Chicken Pot Pie: Because Sometimes Chicken Soup Needs Backup

Serving: warmth, reassurance, and second helpings.

Someone asked me last week what my favorite thing to do with puff pastry is. Without hesitation: this.
The beautiful, golden hat that turns chicken pot pie into something almost proud of itself. I don’t know who first decided to crown a humble filling with a sheet of buttery puff pastry, but bless them — it’s a small miracle every time it comes out of the oven.

And honestly… if chicken soup can fix anything, chicken pot pie does it even better.
It’s chicken soup with its hair done and lipstick on. When it’s cold, when life is chaotic, when the day just needs to end with something warm and steady, this is the dish that does it.

I’ve delivered it as a kindness, too — like the time I showed up with one for a friend who’d sliced her wrist during a disastrous Christmas-tree-decorating incident. (She’s fine now. The tree survived. The pot pie helped.) It’s freezer-ready, neighbor-friendly, and the sort of thing that says, “I’ve got you,” without needing a single flourish.

Here’s what I love most: it’s like making lasagna — you never make just one.
Make a big batch of filling, portion it out, freeze it, and give your future self a gift.

Then when drop-in guests appear, or you’re too tired to cook, or the only thing that will fix the evening is comfort on a plate, you just pull out that filling, top it with puff pastry, and dinner is handled.

And yes, puff pastry is one of those things you should always have tucked in the freezer. It’s the ultimate “planning or punting” ingredient. Dress it up or lean on it in a pinch — either way, you look like you meant to.

So here’s the truth: chicken pot pie is always a good idea. Always.

CHICKEN POT PIE
Serves 6–8

INGREDIENTS
Filling:
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie works great), shredded or diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Optional: splash of sherry

Topping:
1 sheet puff pastry or 1 refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt butter in a heavy pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, then add garlic.

2. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute to cook the roux.

3. Slowly add chicken stock, then heavy cream. Let the mixture simmer until slightly thickened.

4. Add cooked chicken, peas, salt, pepper, thyme, and nutmeg. Add a splash of sherry if using. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Pour filling into a deep pie dish or baking dish.

6. Top with puff pastry or pie crust. Brush with egg wash and cut a few small slits for steam.

7. Place dish on a sheet pan. Bake at 400°F for 30–35 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

8. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Kitchen Notes

• Rotisserie chicken is your best friend.
Pull it apart while it’s warm — it's easier, juicier, and feels delightfully efficient.

• Slice your vegetables small.
Big chunks take longer to soften. You want everything tender at the same time so each bite feels balanced, not like a scavenger hunt.

• Don’t rush the roux.
Let the flour cook for a minute. It gets rid of that “paste” taste and gives you the silky sauce you want.

• Stock + cream = comfort.
If your sauce looks too thick, splash in more stock. Too thin? Let it bubble another minute. Pot pie filling should be creamy, not soupy.

• Add a splash of sherry if you have it.
It’s optional, but it deepens the flavor in that very “nobody knows what you did, but it's good” way.

• Season after the cream goes in.
Taste it again once the filling is finished. Chicken pot pie is forgiving, but blandness isn’t.

• Peas go in at the end.
They don't need much cooking, and this keeps them bright instead of gray.

• Puff pastry likes to stay cold.
Keep it in the fridge until the moment you drape it over the filling. Cold dough puffs better.

• Always put your dish on a sheet pan.
Because a pot pie bubbling over at 400°F is a personality test.

• Let it rest.
Ten minutes on the counter gives the filling time to settle, making it easier to serve — and saving your tongue from certain regret.

• Freeze the filling, not the whole pie.
The pastry prefers to be baked fresh. Portion the filling into quart containers and freeze. Future-you will cheer.

• This recipe doubles beautifully.
Make one for dinner, freeze one for a friend, or save it for the night when you just can’t cook. (We all have them.)