take the pie out of the oven.
Now comes the difficult part.
Don’t immediately cut it.
Let the Chicken Pot Pie rest for at least 15–20 minutes.
That resting time allows the creamy filling to settle and thicken slightly, which means your first slice has a much better chance of actually looking like a slice.
Cut too early and the filling may run everywhere.
It’ll still taste good.
But your plate might look like the pie gave up halfway there.
After resting, slice and serve while warm.
You Can Also Try This Way Its On You:
Why Use Two Pie Crusts?
Some pot pies only have pastry over the top.
This isn’t one of them.
The recipe uses two crusts—one lining the 9-inch pie pan and another covering the filling.
That gives every serving a combination of creamy filling and flaky pastry.
Because the pie requires a relatively long baking time and store-bought crusts can overcook more easily.