Double-Crusted Chicken Pot Pie encases and rich and creamy filling between a flaky pie shell. It is almost too pretty to eat…almost.
I keep making these crazy person claims.
And now, the best chicken pot pie ever?
It probably means that I’m either unflinchingly truthful or certifiably loca. Maybe both? Don’t answer that.
Either way, this is, quite simply, the best chicken pot pie that I have ever had. And I have eaten a lot of pot pie. I have also eaten a lot of THIS pot pie. Honestly, it is pretty surprising that I don’t resemble a pot pie by now.
Now, before I tell you about this pie, I will tell you that it is kind of a labor of love. In fact, for years this was one of those “company” recipes in our house – you know, the ones that only get made when someone fancy or special is coming over for dinner.
Then somehow, just by going away to college, I was able to elevate myself to “company” status – suddenly, I was able to sweet-talk Momma into making this every year before I went back to school and sometimes when I came home for Christmas break as well.
It is the first meal I had after coming home from my semester in Spain. It was the meal I requested for my 21st birthday (Whoooo! Live it up!).
I’m not really sure how my parents put me through my fancy $40,000/year private university and I got promoted to pot pie status, but I will go with it.
That’s not to say that this cannot or should not be made on an ordinary Wednesday when you simply need a plate of the ultimate comfort food. And boy is it ever the ultimate comfort food – thick, creamy filling chock full of chicken and vegetables, encased in a beautiful, flaky, thick crust. Perfection in a pie pan, that is.
If you still have some turkey left over from Thanksgiving that you are starting to run out of ideas for how to use, this would be the perfect solution.
I was also able to make use of some of the leftover vegetables that I was sent home with – in this version, I used a combo of sweet potatoes, onions, carrots and broccoli, but you could use pretty much any vegetables that strike your fancy or are in season. Butternut squash in the fall! Sweet corn in the summer! Make it your own!
You could also make this a vegetarian dish (we’ve done it before) by leaving out the chicken (or perhaps replace it with chickpeas) and swapping the chicken broth for vegetable stock.
Really, even though it is called chicken pot pie, it is my opinion that the crust and the creaminess of the filling is what truly makes this pie top-notch, so why not make some yummy vegetables the star instead? No reason not to, if you ask me.
So, whatcha gonna do?
Make your crust! Get that puppy ready for some chicken and vegetable goodness.
Make your filling. Look at those pretty veggies!
Marry the two.
Add your top crust. Signed, sealed, delivered, I’m yours.
Bake, eat, and impress your biggest fans. Done and done.
Want to make a pot pie for just two people? Try my Chicken Pot Pie for Two recipe!
Double-Crusted Chicken Pot Pie
From Southern Living 1987 Annual Recipes
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
For the Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
- 4 cups assorted vegetables, diced (examples: potatoes - regular or sweet, onions, carrots, broccoli, corn, peas, butternut squash, green beans)*
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half**
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the pastry:
- Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Combine egg, water and vinegar; sprinkle over flour and stir with a fork just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Make the filling and assemble:
- Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute vegetables until crisp-tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add chicken broth and half-and-half; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt and chicken. (I also like to add a few grinds of fresh black pepper.) Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Roll half of pastry to 1/8 inch thickness and fit into a 9-inch deep dish or regular 10-inch pie plate. Spoon chicken mixture into pastry.
- Roll remaining pastry and place over chicken filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in the top of the pastry.
- Create an egg wash by beating together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush over pastry.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
*If using a combination of fresh and frozen vegetables, saute fresh vegetables according to the recipe. Thaw frozen vegetables and add at the end with the chicken. This will keep them from getting mushy and overcooked during baking.
**While using half-and-half will create the creamiest filling, milk can be substituted to cut down the fat content. Simply use the same amount of milk and add 1 additional tablespoon of butter when stirring in the broth and milk.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I love love love chicken pot pie. This looks amazing!
This looks fantastic. Chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food!
It truly is!
This looks so good – your photography is very appealing! I made your pecan-raisin pie last night, it was a big success.
I’m so glad to hear that! =)
Now that is one GORGEOUS chicken pot pie!! I do that too… best soup ever, best cookies of life, etc etc. it’s just what we do 🙂
Okay, this looks super epic and kind of intimidating. I guess that means I have to bake pot pie this winter! Haha!
I remember your mom’s Chicken pot pie so fondly. Your parents had me over for dinner one night and your mom even gave me a whole one to take home!!!!
My partner Brian is vegetarian so I have modified the recipe using Quorn Brand chicken tenders, and no chicken, chicken broth. It was incredible!!!!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe Stephanie.
I’m glad it was as fantastic as you remember it being! =)
I can’t believe I found this recipe! When we moved, I got rid of some cookbooks and one of them was the one with this reipe. I used to make for company and special occasions but I felt like having it on this Wednesday, the first day of Spring. You are correct, this IS THE BEST chicken pot pie you can make and you’re right, it IS A LABOR of love. I do everything you do, except I use ALL broth for the gravy. I had made it with 1/2 broth, 1/2 milk and I felt the “chicken gravy” taste wasn’t powerful enough. So onward to the kitchen!! Cannot wait for supper!
Hooray!! I’m so glad you found this, then! And lesson learned – never throw out a SL cookbook.
I found this post via Pinterest and I just made two of these pies for dinner tonight. They turned out awesome! The only changes I made were to use my favorite pie crust recipe (Perfect Pie Crust II on allrecipes) and increased the chicken a bit. I also added some poultry seasoning to taste and I brushed the crust with buttermilk. I used potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans and corn. Everyone loved it!! I love that it doesn’t call for any canned “cream of” soups or other processed ingredients. I also loved how the insides didn’t run out everywhere when it was cut. This was a perfectly wonderful meal for a cold fall evening. Thank you for sharing this!
I am so glad you loved it! This is definitely our family’s favorite meal and it turns out great every time. I hope it becomes a new favorite for your family, too!
This is the best pot pie recipe I’ve had! I use quorn chicken and vegetable broth to make it vegetarian! Love love love!!
I am so glad you love it! We do, too 🙂
I followed this recipe. We are snowed in, yet again, all I had for a crust was pillsbury crescent rolls. The pot pie came out great. Thanks for sharing
Glad you tried it and adapted even with being snowed in! Thanks for commenting!
I come back to this recipe every time I want to make pot pie. It IS the best, and it’s always delicious! I’ve tried it with ham before, and I’ll be making it tonight with ham again (finding a good use for leftover Easter ham). I just use beef stock in lieu of the chicken (personal preference with ham) broth, and it’s amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
I love this comment for so many reasons. I never would have thought to try it with ham, but that’s a great idea, especially this time of year! So glad you love the recipe and keep coming back to it. 🙂
Hi,
I came across this recipe which looks deeeeee-vine but before throwing myself in to make it, can you explain what ‘half and half’ is on the ingredient list?
Thanks so much,
Dominique
P.S. I’m from Australia. That’s why I don’t know. Or maybe I’m just ignorant. I’ll accept that too! Lol.
Hi Dominique! I think half and half must just be a US thing – you’re not the first to wonder. It’s just a combo of half milk and half cream. So you’ll need 3/4 cup of each (although I’ve done it with just milk instead) to get the same effect.
can you use frozen pie crust?
You certainly CAN – I wouldn’t recommend it, necessarily. The crust is the best part of this recipe – and homemade is always better than store bought.
Is the flour in the recipe self rising or all purpose?
All purpose!
YUM!!
Chicken pot pie is my weakness! Love it!
i love chicken pot pie!!! gotta try this!
The crust on this pie is gorgeous!
Delicious looking chicken pot pie!
Gosh, it’s been FOREVER since I made chicken pot pie. I think I need to remedy that! This looks delicious!
I love the shortening for the crust – it makes the best crust!
This chicken pot pie looks so delicious! I love how pretty it is too!
Does the crust work with butter? Making this now & I don’t have shortening! Guess I’ll find out 🙂
It turned out great with all butter. Just FYI! Super delicious pot pie, will definitely make again. I’m tempted to add cheese to the filling next time… Might be a fun way to mix it up 🙂
Thanks for letting us know!! So glad you enjoyed it!
I love this recipe, I make it all the time. My neighbor isn’t well so want to make it for her family. For myself I always make it right before I serve it. I’m not sure if my friend would eat it the same day as given. I think it might get too thick. Any sugesstions. Should I bake it and have them just warm it up or Would it be OK a day or two later for her to bake it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much.
Hi Sherry, I apologize for just now getting back to you. For future times — I have certainly eaten leftovers reheated the next day, but have never made it ahead to bake later. You could maybe try freezing it unbaked and then have them bake it longer than called for in the recipe, but it might work to just par-bake it (just to set the crust) and have them reheat by baking it the rest of the way when they’re ready to eat it.
I try internet recipes a lot, and they never turn out as beautiful as they are in the online pictures …. well there is a first time for everything because this pie was so pretty that I didn’t want to cut into it! I’m impressed. The pie tasted just as good as it looked – I used potatoes and carrots in mine. I did find that it needed a little more salt & pepper than listed in the recipe, but that’s personal preference. I’m sooo glad that I found this recipe! As a chicken pie lover, I’d say this is one of the best recipes ever for it. Definitely a keeper!
This was the best chicken pot pie I ever made or tasted. The pastry really is the best, flakiest ever. Will definitely be making this pie again. Thank you for sharing an awesome recipe! My family loved this pie. I served it with a fresh green salad….delicious ?
I have made this recipe many, many times! Our favorite chicken pot pie, hands down! I was wondering if it can be made ahead and frozen? Should it be baked first or just put in freezer after making it?
I haven’t ever made it ahead or tried freezing it, so I’m not sure! I would think you’d want to freeze it prior to baking so the crust doesn’t get tough or weird. Just make sure to freeze it in a metal baking dish, so you can pop it right into the oven from frozen without worry that a glass dish would break. If you give it a try, let me know!
This pot pie is the best. My late father-in-law visited us last year and ate 3 pieces. He could’nt stop himself
My late grandfather also loved this pot pie and ate quite a bit, even though he was well into his 90s. 🙂 Love those memories!