Chicken Veggie Pot Pie

Chicken Veggie Pot Pie is the most delicious in classic comfort foods, simple and rustic yet entirely made from scratch!  It's loaded with lots of healthy veggies and chicken in a creamy filling and topped with a flakey pie crust. This recipe makes 1 large or 2 smaller baking dishes of pot pie, a total of 6 servings, so you can freeze extra depending on your family size!

• A Heartwarming Meal!  Chicken Veggie Pot Pie is one of our favorite dinners!  It takes love as the secret ingredient, and a little extra time and care, but wow is it worth it! This pot pie can be portioned into 1 large baking dish or two smaller ones, feeding a total of 6 people. The recipe can also be doubled, and any extra pot pies can be frozen, unbaked. This makes your efforts well worth while!

• Loaded with Veggies! - I added "veggie" to the title because chicken is not the only star here.  Chicken Pot Pie with sweet potato, carrot, onion, celery and peas is sure to make up for all the butter, right? It's healthy in the most comforting way! Try this similar meat-veggie-starch favorite Garden Harvest Tater Tot Casserole!

• Richness in Balance, I only put a crust on the top, not the bottom, because you just don't need it.  This is a rich dish as it is, no need to go overboard!  I always serve it with a big green salad like this Italian Mixed Greens Salad with a light vinaigrette to balance the richness. 

• If you love classic comfort foods, just like mom used to make, try this Simply Perfect Beef Roast, Potato Ham and Leek Soup, and this Whole Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables!

Ingredients

Entirely homemade, this chicken vegetable pot pie is made from basic ingredients with a quick rustic scratch-made pie crust.

• Butter and Flour - It may seem like too much butter at the beginning, but don't skip it!  The butter will combine with the flour after the veggies are sautéed to form a roux, which will be the thickener for the chicken stock and milk.

• Sweet Potato, Onion, Carrot, Celery, Garlic, Peas - All the veggies!  I like packing in the veggies here to balance out the richness of this meal!

• Chicken Stock and Milk make up the liquid for the creamy filling. Store-bought chicken stock is just fine, but we love saving our chicken bones and vegetable scrapes to make Homemade Chicken Stock for the Freezer.

• Cooked Chicken - Any leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken will work, chopped or shredded. Or you can make this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast whenever you need cooked chicken! You can also cook chicken breasts or thighs in a crockpot and shred the meat for this recipe.

• Pie Crust - You can certainly choose a store-bought pie crust, but making one is pretty simple! You'll just need flour, salt, butter and water with an egg to brush over the top. All ingredients should be cold, pull the butter straight from the fridge and add an ice cube to the water.

Step 5 - Thicken the Filling - As the liquid simmers, the roux will begin to thicken it. Keep it over a low burner so it doesn't boil, giving it a stir now and then or whisk it to speed things up, about 15 to 20 more minutes. As the filling simmers, and you can make the pie crust.

When the filling has thickened, transfer it to a baking dish. This is where you can decide to make 1 larger chicken pot pie to feed 6 people, or 2 smaller dishes to each feed 3. You can put it in any sizes or shapes you have, just divide the crust accordingly. The extra can be frozen.

How to Make the Crust

Step 5 - Add the flour and salt to a bowl along with the chopped cold butter. Mix with a pastry cutter, adding a Tablespoon of cold water at a time until it comes together. Work quickly to keep the dough cold. You may not use all the water. Sometimes crumbling the butter and flour together with your hands is easier!

Step 6 - When the dough forms into a ball, don't over work it, lay it on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin.

Roll the dough to fit the shape of the baking dish you have chosen. If using 2 smaller dishes, cut the ball of dough in half before rolling each.

Step 7 - Drape the pie crust over the filled baking dish and crimp the edges. You can make it look as perfect or a rustic as you like! Cut extra pieces of dough and use them to patch areas that need more. I definitely prefer the rustic look!

Step 8 - Cut a few slits in the top to vent. Whisk one egg and brush onto the crusts. You won't need the whole egg, but make sure to brush the entire pot pie, especially the crimped edges.

Chef Tips

• Sweet Potato - It's not a typical veggie in pot pie, but I love that it adds heartiness and great flavor! To leave it out, substitute 2 cups of some other vegetable like regular potatoes, more carrots and celery, frozen corn or green beans, or even butternut squash!

• Dried or Fresh Herbs - You can substitute the dried Italian seasoning for another dried herb blend or dried thyme. Or use 1 Tablespoon of a mixture of fresh herbs, like parsley, thyme, rosemary, or sage. Fresh thyme sprigs also make a nice garnish!

• Thickening the Filling - The butter and flour added to the sautéing veggies are the thickening agent for the liquid. The milk and stock combination thickens slowly when simmered over a low burner. Whole milk is best, the fat adds to the creamy consistency of the filling, although any will do. Keep it low, boiling could separate the milk. Thickening the filling takes about 20 minutes, so you can clean up your kitchen and make the pie crust. Whisking will allow steam to escape and thicken it faster.

• Pie Crust - Don't be intimidated by a homemade pie crust! I picture this rustic pot pie in a French countryside kitchen, it certainly doesn't need to be perfect! Pie crust is just flour, butter and water, but keep these ingredients cold. Pull your butter straight from the fridge and chop it with a knife. Add an ice cube to the water and add the water a little at a time, you may not use all of it. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the dough. When if feels like a pie crust, it's ready! Adjust with more water or more flour if it becomes too wet or too dry. And if you really want to make life easier, a store-bought pie crust is just fine!

• The Importance of Salt - Salt is added a few times in this recipe and for good reason. First, it seasons the sautéing vegetables, then it seasons the creamy filling as a whole, and finally a bit seasons the pie crust. Season as you go to develop the flavors of the dish, as opposed to dumping in a bunch of salt at the end. If you are trying to lessen salt in your diet, just use half the amount each time.

• Add a Sheet Pan to the Oven - You may want to throw a large sheet pan in your oven under the baking pot pie to catch any drips or bubble overs that could burn on the bottom of the oven.

• Serve Chicken Veggie Pot Pie with a big green salad like this Italian Mixed Greens Salad or a Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad. You can also add a simple green vegetable side dish like broccoli, green beans, or Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts.

• Thanksgiving Leftovers - Pot Pie is a fantastic recipe for using up Thanksgiving turkey with homemade turkey stock! You can also add in a few spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes, chopped Roasted Sweet Potatoes Slices, cooked carrots, green beans or other green vegetables. If these vegetables are already cooked, you can add them along with the liquid instead of sautéing them in the beginning. Just try to keep your total vegetable amount around 6 to 7 cups, whether they start out raw or cooked! Consider doubling the recipe and make extra pans for the freezer! Chicken Wild Rice Soup or Turkey Chili are my other favorites for the Thanksgiving leftovers!

Meal Prep and Freezing Pot Pie

• This chicken veggie pot pie recipe makes 1 larger or 2 smaller casserole dishes.  The full recipe feeds 6 people, or divided into 2 smaller pans each feeding 3. Depending on the size of your baking dishes and the amount of people you are serving, do what works for your family. 

• The amount of filling is proportionate to the amount of crust.  So, you can fill two smaller pans dividing the crust in half first, or fill one bigger pan and rolling the dough out bigger. 

• Make Ahead - The filling can be made ahead and stored in the fridge, either in an airtight container, or right in the baking dish covered with foil. You can top it with the raw pie crust right away and refrigerate, or you can make the crust anytime in the next day or two. Bake it when you're ready!

• Freezing Chicken Pot Pie - The filling can also be frozen on its own, or you can assemble an entire pot pie with the raw pie crust, wrap well, refrigerate first and then freeze. I like to wrap it in foil, and then put the entire dish in a plastic bread or bun bag if you can fit it! Set it carefully in your freezer so it doesn't spill before it freezes.

• If you are only feeding 2 or 3 people, bake one small dish of pot pie and freeze the other for later!

• To Thaw Frozen Pot Pie - Thaw a frozen pot pie overnight in the fridge for 1 or 2 days. Then bake uncovered at 375° the full 40 to 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly!

• Double the Recipe - You can also double this recipe, or make it times 1.5 if you have a few extra baking dishes and the freezer space. Chicken Veggie Pot Pie made from scratch is a bit of work, so make your efforts worthwhile with an extra homemade dinner for the freezer!

If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!

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