How To Make Chicken Pot Pie with Double Crust
Do you need a fabulous comfort food recipe, especially when the temperatures outside are freezing cold? You’ve come to the perfect spot to discover how to make a Chicken Pot Pie with Double Crust that is guaranteed to hit the spot and have your family and friends asking for seconds!
To warm you up, it just doesn’t get much better than this classic comfort food.
The filling for this chicken pot pie has a rich, creamy sauce with hearty chunks of chicken, fresh veggies, some cheese, and garlic! This savory pie filling is packed between two golden sheets of flaky biscuit pie crust . . . just so yummy in both flavor and texture. Because it is so easy to make, Chicken Pot Pie is one of the most popular recipes and perfect for any novice cook to master.
Too busy to cook? Oh yes, you certainly can pick up frozen chicken pot pies in your grocery store. But is so worth it to have one that is homemade. In comparison, this homemade recipe has a very hefty, generous filling, and includes fresher, higher-quality ingredients. And the best part is that it’s freezer friendly. It can be made ahead on the weekends and simply reheated on busy weeknights.
Once you make a homemade chicken pot pie, you’ll join the thousands who’ve never gone back to buying store-bought versions.
What You Need For The Chicken Pot Pie Filling
This chicken pot pie is a whole meal in itself with the following ingredients (there’s a lot)!
This is a loaded pot pie and literally a meal all by itself!
So let’s gather up our ingredients and get to the kitchen!
“Andiamo a cucina” (let’s go to the kitchen)!
For the Pie Crust:
Either a store-bought double pie crust or puff pastry will be OK, but for best results, prepare homemade pie dough, using:
- Flour
- Jumbo egg
- Buttermilk
- Butter
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt & Pepper
For the Filling:
- Rotisserie Chicken – Already roasted for you, however, you can always roast your own chicken (my Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken is what I use); bones and skin removed; use both dark and light meat.
- Butter – To saute’ vegetables and garlic
- Garlic and Onion – The aromatic base that adds a tremendous amount of wonderful flavor! Also used in most of my soups such as Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and Instant Pot Pasta e Fagiole Soup.
- Carrots, Onion, Celery, Mushrooms, Potatoes and Peas – Super loaded, right? Use frozen baby peas and add them at the very end so that they keep their bright green color and firmness. Adding peas at the start of the recipe causes them to become mushy in texture and discolored.
- Any Veggie You Like – I added leftover, fresh (not canned) green beans . . . it was a great addition!
- Sage, Thyme, Italian Parsley, Salt, and Pepper – A perfect blend of flavorful, aromatic herbs that enhance the flavor perfectly.
- Flour – To thicken and make a roux for the sauce.
- Heavy Cream – Oh yea! Cream perfectly creates a rich, satiny texture throughout the pot pie.
- Chicken Broth – Necessary to form the sauce along with the cream.
- Fontina Cheese – Adds a delicious layer of cheese that most pot pie recipes lack.
- Chicken Bouillon – only 1 teaspoonful to enhance the filling with a stronger chicken flavor — well worth the addition. We only use the brand Better Than Bouillon.
Substitutions
It’s easy to make this chicken pot pie more unique to your taste preferences. Use your favorite veggies, meat, and herbal flavors to customize your pot pie.
- Meat – Turkey, ham, and even fish (yes, some countries love fish pie!) can be used instead of chicken. This is a great recipe to use after the holidays with leftover turkey or ham!
- Vegetables – Other delicious options include green beans, broccoli, and/or corn. Add or delete whatever you prefer.
- Herbs – Oregano, chives, and even a little bit of rosemary (that goes so well with chicken).
How To Make Chicken Pot Pie & Helpful Step-by-Step Photos + Video
You can watch my Video and follow along to learn how to easily prepare this chicken pot pie. It’s easier than you think!
It’s so much better if you make the easy crust from scratch. Yes, you can use a ready-made pie crust from the store, especially if you need to save time. But if you want the best pot pie, there’s nothing better than my homemade buttermilk biscuit pie crust which is perfect for this savory pie.
- Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in butter.
- Add mushrooms, herbs, and flour. The flavor really develops in this step!
- Add cream and chicken broth.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally to thicken.
- Add cheese, potatoes, and peas (and any veggie you like! I added left-over fresh green beans the last time I made this pot pie . . . a great addition!)
- Add chicken
- It’s extremely important to taste at this time…..if it needs salt, then add it, but only a little at a time, because once it is added, you can’t take it out.
- Add chicken bouillon at this time. . . again, only a tiny bit at a time!
- Roll out half of the pie crust dough into a 11 – 12″ circle and place and fit it into a large 9 or 9-½” deep dish pie pan.
- IMPORTANT STEP not shown in the photos: BLIND BAKE the bottom pie crust for 10 – 15 minutes in the pie dish at 350°F — this ensures that the bottom crust is cooked and not soggy!
- Remove the baked bottom pie crust and continue:
- Add the filling to the crust.
- Roll out the second (top) half of the pie dough into another 10 – 11″ circle and place it on top of the filling.
- Press the two edges of pie dough together with your fingers and crimp them together to seal the pie.
- Slice 4 – 5 slits in the top crust dough to release the hot steam while the pie bakes.
- Brush egg wash over the top for a golden, shimmering color, which is more appetizing than an otherwise dull appearance. Sprinkle some coarse salt over the top (optional).
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425°F (218°C) for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Roll out the second half of the dough into a 11 – 12-inch circle, and lay it over the filling.
- Slice a few small slits in the top crust to release the hot steam.
- Seal the pie crust edges by crimping with your fingers.
See the recipe card below for the specific instructions and ingredient measurements.
Don’t you just love delicious food with uncomplicated recipes? This Chicken Pot Pie recipe is one that you’ll enjoy and that will earn a spot in your recipe box! Let me know what you think if you make it! I’d love to know!
Bella’s Tips
- Prevent the edges of the pie dough from burning by using a pie shield or by loosely placing aluminum foil around the edges of the pie dough.
- Make ahead of time by preparing the filling and chilling it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake the pie, remove it from the fridge and assemble the pot pie.
- Store the chicken pot pie, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat the chilled pot pie, bake it at 350°F for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the filling is 165°F on an internal thermometer. It’s best not to reheat this pot pie in a microwave oven because it ‘softens’ the pie crust, whereas an oven or mini-oven keeps the top pie crust crispy.
- To freeze the entire assembled chicken pot pie, allow it to cool, then cover it completely, first with baking paper (which provides an extra layer of protection against freezer burn) and then with heavy-duty aluminum foil. IMPORTANT: Do not re-bake in a frozen state with a glass pan – it will break going from a frozen temperature to a hot oven temperature, so use a metal or disposable aluminum baking pan instead of a glass baking dish.
What to Serve with Chicken Pot Pie
- A delicious tossed salad (see ” 7 Tips For A Great Salad “)
- Coleslaw
- Grilled Italian Corn on the Cob with Basil Butter
- Italian Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Old-Fashioned Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
For the Buttermilk Biscuit Crust:
- 2 cups flour, plus more for kneading and rolling out the crust
- 1-½ baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
- 1 cup buttermilk
For the Filling:
- 4 pound rotisserie chicken with skin and bones discarded, cut into ½" cubes, (you need 4 cups)
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (I use Vidalia onions), chopped fine
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 fresh carrots, peeled and cut up ¼" pieces (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, cut into ¼" pieces (about 1 cup)
- 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup frozen baby peas
- 2 small russet potatoes, peeled, and, cut into ¼” pieces
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked sea salt, table salt is fine
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, white pepper is also fine
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely minced (about 3 large leaves)
- 1-½ teaspoon fresh thyme, finely minced
- 4 Tbsp. fresh Italian Parsley, plus more to garnish the pie, finely minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Fontina cheese
- ½ tsp. "Better Than Bouillion" chicken flavor paste
- 1 jumbo egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
For the Crust:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and small pieces of butter remain.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir until incorporated.
- On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, put the ball of dough on the lightly floured surface and sprinkle with a little more flour. The dough will be quite sticky!
- Knead a few times until the dough comes together and it’s not so sticky.
- Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Place in the refrigerator for 1 – 24 hours before rolling out.
- After the dough has chilled, place the disk on a lightly floured surface and roll out to an 11 – 12″ circle.
- Carefully pick up the dough and place it in a 9 or 9½” deep dish pie plate.
- Trim any excess and fold edges under and crimp.
- Place in a 350°F oven and par-bake for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the Filling:
- Place an oven rack on the lowest position and heat the oven to 425 F degrees
- Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Saute' until vegetables are slightly soft for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, mushrooms, sage, thyme, and Italian parsley and saute'.
- Add flour and cook, stirring continually until fully incorporated.
- Slowly stir in the cream and chicken broth and bring to a low boil on medium-high heat.
- Stir in the shredded Fontina cheese.
- Stir in the potatoes and peas.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is thick and the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Now taste the filling's sauce … add 1 tsp. of salt if you prefer (we do) and add the chicken bouillon.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the chicken. Add a few more tablespoons of cream if the sauce is too thick.
- Place one layer of pie dough on the bottom of the largest pie pan you have, preferably a 9-½" pie pan — if you don't have a larger pie pan, then this will make one regular pie size plus one small pie or small casserole. It is a LOT!
- Roll out the second, top layer of pie dough and then very loosely place it around the rolling pin. Carefully place it over the filling and gently 'unroll' the dough onto the filling.
- Trim overhanging extra dough to about ½” from the edge of the pie dish.
- Pinch the bottom layer of pie dough with the top layer of pie dough with your fingers, pressing the two layers of pie dough firmly together.
- Cut four 2″ long slits on top of the pie dough.
- Brush the top of the pie and edges with beaten egg.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet or pizza pan on a lower oven rack.
- At 425°F (218°C), bake until the top is light golden color, for 20 minutes.
- With aluminum foil cover the edges of the pie crust or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from becoming too brown.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375°F degrees, rotate the pot pie, and bake for another 10 minutes until the top crust is a deep golden brown. Insert an internal thermometer; the center of the pot pie should be 165 F degrees.
- Allow the pie to set and cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes.
- Garnish with minced Italian parsley
Buon Appetito!
Mangia,
Roz
Notes
I hope that you enjoy this Chicken Pot Pie. It’s truly one of the best comfort foods to offer your family and friends. Buon appetito!
Your pot pie looks scrumptious, Roz!! Bill is going to love it!!!
Thank Liz, My Bill enjoyed it too. Hope you are staying warm!
xo
Roz
My mom made excellent pie crust and to this day, the crust is still my favorite part of any pie. So your double crust here really appeals to me. I especially like that you got the liquid amount such that it didn’t run when cut.
Thank you Larry! The crust is amazing for a ‘savory’ pie crust. I created it for a pie contest with Nathalie Dupree as the judge and won first place! The filling is certainly not runny in this pot pie. I credit that to adding flour as instructed by the America’s Test Kitchens video.