The Best Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

The best homemade chicken pot pie! Seriously comforting and delicious. This chicken pot pie from scratch is made with a buttermilk pie crust and a creamy chicken pot pie filling.

I’ve tried so many chicken pot pies in my life, from homemade chicken pot pies to frozen ones from the store. The thing is…every recipe or pre-made chicken pot pie I’ve tried was just, you know, “okay.” Good but not spectacular. So, I had to make my own, of course!

There are so many ways to make a chicken pot pie. To make the best ones you need to nail both the filling and the pie crust. If either one is just “okay,” then the whole pie will be just “okay.”

After testing several methods and ingredients, I’m happy to say that this is truly the best chicken pot pie recipe! At least according to me 🙂

The Chicken Pot Pie Crust

This is hands down my favorite chicken pot pie crust recipe. I’ve used it in many recipes, and I think it is perfect for this.

Instead of water, I like to use buttermilk in pie crusts because a) it keeps them very moist, and b) adds richness, and c) helps achieve a nicer golden brown color.

5 ingredients only!

How to Make the Buttermilk Pie Crust

Use a food processor for this crust.

1. Add flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse a few times to combine.
2. Cut the cold butter into small cubes, and add to the dry ingredients. Make sure it’s REALLY cold! I freeze the butter for about 20-30 minutes beforehand. Why? Cold ingredients = flaky crust.
3. Pulse a few times until you get pea-sized crumbles.
4. Add the buttermilk and run the food processor continuously for several seconds until a dough forms. Make sure the buttermilk is very cold too! At first, it will look like it’s too crumbly and not coming together, but you just have to continue running the food processor for several seconds until a dough forms.
5. Transfer to a clean surface, and form a dough with your hands. Divide the dough and, using a rolling pin, form 2 thick disks, about 1 1/2 inches thick.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using or overnight.

Remember, the keys to a great crust are very cold ingredients.

The Chicken Pot Pie Filling

This is the best chicken pot pie filling I came up with after my recipe tests. Let me tell you why:

• it has just the right amount of creaminess (I hate soupy pie filling)
• the chicken is pre-seasoned and pre-cooked (no more bland chicken!)
• it’s got a balanced chicken to veggies ratio

Here’s how to make the creamy chicken pot pie filling:

1. Evenly season 2 skinless chicken breasts with olive oil, Kosher salt, minced garlic, ground black pepper, and fresh thyme. Let it sit for about 15 minutes for the flavors to penetrate.
2. Heat some olive oil on a large deep skillet, and cook the chicken about 6-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. Why? letting cooked chicken rest allows the inner juices to redistribute evenly, resulting in a moist chicken.
3. Melt butter on the same skillet, and cook the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until tender.
4. Add the flour to coat for about 30 seconds and add the chicken broth. Add salt, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. The herbs here add so much flavor. Don’t skip this step!
5. Whisk in heavy cream, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the chicken (cubed) and frozen peas.

And just like that, the filling this done!

Assembling the Chicken Pot Pie

Then all you need to do is get that dough out and roll it to about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to let it sit at room temp for a bit so it’s easier to roll out.

Then it’s dough+filling+dough. Seal the dough by folding the dough on top under the bottom pie dough. If you’re unsure how to make the pie crust borders, you can use press down with a fork to create the borders and seal the pie. Turns out just as pretty!

To create the border I made, seal the dough, and the grab a section with your thumb and index finger, and press outward from the middle using a your other index finger. Repeat. If you’re unsure how to do it, here’s a quick video of Sarah Carey from Everyday Food doing this. Skip to minute 6:15.

Finally, make a few slits for the steam to escape.

How to Get a Golden Brown Pie Crust

Apart from the buttermilk pie crust, the egg wash will give it color. Most recipes call for brushing the dough with beaten egg only, but I feel like this is not enough. Instead, prepare an egg wash with a beaten egg and heavy cream. Brush it generously on top (within reason, of course!). Then bake at 400 degrees F.

Oh, one important step! To prevent the edges from browning too quickly, cover the borders or edges with foil or use a pie crust shield (yes, that’s a thing, and it’s on Amazon) 15 minutes into baking.

Whew! That was a lot to take in! Making a pie is honestly so much fun. It may seem like a lot of steps, but trust me, it’s actually easy. Plus, you’ll get both a perfect flaky crust and a super delicious creamy chicken pot pie filling cuz I just spilled all the secrets on how to make the best filling…at least according to me!

I hope you like it, and if you’ve got any questions, just comment below. Also, check out my Kitchen Tips below!

Check out my other comfort food recipes:

• easy stovetop mac and cheese
• easy Italian sausage pasta bake
• one pot jambalaya

And don’t forget to pin this recipe! Thank you!

Kitchen Tips

• For the buttermilk pie crust, make sure the butter and buttermilk are really cold, especially the butter. I freeze the butter 20-30 ahead of time. The buttermilk should be refrigerated.
• Use a pie crust shield to prevent the borders from browning too fast. You can purchase one one Amazon. Alternatively, you can make a DYI pie crust shield with aluminum foil.
• If you prefer not to make your own pie crust, I’d recommend buying a good quality pre-made pie crust at the store.

If you try my recipe, use #cookingformysoul on Instagram! Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest fun updates and recipes!

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