Chicken pot pie has been one of the most requested recipes in the last couple of years. I honestly never got the hype… until I made it!
Growing up, you would never see this kind of comfort food at my family’s table. So to me, chicken pot pie was a bit of a foreign concept. Of course, now that I’ve put this recipe together, I learned that it’s one of the simplest things to make. It only looks like a lot of work because, let’s face it, the word PIE is involved!
And yes, it does work for meal prep. I encourage you to make this for your family holiday table OR for comforting work lunches. Or just because it feels like a good idea.
What you need to know about this chicken pot pie recipe
To make our lives easier, I recommend using pre-made pie shells, found in the frozen or refrigerated section. Of course, if you love making your own crust, go for it!
The filling itself is freezer-friendly. So if you have extra, you can freeze it for later in the season! I also think the filling is completely edible and delicious on its own. I could see tossing it with some egg noodles. Yum.
You can use ANY leftover veggies you have in this recipe and that’s because pot pie was invented to use up leftovers. Makes sense, right? Leftover chicken and veggies normally made up the filling so whatever you have can go in. That being said, there’s something classic about peas and carrots, but you do what you want! We’ve got something a little different going on here, anyway . . . !
The fact that chicken pot pie was traditionally made with leftover chicken frustrated me a little when doing recipe research because we aren’t always starting with leftovers. (If you do, more power to you.) But this recipe does include instructions for cooking the chicken too.
You can always use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store as your shortcut. No shame in that game!
I am really, really proud of this recipe and I hope you love it! My partner said I nailed it. He’s not a huge food person, but he couldn’t stop talking about how good this pot pie was.
How to store and reheat chicken pot pie
You can serve this immediately OR put it in meal prep containers. Let it cool before cutting if you’re meal prepping it. It will last in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Just make sure it’s in an airtight container either way.
Note that if you prep this, the crust won’t be as crusty after you reheat it, but it’s still really good. You can reheat it in the microwave or in the oven. I like the oven for this; it is more inclined to get a little crispy. (Sometimes the microwave can make things soggy).
Happy prepping!
Easy Chicken Pot Pie For Meal Prep (Or Your Holiday Party)
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts defrosted, such as Pillsbury
- 16 oz chicken breast cut into medium-sized chunks
- 2 tsp ground thyme divided
- 2 tsp dried dill divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 TBSP olive oil divided, or oil of your choice
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery sticks diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth, low-sodium preferred
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- cooking spray
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk of your choice for plant-based milks, add a little salt or onion powder to offset sweetness
- 1 large egg whisked, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a pie dish with cooking spray and gently press the defrosted crust into the dish. Prick the crust with a fork a few times and pre-bake it for about 10 minutes (until it's lightly browned). Remove and let it cool.
- Add 1 TBSP oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. After 2 minutes, add the chicken breast. Season it with salt and pepper, along with half of the dill and half of the thyme. Stir the chicken until it's cooked on all sides and completely through, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and set aside.
- Add half of the chicken stock to the pan and use a spatula to scrape up the brown bits (aka deglaze the pan). Add the onions and potatoes with salt and pepper and cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the carrots, celery and garlic with the remaining thyme and dill. Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan looks dry, add a splash of chicken stock or water. The veggies are done when the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in corn, peas and cooked chicken to the pan of cooked veggies. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of flour and stir to coat. Then, 1/2 cup at a time, add the milk and remaining chicken stock. Bring the heat up and keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed; you may want to add more salt or pepper.
- Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie shell. It might not all fit, but the remaining filling is delicious on its own and it's freezer-friendly. Top with the remaining pie shell. Cut 3 slits on top, working from the center of the dish outward. With a small brush or the back of a spoon, brush whisked egg on top of the pie shell. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- You can eat this right away OR let it cool a bit before dividing it into meal prep containers.
