From the pan to the pie dish

Our photos follow this dinner from chopped onion, carrots and celery to chicken in a creamy sauce, then into a pastry-lined dish. The top gets an egg wash before baking, giving the finished pie its glossy golden color.

We followed the recipe sheet for Tiffany Azure’s Easy Homemade Chicken Pot Pie at Creme de la Crumb. The quantities and timing estimates below come from that sheet; the directions are rewritten here alongside our own cooking photos. We did not record separate measured cooking times.

Chopped carrots, celery and onion in our Dutch oven
Start with the vegetables before adding the chicken.

Make the chicken pot pie

Serves: 6. Estimated prep: 20 minutes. Cooking: about 65 minutes including the stovetop filling and baking. Rest: 15 minutes. Total: about 1 hour 40 minutes.

Equipment: large skillet or Dutch oven, 9-inch pie dish, rimmed baking sheet, pastry brush and food thermometer.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, plus a little for the pie dish
  • 1 white or yellow onion, diced
  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 medium-large boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1½ cups half-and-half or whole milk
  • ¾ cup frozen peas
  • 2 sheets refrigerated pie crust, or enough homemade pastry for a double crust
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt; cook until the onion softens and begins to take on color.
  2. Add thyme and chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken begins to brown. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute.
  3. Gradually stir in the broth and dairy. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens but is still slightly looser than the finished filling should be. Stir in peas, taste for seasoning, then take the pan off the heat and let it cool slightly.
  4. Grease a 9-inch pie dish lightly and line it with one sheet of pastry. Add the filling without overfilling; place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Brush the exposed pastry edge with egg.
  5. Cover with the second crust, seal and crimp the edges, and trim excess pastry. Brush the top with beaten egg and cut steam vents.
  6. Bake for about 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is baked and deeply golden and the chicken in the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Shield the edges with foil if they brown too quickly. Use doneness rather than the clock as the final check.
  7. Rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting so the filling has a chance to settle.
Chicken, carrots, celery and onions in a creamy sauce in the pan
Thicken the filling on the stovetop before assembling.
Creamy chicken and vegetable filling in the bottom pie crust
Leave enough room to seal the top crust; a baking sheet catches spills.
Unbaked pot pie brushed with egg wash and cut with steam vents
Seal the pastry edges and add vents before baking.

A few useful notes

Refrigerated pastry keeps assembly straightforward. If using homemade dough, prepare enough for both a bottom and top crust. Half-and-half and whole milk are the options on the source recipe sheet; the sauce will be richer with half-and-half.

Allergens: wheat, milk and egg. Check packaged pastry and broth for other allergens. Serve with a simple green salad, or browse our family recipes for another dinner idea.

Storing leftovers

Refrigerate within two hours, in shallow containers, and use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Follow USDA leftover guidance.

For another comforting dinner, try our creamy shiitake Dijon chicken or rosemary beef stew.