The Best Chicken {or Turkey} Pot Pie

This delicious, versatile pot pie filling makes the best chicken pot pie {turkey, too!} with either a biscuit topping or a traditional pie crust! I firmly believe everyone needs to have a tried-and-true pot pie recipe in their recipe files.

Chicken pot pie ranks right up there with sloppy joes and shepherd’s pie in terms of me having to overcome serious childhood scars (and scares) from eating bad versions throughout my youth.

And just so you know, I’m not blaming anything on my mom (who always, always made sure we had dinner on the table, even if cooking is one of her least favorite things to do in the history of ever).

No. I attribute my pot pie paranoia to my dad. (hi, dad)

Whenever my mom was gone and he was in charge of feeding the masses, it was frozen pot pie for the win.

Er, maybe not such a win.

In truth, he was doing the best he could, and I should have been grateful for the effort..

An electrical engineer dad of five young kids, he would probably rather have been strapping an empty cereal box to our back to see if we could catch a ball in it (this happened a lot in my youth, as well) or tutoring us and all the neighbor kids in math than “making” dinner.

So if years of gagging down frozen pot pies is the worst thing I have to face in my childhood, I’ll take it.

The background story sheds a little light into why it’s taken me so long to get a homemade version, though.

My family adores this chicken pot pie crumble that’s lived on my site for years, but when I decided to embrace chicken pot pie again, I knew I wanted something a little more classic.

A little more go-to.

I really wanted the best chicken pot pie to end all chicken pot pie searches everywhere.

And while chicken pot pie may not make the weeknight meal or 30-minute meal category cut, the extra bit of effort is worth it when you get a 100% homemade version that will knock your socks off.

Here’s the deal with this chicken pot pie: 

-that creamy pot pie filling loaded with vegetables is everything. It is so good. I’ve made this recipe so many times over the last couple months.

I knew, before posting, I wanted to get all the ingredients just right so the filling is the perfect consistency (not too thick, not too thin) and flavorful.

And that filling really does make the best chicken pot pie ever.

-you can use either a biscuit topping or a more traditional pie crust top. The homemade biscuit topping is obviously a little more hearty and filling, but you can’t go wrong with either.

If you like a little more filling to topping ratio, go with the thinner pie crust.

But if you like a sturdy portion of light and fluffy carbs along with the delectable filling, biscuits might be your best choice.

I adapted my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe for the perfect biscuit topping.

And when I make it with pie crust, I use this sour cream pie crust recipe (reducing the sugar to 1 teaspoon).

–speaking of versatility, you can easily make this pot pie in a 9X13-inch pan OR go for the cute, individual servings.

I have these 9-10 ounce ramekins that I picked up from World Market (similar version on Amazon here).

My kids about lose their minds when they see me pull the smaller dishes out of the cupboard, because it means only one thing: chicken pot pie autonomy.

Don’t stress too much about the biscuit OR pie crust topping looking perfect on top of the pot pie filling. It’s ok if the filling bubbles up while baking with either topping.

When I use a pie crust, I don’t get all fancy with the edges – I just either tuck the pie crust down inside the dish around the edges or let it hang over the edge about 1/4-inch or so.

As long as the crust and biscuits are sitting right on top of the filling, you’ll be fine.

Keep this recipe handy during the holidays, because leftover turkey makes a great substitution for the cooked chicken!

And I guess in the month of November, and forever, I’ll be grateful I was able to embrace and love chicken pot pie again.

This meal really can stand on it’s own, but if you are looking for a simple side, go with a tossed green salad (or an upscale romaine salad) or a tasty kale salad.

One Year Ago: Triple Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies
Two Years Ago: Pretzel and Sausage Stuffing
Three Years Ago: Melting Roasted Potatoes
Four Years Ago: Apple Crumb Pie
Five Years Ago: Pumpkin Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread with Vanilla Glaze

Chicken Pot Pie {Biscuit or Pie Crust Top}

Yield: 7 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

4.88 stars (162 ratings)

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Ingredients

Pot Pie Filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion or shallots
• ¾ cup (113 to 170 g) chopped celery, about 2-3 stalks
• 1 ½ cups (about 227 g) chopped carrots, about 3-4 large carrots
• 1 ½ cups (about 283 to 340 g) peeled and chopped (1/4-inch) potatoes, russet, red or Yukon gold, about 1 large or 2 small-medium potatoes
• ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I always use coarse black pepper
• 5 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup (71 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups milk, I use 2%
• 3 cups (about 340 to 454 g) cooked, diced chicken
• ¾ cup (85 to 113 g) frozen peas
• Topping of choice, biscuit or pie crust (see note)

Biscuit Topping:

• 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
• 1 cup buttermilk, plus more, if needed – up to 1/4 cup

Pie Crust Topping:

• 9- inch pie crust recipe (see note)

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan (I use glass or ceramic). Alternately, you can use individual, large, oven-safe ramekin dishes (about 10 ounces, 4 1/2-inches or so).
• For the filling, in a 5- or 6-quart pot set over medium heat, add the olive oil, onions (or shallots), celery, carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Cover the pot with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to cook, until the vegetables are lightly steamed and mostly tender (they’ll cook a bit more later), 5-7 minutes. Check every couple of minutes to stir and make sure they aren’t sticking. Add a couple tablespoons water or broth if the mixture is overly dry. Scrape the mixture to a plate or bowl.
• Return the pot to medium heat. Add the butter and cook until melted. Stir in the flour and whisk to combine. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes as the flour/butter sizzles.
• Gradually whisk in the broth and milk, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup at a time and incorporating it completely before adding more. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook until the sauce has thickened, 5-7 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken, frozen peas, and reserved vegetables and remove from the heat. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, as needed!
• Carefully ladle/pour the pot pie filling into the prepared baking dish(es). Let the mixture cool until warm (this helps not melt the butter in the pie crust/biscuits so they stay flaky and tender). If you can’t possibly wait, it’s ok, just hurry and top it with biscuits or pie crust and get it into the oven ASAP.
• If using a pie crust topping, roll out the pie crust to desired thickness to fit on top of the baking dish with about a 1/4-inch overhang. Roll/lift the pie crust to fit evenly over the top of the pot pie filling – make sure it’s resting directly on the filling and not hanging above suspended on the edges of the pan. Trim the edges to about 1/4-inch (if needed). Flute the edges or tuck them into the inside of the baking dish.
• For a biscuit topping, make the biscuits by whisking together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until the butter pieces are about pea-size (or grate it in with the large holes of a box grater and toss with the flour). Add the buttermilk and mix quickly and gently until it forms a cohesive ball (don’t overmix). Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured counter and press into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.
• Gently fold the dough in half or in thirds, repeating for a total of 4-5 times and pressing it gently into a 1/2- or 3/4-inch thick rectangle after the last fold. These folds, combined with the cold butter, are what help to create flaky layers in the biscuits.
• Cut the rectangle into about 15 equal pieces (square). Top the pot pie with the biscuits, evenly spaced apart.
• Bake the pot pie for 30-35 minutes until the pie crust or biscuits are golden and cooked through. Let the pot pie rest for 5-10 minutes out of the oven before serving.

Notes

Pie Plate: since I know someone may ask or wonder, yes, you could put the filling in a pie plate, as an alternative, and top with a pie crust. My guess is this amount of filling could fit in a deep 9.5-inch pie plate, but I haven’t tried it myself as I usually make it in a 9X13-inch pan. 

Pie Crust: about the pie crust edges, don’t stress about making them super pretty – and it’s ok if the filling bubbles up and over the edges of either the pie crust or the biscuits. I just tuck the pie crust down on the inside edges of the pan or let it hang over the edge about 1/4-inch or so. 

Pie Crust Recipe: here is my favorite homemade pie crust recipe. Reduce the sugar to 1 teaspoon (and increase by half if you like a thicker crust).

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 725kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 112mg, Sodium: 1135mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g

Recommended Products

White Ceramic 9X13-inch Dish

Cookware

Wire Whisk

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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