The Ultimate Homemade Chicken Pot Pie: A Rich & Flaky Comfort Food Classic

Ah, chicken pot pie! It’s more than just a meal; it’s a warm, buttery hug on a plate. This particular homemade chicken pot pie recipe has a special place in my heart, evolving from a beloved Ina Garten classic into my ultimate go-to. Over the years, I’ve tweaked and refined it, always striving for that perfect balance of rich, savory filling and a delightfully flaky crust, while making it a bit more “me.” My old recipe notes were a chaotic mess of complaints about the amount of cream and butter (don’t worry, I’ve found the sweet spot!), but the core magic of this scratch chicken pot pie remains. Prepare yourself for a truly satisfying cooking adventure that’s absolutely worth every minute.

Crafting the Perfect Flaky Pie Pastry

The foundation of any great chicken pot pie is its crust. For this recipe, I’ve settled on a fantastic double crust all-butter recipe. Using all butter yields an incredibly rich flavor and a beautifully tender, flaky texture that’s simply unmatched. While I’m a firm believer in the all-butter approach, for those who crave an even *flakier* crust, you can substitute half a cup of shortening for some of the butter. Shortening creates a different kind of flakiness, often resulting in a lighter, crisper crust. Regardless of your fat choice, remember that cold ingredients are key to a successful pastry – cold butter, cold water, and a cool kitchen environment will prevent the butter from melting too quickly, ensuring those coveted layers.

Tips for Achieving an Unbeatable Pie Crust

• Keep it Cold: Seriously, this is the golden rule. Cold butter and ice water are essential. The butter creates pockets of steam in the oven, which leads to flakiness. If the butter melts before baking, you lose that potential.
• Don’t Overwork the Dough: Mix just enough until the ingredients come together. Overmixing develops gluten, which results in a tough crust rather than a tender one. You want visible pea-sized pieces of butter in your dough.
• Add Apple Cider Vinegar: A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, as included in this recipe, is a secret weapon. It helps tenderize the crust by inhibiting gluten development without adding any noticeable flavor.
• Chill, Chill, Chill: After mixing, chilling the dough is non-negotiable. It allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up again, making the dough easier to roll and ensuring maximum flakiness. Aim for at least an hour, or even overnight.
• Roll Evenly: When rolling out your dough, try to keep an even thickness. This ensures consistent baking and prevents some parts from burning while others remain undercooked.

Succulent Chicken and a Rich, Creamy Filling

The heart of this comfort dish lies in its flavorful chicken and a luxuriously creamy filling. The original recipe specifies baking bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, and for good reason: cooking chicken with the bone and skin intact infuses the meat with a deeper, more robust flavor. The fat from the skin renders and bastes the meat, keeping it incredibly moist and adding layers of savory goodness that plain boneless, skinless chicken simply can’t achieve. This method truly elevates the overall taste of your pot pie.

Choosing Your Chicken

• Bone-in, Skin-on Breasts: My preferred method for maximum flavor. Roasting them until just cooked through ensures tender, juicy meat.
• Rotisserie Chicken: A fantastic shortcut for busy days! A store-bought rotisserie chicken is already cooked and seasoned, saving you a significant amount of prep time. However, be mindful that rotisserie chickens seem to be getting smaller these days, so you might need two to yield the 4-6 cups of diced chicken required for this recipe.
• Leftover Cooked Chicken: If you have leftover roast chicken, grilled chicken, or even poached chicken, feel free to use it! Just ensure you have about 5 cups of diced meat.

The Unforgettable Sauce and Fresh Vegetables

Now, let’s talk about the sauce. It’s unapologetically rich, featuring a generous amount of butter and a touch of heavy cream. This combination creates a velvety smooth, incredibly satisfying base for all the other ingredients. While I haven’t experimented with lightening it significantly, I have successfully dialed down the salt content. The saltiness of chicken stock can vary wildly from brand to brand, or if you’re using homemade, so tasting and adjusting at the end is crucial. My approach combines good quality chicken stock with “Better Than Bouillon” stock base, a trick I learned from Ina Garten herself, which ensures a deep, concentrated chicken flavor without needing excessive salt initially. I’ve found the original recipe’s call for a full two teaspoons of salt often too much, likely because my chosen broths are already quite savory.

The vegetables in this pot pie are classic and contribute essential texture and freshness. Medium-diced carrots, blanched briefly to ensure they’re tender but not mushy, along with frozen green beans and small whole onions (or pearl onions), create a colorful and nutritious mix. The addition of fresh minced parsley at the end brightens everything up, adding a herbaceous note that perfectly complements the rich filling. Feel free to adjust the vegetable blend to your liking; peas, corn, or diced potatoes could also make wonderful additions.

Serving Size: Hearty Individual Portions

The beauty of homemade chicken pot pie often lies in its rustic charm, and this recipe leans into that by calling for individual ovenproof bowls. The original recipe simply suggests “large ovenproof bowls,” giving you flexibility. For four truly generous servings, you’ll want to use wide bowls that can hold at least 2 cups of filling. Ramekins or smaller casserole dishes will also work, just adjust the portion sizes accordingly. These individual pies are not only charming but also perfect for portion control and make for an impressive presentation.

Related Delicious Recipes

• Lemon Honey Chicken with Olives
• Ina Garten Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting
• Six Inch Instant Pot Chocolate Cake
• Half Batch Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
• Small Loaf Pan Banana Bread

Recipe

Ina Garten’s Chicken Pot Pie (My Go-To Version)

Anna

This scratch-made chicken pot pie is a labor of love, but the rich, creamy filling and flaky, buttery crust make every moment in the kitchen worth it. A true comfort food masterpiece!

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Course Entree

Cuisine American

Ingredients

 

For the Flaky All-Butter Pastry

• 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (approx. 340 grams)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (adjust to your preference)
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (very cold, cut into ½-inch chunks)
• ½ cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 large egg (for egg wash)

For the Chicken

• 3 large split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (yielding 4-6 cups cooked chicken)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

For the Rich Filling

• 5 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade or a good quality brand like Kitchen Basics)
• 2 teaspoons “Better Than Bouillon” chicken base
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups yellow onions (chopped, about 2 medium onions)
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots (blanched for 2 minutes)
• 2 cups frozen green beans (or frozen peas)
• 1 ½ cups frozen small whole onions (pearl onions, I often use slightly fewer)
• ½ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• Additional salt and pepper (to taste, for final seasoning)

Instructions

 

For the Pastry

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Pulse a few times to mix thoroughly. (Alternatively, combine in a large mixing bowl if making by hand.)
• Add half of the cold butter chunks to the flour mixture. Pulse briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the remaining butter and pulse just until the butter is broken up into various sizes, with some pea-sized chunks still visible. Add the apple cider vinegar and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Then, add half of the ice water and pulse. Gradually add the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the mixture just comes together when pinched. You will likely use all the water.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry mat or clean surface. Gently gather and pat it into one large mass. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc, wrap them separately in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour (or until firm and ready to use).

For the Chicken

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and rub to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Set aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You should have approximately 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

For the Filling

• In a small saucepan, gently heat the chicken stock and “Better Than Bouillon” base until simmering. Stir to dissolve the bouillon. Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the chopped yellow onions and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent and softened. Add the ¾ cup of all-purpose flour to the onions and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes to create a roux. Gradually whisk in the hot chicken stock mixture into the roux. Continue to simmer over low heat for another minute, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
• Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream, the diced cooked chicken, blanched carrots, frozen green beans (or peas), frozen pearl onions, and fresh minced parsley. Taste the filling and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Remember, the saltiness of your stock can vary, so taste before adding more.

Assembly and Baking

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Divide the prepared filling equally among 4 large ovenproof bowls (each holding at least 2 cups). On a lightly floured surface, take one chilled dough disc and roll it out into an 8-inch circle. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a splash of water to create an egg wash. Brush the outside edges of each ovenproof bowl with this egg wash. Carefully place one rolled dough circle on top of each bowl of filling. Trim the dough to be about ½-inch larger than the top edge of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it firmly against the bowl to seal. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash and make three small slits in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape. Optionally, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper for extra flavor and visual appeal.
• Place the assembled pot pies on a sturdy baking sheet (to catch any potential drips and make transport easier). Bake for 1 hour, or until the pastry tops are gorgeously golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot and thick. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, as the filling will be extremely hot. This recipe makes 4 exceptionally generous and satisfying individual servings.

Notes

If you opt to use already cooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken or leftovers), you will need approximately 5 cups of diced chicken for this recipe. Adjust your roasting time or simply skip the chicken roasting step.

Keyword Chicken Pot Pie, Homemade, Comfort Food, Ina Garten Inspired, Flaky Crust, Creamy Filling

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Variations and Customization Ideas

While this classic chicken pot pie recipe is perfect as is, it’s also incredibly versatile! Feel free to experiment with different vegetables or seasonings to suit your taste. Consider adding diced potatoes (cook them with the carrots) for a heartier filling, or a handful of fresh or frozen peas and corn for added sweetness and color. A touch of fresh thyme or rosemary could infuse a different aromatic profile. For a slightly cheesy twist, you could sprinkle a little Parmesan or cheddar into the filling just before assembling. The possibilities are endless for making this comforting dish uniquely yours.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips

Chicken pot pie is an excellent make-ahead meal, perfect for busy weeknights or for gifting. You can prepare the filling entirely in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. When ready to bake, simply warm the filling slightly before assembling with fresh pastry. For longer storage, assemble the pies in their ovenproof bowls (or in disposable foil containers), but do not bake. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, remove the foil and plastic, brush with egg wash, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. If baking thawed pies, they will need about 60-75 minutes.

Troubleshooting Common Chicken Pot Pie Issues

• Soggy Bottom Crust: This is a common challenge. Ensure your filling isn’t too wet; if it seems overly liquid, simmer it a little longer to reduce. Also, pre-baking the bottom crust for 10-15 minutes before adding the filling can help, though this recipe is designed to work well without it if the dough is handled properly. Baking at a slightly higher initial temperature can also help set the crust quickly.
• Runny Filling: This usually means your roux (flour and butter mixture) wasn’t cooked long enough or you didn’t add enough flour, or the filling wasn’t simmered enough to thicken. The sauce should be quite thick before you add the chicken and vegetables.
• Burnt Crust Edges: If the edges of your pie crust are browning too quickly, you can cover them loosely with aluminum foil for the last portion of the baking time.
• Pale Crust: Ensure you are using an egg wash (egg whisked with a little water) for a beautiful golden-brown finish. Baking at the correct temperature is also key.

There you have it – my perfected homemade chicken pot pie, a true testament to the power of a comforting, scratch-made meal. This recipe, with its flaky, buttery crust and rich, savory filling, promises to become a cherished family favorite. It’s a dish that warms the soul and satisfies the deepest cravings for wholesome, delicious food. Don’t be intimidated by the “from scratch” label; every step is manageable, and the reward is absolutely magnificent. Gather your ingredients, roll up your sleeves, and prepare to bake a pie that will earn rave reviews. Enjoy every comforting bite!