This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My chicken and mushroom pie is proper comfort food—buttery puff pastry, tender chicken, earthy mushrooms and smoky bacon in a creamy sauce. It’s the cosy, crowd-pleasing bake we reach for on blustery evenings, and I’ll share the simple tips that make it unforgettable.
“Wow the best thing my Mrs has tasted this year she reckons. Had no thyme, but added a little paprika and a pinch of chilli instead, it’s what was on hand. Thanks for the recipe it’s a cracker.”
Nicky’s Notes
This time, I’m a fully-encased pie girl — pastry top, sides and bottom, thank you very much.
I use three sheets of puff pastry: one-and-a-half for the base (Chris feels short-changed with a lid-only pie!) and one-and-a-half for the top so every slice has golden layers.
Why my Chicken and Mushroom Pie works every time:
- I blind bake the base for a few minutes to dodge any soggy bottoms.
- A flour-thickened stock-and-milk base gives a silky, stable sauce that won’t split.
- Bacon + thyme build savoury backbone; lemon juice cuts the richness.
- Ready-rolled puff pastry means minimal faff and maximum lift.
- Balanced filling-to-sauce ratio so it’s creamy but sliceable.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients Swaps & Substitutions
Here are easy swaps to make this chicken and mushroom pie work with what’s already in your fridge:
- Chicken: chicken thighs will also work for this pie or even leftover roast chicken works too (stir through at the end).
- Mushrooms: swap for leeks (raw, sliced), sautéed carrots, or par-cooked potato if you’re mushroom-averse.
- Herbs: tarragon or parsley instead of thyme for a slightly different flavour profile.
- Bacon: pancetta or smoked lardons are great alternatives.
- Pastry: shortcrust base + puff lid if you like a sturdier bottom.
How to make this chicken and mushroom pie
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
First we blind bake the pastry base. Whilst that’s baking we seal chicken pieces in a pan, then remove from the pan and soften some onions in butter. Add flour, salt, pepper, and thyme and stir to coat the onions. Add in stock a little at a time whilst stirring, then stir in milk and let the sauce thicken whilst stirring often:
Next we slice up mushrooms and add them into the pan with the sealed chicken and some cooked bacon. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice to balance the flavours, and spoon the chicken mixture out into the baked pie shell. Brush the edges with egg wash and top with pastry, then egg wash the top and pierce a couple of holes to let steam escape:
Final cook in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- If your sheets are rectangular, I “stitch” them together: overlap by 1–2cm, press firmly, and give the join a quick roll so it disappears in the bake.
- Blind bake properly: parchment right into the corners and fill to the top with baking beans so the sides don’t slump.
- Brush edges with egg wash before adding the lid, then crimp firmly. Egg-on-egg is your edible glue. – See my video below where I show exactly how I crimp my edges.
- Cut two small steam holes on top. Controlled vents stop leaks and keep the pastry puffing.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItOne of the things I love about this pie is that no-one else in my house likes mushrooms. So as we’re sitting around the table, I get all the mushrooms transferred to my plate.
🍽️ What to serve it with
This creamy chicken & mushroom pie goes perfectly paired with:
- Easy Spring Greens, Steamed Vegetable Medley, or Butter pepper Carrots.
- Buttery Mashed Potato, or Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Air Fryer Chips.
The filling is a lovely creamy chicken and mushroom filling with bacon. Not too much sauce – just enough that it tastes saucy, without the whole thing collapsing when you try to serve it up.
📺 Watch how to make it
Here’s my full step-through video — pop it on while you cook for timings, texture cues and pastry-crimping tips.
Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 x 320 g (3 x 11oz) rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 chicken breasts cut into small chunks
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 50 g (6 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) hot chicken stock water plus 2 stock cubes is fine
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk half or full-fat
- 240 g (1/2 lb) chestnut mushrooms sliced
- 8 strips of cooked bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 egg lightly whisked with a fork
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
- Unroll the 3 pastry rolls. Slice one of the pieces of pastry in half lengthways. Attach a cut piece to one of the whole pieces of pastry – so you have a larger piece of pastry that will totally cover the base of the pie dish. Repeat with the other piece of pastry – so you have two large pastry sheets altogether.3 x 320 g (3 x 11oz) rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
- Line a 26cm (10.2") diameter pie dish with the prepared one-and-a-half rolls of the puff pastry. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-2cm overhang, as the pastry will shrink back slightly.
- Prick the base of the pastry several times with a fork. Line the pastry with baking parchment so that it completely covers the pastry. I find it easier to scrunch up the parchment first, and then un-scrunch it, so it fits into the shape of the pie dish better.
- Fill the pie with baking beans (or dried beans or uncooked rice) and place in the oven to 'blind bake' for 10 minutes. This helps to prevent the pie having a soggy bottom.
- Take out of the oven and put to one side. When cool enough to handle, remove the baking beans and parchment paper.
- Now start on the filling. Add the oil to the pan and fry the chicken pieces in the oil for 5-6 minutes until sealed. Remove from the pan.1 tbsp vegetable oil, 3 chicken breasts cut into small chunks
- Add the butter and onions to the pan and turn down the heat to medium-high. Cook for 3 minutes, until the onions start to soften.30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and flour to the pan and stir until the onions are coated in the flour.¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme, 50 g (6 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Add the stock, a splash at a time, whilst stirring with a balloon whisk, until all of the stock is used. Adding it in a splash at a time, whilst stirring, will ensure you have no lumps. Add the milk and continue to stir until the sauce starts to bubble and thickens.300 ml (1 1/4 cups) hot chicken stock, 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
- Add the mushrooms, chicken, bacon, and lemon juice and stir. Turn off the heat (don’t worry, the mushrooms will cook through in the oven).240 g (1/2 lb) chestnut mushrooms, 8 strips of cooked bacon, juice of ½ lemon
- Fill the pie base with the chicken mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, then top the pie with the remaining piece of pastry. Pinch the edges to seal.1 egg
- Trim off any excess pastry (you can use the trimming sot make little pie decorations such as leaves if you like), then brush the top with more egg wash and pierce a couple of small holes in the top of the pie with a sharp knife.
- Place back in the oven (still at 200C/400F (fan)) and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes – make and cook the whole pie ahead of time, but cook for about 5 minutes less than the stated time. Then cool, cover and refrigerate the pie. When you want to reheat the pie, take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you put it in the oven (to take off a little of the chill). Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Cover the pie in foil, and bake for about 25 minutes – until hot throughout (stick a knife or skewer in the middle to check it’s piping hot). Then remove the foil and cook for a further 5 minutes to crisp up the pastry. .Can I freeze it?
Yes – make and cook the whole pie ahead of time, but cook for about 5 minutes less than the stated time. Then cool, cover and freeze the pie. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator, then as above, take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you put it in the oven (to take off a little of the chill). Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Cover the pie in foil, and bake for about 25 minutes – until hot throughout (stick a knife or skewer in the middle to check it’s piping hot). Then remove the foil and cook for a further 5 minutes to crisp up the pastry. .Why do I need to blind bake the pie?
The pie isn’t in the oven long enough to completely cook the puff pastry on the base of the pie before the top starts to burn. Blind baking the pastry will ensure the pie doesn’t have a soggy bottom. .Baking beans
You can buy baking beans, but I use a mixture of dried beans and rice, which I think works just as well. You can’t use the beans and rice in a recipe once you’ve used them as baking beans, so instead I wait for them to cool, then store them in a jar. They can then be re-used as baking beans many times. .I don’t like mushrooms
You can leave out the mushrooms and add more bacon. Or you can replace the mushrooms with leeks (sliced raw leeks are fine) or some sauteed carrots or chunks of par-cooked potato. . Nutritional Information is per serving.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chicken and mushroom pie recipe was first posted in March 2019. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🥧 More Perfect Pies
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Like the sound of this very much, but what weight approx would the chicken be? Sometimes chicken breasts are bantam size sometimes Fog-horn-leg-horn. Thanks.
I will make this recipe without the bacon (for kosher reasons.) Can I use oat milk?
I love this recipe.make it once a week.thank you for all your recipes.❤️😍
Love this recipe.. its a staple in our house (like soo many others)! Can I use left over roast chicken as a substitute?
Absolutely Mel 🙂
I’m surprised to hear you say “absolutely” to this question. It’s a pretty basic well known concept that using roast chicken in a recipe after its already been cooked just causes the chicken to break up into a stringy mush.
This is so delicious. I make it without the bottom pastry and this time I used leftover roast chicken, and it still tasted delicious.
Thank you 😀
Wow the best thing my Mrs has tasted this year she reckons. Had no thyme, but added a little paprika and a pinch of chilli instead, it’s what was on hand. Thanks for the recipe it’s a cracker.
Really nice but is it really 733 calories per portion? That would be over 5000 calories per pie?
Double brill love this dish so easy, and yummy, I’m dofo after brownie point
Love all your recipes the chicken and mushroom pie is just brill
What size pie dish is best thanks