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This creamy chicken pot pie with puff pastry is the ultimate cosy dinner! Packed with tender chicken and vegetables in a rich white sauce and topped with golden, flaky pastry – it’s comfort food perfection. We’re going homemade on the filling (trust me, it’s so good I could eat it by the ladleful) and keeping things simple with ready-rolled puff pastry. And yes – I’ll show you exactly how to avoid a soggy bottom!
“10/10 the best chicken pot pie! We use canned mixed vegetables because we have them and shred a rotisserie chicken. I have made this over and over and refuse to use any other recipe.”
Nicky’s Notes
I could honestly eat the filling for this pie by the ladleful – and I often do, in the form of my chicken pot pie soup! It’s everything I love in a cosy meal: creamy, savoury, loaded with chicken and tender veg, and finished with just a hint of lemon to brighten it all up.
When it’s wrapped in golden puff pastry, it becomes the ultimate comfort food dinner. We’re keeping it simple with shop-bought pastry and homemade filling – a balance of ease and indulgence that makes this a firm favourite in our house.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Chicken Pot Pie
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
- Puff pastry – Ready-rolled for ease. Use it for both base and lid, or swap in shortcrust for a sturdier bottom.
- Chicken – I use fresh breast meat, but thighs or turkey work just as well.
- Veg – Carrots and potatoes for heartiness. Add peas, leeks, or sweetcorn if you like.
- Roux base – Butter, onion and flour form the base of the creamy sauce. Use gluten-free flour if needed.
- Stock, milk, thyme & lemon juice – Simmered with the chicken and veg for a savoury, herby filling. A splash of cream makes it extra indulgent.
- Egg – For brushing the pastry so it turns beautifully golden.
Note on the chicken
I use raw chicken breast in this recipe – it simmers along with the carrots and potatoes to keep everything simple and flavourful.
If you’ve got leftover cooked chicken or turkey, you can absolutely use that instead. Just cook the veg in the stock on their own, then stir the shredded meat into the creamy sauce before filling the pie. It’s a great way to use up roast dinner leftovers!
Note on the pastry
If you fancy making your own puff or rough puff pastry, go for it! It’ll taste amazing.
But I’ll be honest – I usually reach for ready-rolled puff pastry for ease (and because I’m far too lazy to make it from scratch most days!). It still gives you that beautiful golden, flaky top with a fraction of the effort.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Line a pie dish with puff pastry and blind bake. Simmer chopped chicken, carrots and potatoes in stock, then stir the broth into a butter-onion-flour roux with milk to make a creamy sauce. Add the chicken and veg, spoon into the pastry base, top with more pastry, and bake until golden and bubbling.
How to prevent a soggy bottom
To prevent the ‘soggy bottom’ (that must be in the UK common phrasebook now – thanks Mary Berry), it’s best to blind bake the pastry base. Just line your pie dish with the pastry, prick with a fork:
Cover in baking parchment (scrunch it up first, then un-scrunch – this makes it easier to get in the corners) and fill with baking beans or dried beans or a mixture of dried beans and uncooked rice. Ten minutes in the oven is enough to ensure the pastry is cooked through at the bottom of the pie and not ‘soggy’.
Put this on the table and you’re bound to have a happy family dinner – only slightly ruined by everyone clamouring to pick the last bits of pastry off the side of the dish (or is that just my tribe?).
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItIt might sound a little strange using puff pastry for the base of the pie (since all the puffiness is going to be squashed down with pie filling), but it works, and it saves the effort of using a different type of pastry for the base.
Other Pie Filling Ideas
- Add some fried pancetta or bacon to the filling.
- Swap the chicken for leftover cooked turkey (cook the veggies without the meat, then stir the cooked shredded turkey into the creamy sauce before it’s poured into the pie dish.
- Add mushrooms and/or leeks
- Add a good dollop of Thai green curry paste to the sauce, swap the lemon juice for lime, and a splash of fish sauce to make a spicy Thai version. You could also swap out the veggies for green beans, brocolli and peppers if you like.
🍽️ What to serve it with
This creamy chicken pie is rich and satisfying, so I usually serve it with:
- Some steamed Kale or Spring Greens for freshness, Or
- Steamed Vegetable Medley
- Crispy Roast Parsnips for a touch of sweetness
- Fresh Bread for soaking up that extra sauce
If you want to keep it easy, a simple bag of steamed mixed veg does the trick!
📺 Watch how to make it
Fancy seeing it in action? Watch the full step-by-step video tutorial here to see how I make this creamy chicken pot pie from scratch – it’ll give you loads of confidence if it’s your first time making pie.
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 x 320g (2 x 11oz) rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 3 chicken breasts cut into small chunks
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped into chunks
- 3 medium sized potatoes peeled and chopped into small chunks
- good pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock water plus 3 stock cubes is fine
- 50 g (3 1/2 tbsp) butter
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 6 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk half or full-fat
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 egg slightly whisked with a fork
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
- Line a 10 x 8 inch pie dish with one roll of the puff pastry.2 x 320g (2 x 11oz) rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
- Prick the base several times with a fork and cut off any large overhanging bits of pastry.
- Line the pastry with baking parchment so that it completely covers the pastry, then fill with baking beans (or dried beans) and place in the oven to 'blind bake' for 10 minutes. PRO TIP This helps to prevent the pie from having a soggy bottom. Because it's puff pastry the sides will puff up a bit (which I don't mind), if you want to prevent this, just fill up with more baking beans.
- Take out of the oven and put to one side.
- Meanwhile, place the chicken, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, and stock into a large saucepan.3 chicken breasts, 3 carrots, 3 medium sized potatoes, good pinch of salt and pepper, 2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme, 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock
- Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.
- When the chicken and stock are nearly cooked, take another large saucepan and add in the butter and chopped onion. Heat on medium and cook the onion for about 5-6 minutes until soft.50 g (3 1/2 tbsp) butter, 1 large onion
- Add in the flour and mix it into the onions and butter using a balloon whisk. It should form into a creamy paste (or roux). Allow the roux to cook for a minute whilst stirring with your whisk.6 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- Then, add in a ladle of the stock from the chicken broth (try to get mostly stock – not the chicken/veggies). Stir the broth into the mixture using the whisk. Repeat this until you have ladled out most of the stock from the chicken pan (leaving the chicken and veggies behind).
- Now, pour in the milk. Heat through whilst stirring with the whisk. The sauce should thicken as it is heating.300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
- Once the sauce is almost at boiling (don't let it boil) add in the chicken and veggies.
- Bring back to almost boiling and add in half the lemon juice. Give it a stir and taste. Add the rest of the lemon juice and more seasoning if you think it needs it.juice of 1 lemon
- Remove the baking beans and baking parchment from the pie and fill the pie up with the chicken mixture.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, then top the pie with the remaining piece of pastry.1 egg
- Pinch the edges to seal, 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.
- Serve immediately with some green veg.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions
To make ahead:You can prepare the filling up to two days in advance. Once it’s cooked and cooled, cover and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to assemble, reheat the filling until hot, then spoon it into the pastry-lined tin and bake as usual. To freeze:
This pie freezes beautifully once cooked. Let it cool completely, then wrap well and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat covered with foil in the oven at 180C/360F for 30–35 minutes, until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to crisp up the pastry. Nutrition info is for one serving of this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chicken pot pie recipe was first created in January 2016. Updated for 2018 with video, process photos and extra tips. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make and cook the pie, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator, then cover in foil and reheat at 180C/360F for approx 30-35 minutes – until it’s piping hot in the middle. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Yes, you can make the filling ahead, then cover and refrigerate for a day or two. Then make up the rest of the pie (reheat the filling before ladling it into the pie tin)
Yes, replace the chicken with leeks and mushrooms or with quorn pieces. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
🥧 More perfect pies
Still hungry for more pies? Why not take a look at some of these: Be sure to check out my Shepherds Pie, I still think mashed potato topped things deserve their place amongst the pies.
Equipment
In order to make this Creamy Chicken Pie recipe you will need:
- A good Kitchen knife. I have recently bought this Dalstrong one and love it.
- Chopping Board
- Pealer
- Measuring Jug
- Juicer
- Measuring Spoons
- Pie Dish
- Baking Beans HINT: Use these to ensure you don’t get a soggy pie bottom!
- 2x Large Saucepans
- Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
- Enamel Baking Dish. We used a 26cm one.
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Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food’s Chicken and Ham pie.
10/10 the best chicken pot pie! We use canned mixed vegetables because we have them and shred a rotisserie chicken. I have made this over and over and refuse to use any other recipe.
Lovely easy recipe. I always struggle with the roux so tip is add the flour to the cold milk and add to the rest of the pot. No lumps. I also added garden peas. I did cook my veg for longer as I like it very soft and so do the kids. I also fried mini chicken fillets in salt and pepper to give extra flavour. I chopped them up when cooked and added them at the end