Homemade Chicken Pot Pie with a Light & Flaky Crust
Tender chicken and colourful vegetables in a creamy, herb-filled sauce, topped with an incredibly simple homemade crust that bakes up light, golden and flaky. Made with just flour, salted butter and water, the crust is proof that homemade pastry does not have to be complicated. White wine, Dijon and thyme add extra depth while keeping all the cozy, classic flavour you want in a chicken pot pie.
Prep time
30 minutes, plus chilling
Cook time
30–35 minutes
Serves
Equipment
9 × 13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
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Light & Flaky Homemade Crust
- 1¼ cupsall-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 g)cold salted butter, cut into cubes
- 3–5 tbspice-cold water
For Finishing
- 1 largeegg
- 1 tbspwater
- Fresh thyme, optional, for serving
Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- 2 largeboneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces, or about 2–3 cups shredded leftover rotisserie chicken
- 1 tbspolive oil
- ½ tspkosher salt
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 smallyellow onion, diced
- 2celery stalks, diced
- 2 clovesgarlic, minced
- ⅓ cupall-purpose flour
- ⅓ cupdry white wine
- 3 cupschicken stock, plus more as needed
- ½ cupheavy cream
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tspfresh thyme leaves, or ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tspdried parsley
- ½ tspkosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- ½ cupfrozen peas
- ½ cupfrozen corn
- ½ cupfrozen diced carrots
- ½ cupfrozen cut green beans
Ingredients
Light & Flaky Homemade Crust
- 1¼ cupsall-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 g)cold salted butter, cut into cubes
- 3–5 tbspice-cold water
For Finishing
- 1 largeegg
- 1 tbspwater
- Fresh thyme, optional, for serving
Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- 2 largeboneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces, or about 2–3 cups shredded leftover rotisserie chicken
- 1 tbspolive oil
- ½ tspkosher salt
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 smallyellow onion, diced
- 2celery stalks, diced
- 2 clovesgarlic, minced
- ⅓ cupall-purpose flour
- ⅓ cupdry white wine
- 3 cupschicken stock, plus more as needed
- ½ cupheavy cream
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tspfresh thyme leaves, or ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tspdried parsley
- ½ tspkosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- ½ cupfrozen peas
- ½ cupfrozen corn
- ½ cupfrozen diced carrots
- ½ cupfrozen cut green beans
Instructions
Make the Light & Flaky Crust
- 1
Add the flour to a food processor.
- 2
Add the cold cubed salted butter and pulse in short bursts about 6–10 times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- 3
Add 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water and pulse just a few times. Pinch some of the mixture between your fingers. If it holds together, it is ready. If it is still dry and crumbly, add additional ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each addition.
- 4
Turn the shaggy dough onto a clean work surface and gently press it together with your hands. Do not knead.
- 5
Shape into a flat disk, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Brown the Chicken
- 1
Pat the chicken dry and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- 2
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden. The chicken does not need to be completely cooked through at this stage.
- 3
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Soften the Vegetables
- 1
Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet.
- 2
Add the onion and celery and cook for 5–6 minutes, until softened.
- 3
Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Make the Creamy Sauce
- 1
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables. Stir continuously for 1–2 minutes, making sure the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the butter and vegetables before adding any liquid.
- 2
Add the white wine and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- 3
Begin adding the chicken stock gradually, about ½ cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Once the sauce is smooth, gradually whisk in the remaining stock.
- 4
Add the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, thyme, parsley, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- 5
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
- 6
Do not rush this stage. The sauce will initially look fairly loose but will become creamy as it gently simmers.
- 7
If the sauce becomes thicker than you would like, add a little additional chicken stock at a time until it reaches a creamy, saucy consistency.
Add the Chicken and Vegetables
- 1
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet.
- 2
Add the frozen peas, corn, carrots and green beans directly from frozen.
- 3
Stir everything together and continue cooking gently until the vegetables are heated through, the chicken is cooked and the sauce is creamy.
- 4
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
- 5
The finished filling should be creamy and saucy, but not watery. If it seems too thick, stir in a little more chicken stock. Keep in mind that the filling will continue to thicken slightly as the pot pie bakes and rests.
- 6
Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool for about 10–15 minutes.
Assemble
- 1
Transfer the filling to a 9 × 13-inch baking dish, leaving a little room at the top for the filling to bubble as it bakes.
- 2
Remove the chilled pastry from the refrigerator.
- 3
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to approximately ⅛-inch thickness and slightly larger than your baking dish.
- 4
Carefully lay the pastry over the filling. Trim any excess pastry and gently crimp or tuck the dough around the edge of the dish.
- 5
Cut 3–4 small vents in the centre to allow steam to escape.
Finish the Crust
- 1
Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
- 2
Brush the pastry generously with the egg wash.
Bake
- 1
Place the baking dish on a sheet pan to catch any filling that may bubble over.
- 2
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30–35 minutes, or until the crust is beautifully golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
- 3
The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- 4
Let the chicken pot pie rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.
- 5
Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.
Melissa's Notes
The crust really is that simple. Just flour, salted butter and ice-cold water create a beautiful homemade crust that bakes up light, tender and flaky. No complicated pastry technique required.
Keep the pastry cold. Cold butter is what helps create those flaky layers. Pulse the dough only until it comes together and avoid kneading it.
Add the stock gradually. Whisking the stock into the flour mixture a little at a time helps create a smooth sauce and prevents flour lumps.
Adjust the sauce as needed. Start with 3 cups of chicken stock and let the filling gently simmer until creamy. If the sauce becomes too thick, add additional chicken stock a little at a time until it reaches your preferred consistency. You want the filling creamy and saucy — not dry, but not watery — as it will thicken a little more while baking and resting.
Give the sauce time to thicken. The filling needs time to gently simmer and reduce before assembling the pot pie. This gives you that rich, creamy consistency rather than a thin sauce.
Frozen vegetables make this easy. There is no need to thaw the peas, corn, carrots or green beans before adding them.
No wine? Substitute an additional ⅓ cup chicken stock.
Using rotisserie chicken? Skip the browning step and stir the cooked chicken into the filling along with the frozen vegetables.
Nutrition Information
Per serving (1/8 of a 9 × 13-inch pot pie)
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
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