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This old-fashioned chicken pot pie is a generations-old recipe recipe straight from my grandparent's kitchen. Made with a from-scratch creamy sauce, tender chicken, plenty of vegetables, and a flaky lattice topping, it is comfort food at its finest.
While this chicken pot pie takes a little more effort than versions made with canned biscuits or condensed soups, the payoff is worth it. Just like my Papa's slow cooker pot roast and chicken and dumplings, it delivers old-fashioned flavor that brings me right back to Sunday dinners at my grandparents' table.
Kristen's Keys for Chicken Pot Pie
This chicken pot pie has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, passed down from my grandpa to my mom and now to my kitchen. Over the years, I've picked up a few simple tips that help this recipe truly shine.
- Prepare the dough first. That will give the lattice dough time to chill and a cold dough translates to flaky, tender layers.
- Start with cooked chicken. Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite ways to use leftover cooked chicken. Start with rotisserie chicken, shredded Instant Pot chicken breasts, or even leftover turkey.
- Cook the potatoes first. Raw potatoes won't fully soften in the time it takes to bake chicken pie, so parboiling them first ensures they are fork-tender and creamy.
- The from-scratch sauce is what sets this recipe apart. While it may sound complicated, it's simply chicken stock and milk thickened with a quick roux made from butter and flour. The result is a smooth, rich base that easily beats canned soup every time.
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie From Scratch
Think of this section as me in the kitchen giving you tips along the way.
Step One: Prepare Topping
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with salt and baking powder. Add in milk and melted butter and mix until just combined. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to roll it out.
Note on consistency. The lattice topping is a cross between a biscuits and pie crust. It is flaky and tender, yet can easily be shaped. It should be thick, much like play-doh.
Step Two: Parboil Potatoes
Place peeled, cubed potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer the potatoes until, fork-tender then drain and set aside.
Time-saving tip. If you have leftover baked potatoes (such as Instant Pot baked potatoes or Air Fryer baked potatoes), you can remove their skin and dice up the flesh to use in the chicken pot pie rather than parboiling raw potatoes.
Step Three: Make Sauce
Melt butter, whisk in flour, and cook for a minute to remove the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, until smooth. Add in milk, season well, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step Four: Combine
Fold in cooked, diced chicken, frozen peas and carrots, and the cooked potatoes into the prepared sauce, then transfer that mixture a butter baking dish.
Step Five: Form Lattice Topping
While the lattice topping looks impressive, it is quite easy to assemble, and certainly doesn't have to be perfect to be delicious!
- Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape that is about ¼-inch thick.
- Use a pizza wheel to slice the dough into long strips, each about ½-inch wide.
- Place strips lengthwise in parallel lines about ½-inch apart across your dish.
- Repeat the process widthwise, weaving if desired, to create a lattice pattern.
- Brush the lattice topping with an egg wash to help brown.
- If desired, sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds for visual appeal.
Bake Chicken Pot Pie
Bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden and browned.
Recipe Modifications
- No leftover chicken? If you don't have leftover chicken, simply poach boneless chicken breasts or thighs by simmering them in water for about 15 minutes until cooked through, then dice.
- Egg-Free: Skip the egg wash on the lattice topping and use milk instead.
- Gluten-Free: Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in both the lattice topping and homemade sauce.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Want to get a jump start on making chicken pot pie? Maybe you want to take the dish assembled, but not baked to a family in need of a warm meal? While the components can be made up to 24 hours in advance, it is best to bake or freeze the pot pie immediately after assembling to prevent the topping from getting soggy.
- Up to 24 Hours in Advance: Prepare the biscuit dough and chill. Make the filling through adding the chicken and vegetables. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Assemble and bake as directed within 24 hours.
- Freeze Baked Chicken Pot Pie: Bake fully, cool, then wrap tightly and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight. Then bake, covered loosely with foil, for 40 minutes at 350°F.
- Freeze Unbaked Chicken Pot Pie: Let the filling for the pot pie cool fully. Once cooled, assemble with the lattice topping in a freezer-safe baking dish, skipping the egg wash. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, remove from freezer, brush the biscuit dough with an egg wash, and bake from frozen, covered loosely with foil for 40 minutes at 350°F. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 35-45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the lattice top is golden brown.
More Cozy Chicken Recipes
From soups to casseroles, these recipes use simple ingredients to deliver hearty, comforting family-favorites.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie
Video
Ingredients
Biscuit Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup milk, any fat percentage
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup milk, any fat percentage
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, or additional kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2½ cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
- 1½ cups frozen peas and carrots
For Topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds , optional
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, optional
Instructions
For the Biscuit Topping
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Add in ½ cup milk and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and mix until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, sprinkle the dough with flour, and pat it into a disk 1-inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator while making the filling for the pot pie.
Prepare Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- Place the cubed potatoes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt into a medium to large stock pan and cover with cold tap water. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and set them aside.
- Prepare the sauce, by melting ¼ cup unsalted butter over medium heat in a large stock pan. Once the butter is melted, whisk in ¼ cup all purpose flour to form a thick paste and cook for 1 minute, to allow the flour to toast briefly.
- Slowly add whisk in 1½ cups low sodium chicken stock, until combined and smooth. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, while whisking constantly. Once boiling, 1 cup milk. Season with 1 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the mixture back up to a gentle boil, whisking often. Once the mixture comes to a boil again, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Add the cooked potatoes, diced chicken and 1½ cups frozen peas and carrots to the prepared sauce. Gently fold together to coat.
Assemble and Bake Chicken Pot Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). And grease a 2-quart or 9x13 casserole dish with butter. Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture into the prepared pan.
- Remove the biscuit dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough lengthwise into ½-inch-wide strips. Lay the strips in parallel lines about ½ inch apart across the filling, then place additional strips crosswise on top, weaving them if desired to create a lattice pattern.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush over dough strips. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds, if using.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until dough is golden brown and filling is bubbling hot.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2016 but has been updated in 2026.
I haven't tried it, but I bet if you didn't care for carrots or peas you could substitute frozen green beans. The recipe involves quite a bit of work but I bet it's delicious. I've tried a couple kinds of frozen chicken pot pies and they've been very disappointing. I've ordered it at Cracker Barrel and it's been pretty good, but not like Kristen's I'm sure.
Frozen green beans would be a great idea--or if you like all frozen veggies, you can use a mixed blend. And I think you will LOVE this one!
Do you think it work to use homemade ghee from unsalted butter instead of butter? If so, do you think I will need to add a little salt to compensate for no salt in the butter?
Also, do you think it would be okay to substitute soy milk for cows milk?
This recipe looks great, I can't wait to try it.
Hi Marilyn! Homemade ghee will work for the sauce and dough well in this particular recipe. I wouldn't worry about adding salt, since this recipe calls for unsalted butter. As for the milk, unflavored soy milk will work, as will additional chicken stock. Enjoy!
I'm really excited to try this out! We've had a long day of putting our house back together and I want to give my kids a big meal to say thank you for their help. We had our yesterday and our floors done today so we've been busy. Nothing sounds better than homemade chicken pot pie, though, so I'm excited for this! Thanks for sharing!
WOW! That is a huge, busy day! I hope you enjoy the Chicken Pot Pie.