Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
How to make a chicken pot pie
Chicken pot pie is one of those warm comfort food meals that most everyone loves. It is full of hardy, healthy ingredients and is packed with flavour. Plus, it is a wonderful one pot meal that is easy to put together!
You can use leftover chicken and cooked veggies to make last nights leftovers new again. Use store bought rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies to make a quick and easy weeknight meal. Or use all fresh ingredients for from-scratch, homemade comfort-food the whole family will enjoy!
Freezing Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie is a great make ahead meal you can prep when you have time and freeze for later. I love having freezer meals ready to go on back up. Chicken pot pie has long been a go-to freezer meal because it stores and freezes so well!
Before Baking
The best way to make a frozen chicken pot pie is to freeze it before baking. This will make a deliciously golden, flaky biscuit crust, and a savoury moist gravy.
- Assemble the cooked ingredients into the dish that you want to cook it in.
- Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Cover completely.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Either make the biscuits fresh or freeze the precut dough in a separate container.
After Baking
You can also store your Chicken pot pie after it is already baked!
To freeze and store a baked chicken pot pie with biscuits
- Allow the pot pie to cool to room temperature.
- Cover completely.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating a frozen, baked, Chicken Pot Pie
This method tends to be a little drier and the crust can easily over bake. Since, in this method you are baking the pie twice.
- Remove any plastic wrap and cover the pie in foil. This will prevent the biscuits from over browning and will keep the moisture in the pie while it is cooking.
- Bake in a preheated 350 ºF (180 ºC) oven for about 20 minutes or until the centre is hot. The time will depend on how large and how deep your pie is.
Chicken Pot Pie Crust
Biscuit crust for a rustic pot pie
This chicken pot pie is going to have a buttery flaky biscuit crust. Biscuits are a delicious topper for Chicken pot pie. They become lovely golden and crusty, while the inside is soft, and tender. The bottom on the other hand softens in the gravy from the moist filling and becomes almost dumpling like!
Instead of cutting the biscuit dough into individual little circles, you could also leave the dough whole and make a kind of biscuit pie crust to cover the entire pie! Make sure to cut some slits in the dough for steam to escape, if you care using this method.
Pie dough for a classic pot pie
The classic pie crust for making a pot pie is always a delicious choice. Rich, buttery, and flaky. This is always a crowd pleaser! This is my favourite no-fail pie dough if you want to make this classic version. Or check the bottom of the post for the pie dough recipe!
Puff pastry for a classy pot pie
Puff pastry is very rich, and extremely tender and flaky. It is a lovely topper for a unique and classy chicken pot pie. You can buy store bought crust or make this lovely homemade version. Instead of cutting it into croissants, cut the dough into the shape needed to cover your pot pie.
Common problems
Chicken pot pie is too watery
A watery or runny pot pie can occur for a few different reasons.
Not cooking it long enough
Either the vegetables have not had enough time to soften and soak up the liquid or the flour has not had a chance to cook and thicken the liquid.
If this is the case, allow enough time to fully cook the pot pie before removing it from the oven. Since in this recipe we will fully cook the vegetables and chicken in the gravy before going into the oven, it is easy to see if you need to add extra cooking time to thicken the sauce before it goes into the oven.
Using the wrong vegetables
The type of vegetables matters when it comes to liquid. In this recipe we are using a lot of root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and parsnips. These vegetables soak up liquid when they are cooking. However, some vegetables release moisture when they are cooked which will add to the moisture in the pot pie.
Thickener
A thickener like flour or cornstarch will take a watery gravy and turn it into a thick sauce. In this recipe we use flour to thicken the gravy. Make sure to sprinkle in enough flour and to allow the flour to bubble and cook. This process will thicken the juices.
Too much liquid
Adding too much liquid to the pot pie will, of course, lead to a pot pie with an over abundance of liquid. Allow the pot pie to cook down to evaporate some of the liquid. You can also add more of the thickener to make a thicker sauce.
Chicken pot pie is too dry
The ratio of meat and vegetables is too much for the liquid in the filling. Adding some milk or cream will add creaminess and liquid to the pot pie without diluting the flavour.
Chicken pot pie is bland
It is important to fry the veggies in fat before adding the liquid. The veggies will give off so much more flavour than if you simply add them to the pot and boil them in the liquid. The caramelized flavour from the pan fried vegetables will add a robust depth of flavour to your pot pie.
Adding enough salt is very important! Make sure to season the filling after it has cooked and taste it before going into the oven to bake.
Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
Chicken pot pie filling
3 large chicken breast shredded or meat shredded from 1 rotisserie chicken
1 small onion finely diced
2 carrots diced
2 ribs of celery diced
1 parsnip diced
4 small potatoes
¼ lb sliced mushrooms 113 g
2 Tablespoons butter 30 ml
1 Tablespoon oil 15 ml
1 teaspoon dried tarragon 5 ml
¼ cup all-purpose flour 30 g
3 cups chicken stock 710 ml
salt and pepper to taste
Biscuit topping
2 cups all-purpose flour 120 g
½ teaspoons baking soda 2.5 ml
1 teaspoon cream of tartar 5 ml
½ teaspoon salt 2.5 ml
½ cup milk 125 ml
Method
- In a large pot add the chicken breast, bay leaf, and enough water to cover. (If you are cooking the chicken fresh)
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook the chicken until fully cooked and tender. Add more water if needed.
- Meanwhile, wash peel and dice the veggies.
- Heat a large pan or Dutch oven, to medium-high.
- Add in the butter and oil.
- Add in the onion and stir until just start to soften.
- Add in the celery and stir to soften.
- Add in the carrots, parsnip, and potatoes. Stir and fry to add colour and soften the veggies.
- Stir in the mushroom and tarragon. Fry along with the veggies until cooked down and starting to colour.
11Remove the cooked chicken from the water to cool slightly. Then shred with two forks. Reserve the water.
12. Sprinkle the flour over top of the cooked veggies and stir to coat.
13. Pour about 3 cups of stock (or use the reserved hot chicken water) into the veggies. Stir to combine and thicken with the flour.
14. Allow the mixture to simmer as the sauce thickens.
15. Stir in the shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to low.
16. Once the sauce is thickened and the the veggies are tender, salt and pepper to taste.
17. Place the mixture into an oven proof dish.
For the biscuit topping
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Stir the baking soda into the milk.
- Add it to the flour mixture.
- Mix with your hands, until the dough just comes together.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 ºF (200 ºC).
6. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough out with your fingers until it is about ½-in. (2 cm) thick.
7. Cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, large cookie cutter, or an upside-down cup.
8. Arrange on top of the pot pie filling.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
10. Remove, cool slightly, and serve!
Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
Ingredients
Chicken pot pie filling
- 3 large chicken breast shredded or meat shredded from 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 ribs of celery diced
- 1 parsnip diced
- 4 small potatoes
- ¼ lb sliced mushrooms 113 g
- 2 Tablespoons butter 30 ml
- 1 Tablespoon oil 15 ml
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 5 ml
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 30 g
- 3 cups chicken stock 710 ml
- salt and pepper to taste
Biscuit topping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 120 g
- ½ teaspoons baking soda 2.5 ml
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 5 ml
- ½ teaspoon salt 2.5 ml
- ½ cup milk 125 ml
Instructions
Filling
- In a large pot add the chicken breast, bay leaf, and enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook the chicken until fully cooked and tender. Add more water if needed.
- Meanwhile, wash peel and dice the veggies.
- Heat a large pan or Dutch oven, to medium-high.
- Add in the butter and oil.
- Add in the onion and stir until just start to soften.
- Add in the celery and stir to soften.
- Add in the carrots, parsnip, and potatoes. Stir and fry to add colour and soften the veggies.
- Stir in the mushroom and tarragon. Fry along with the veggies until cooked down and starting to colour.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the water to cool slightly. Then shred with two forks. Reserve the water.
- Sprinkle the flour over top of the cooked veggies and stir to coat.
- Pour about 3 cups of stock (or use the reserved hot chicken water) into the veggies. Stir to combine and thicken with the flour.
- Allow the mixture to simmer as the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to low.
- Once the sauce is thickened and the the veggies are tender, salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the mixture into an oven proof dish.
Biscuits
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Stir the baking soda into the milk.
- Add it to the flour mixture.
- Mix with your hands, until the dough just comes together.
- Preheat the oven to 400 ºF (200 ºC).
- On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough out with your fingers until it is about ½-in. (2 cm) thick.
- Cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, large cookie cutter, or an upside-down cup.
- Arrange on top of the pot pie filling.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove, cool slightly, and serve!
Want to try a different topper for you pot pie try one of these! Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Biscuits, Rich and Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, pie dough, puff pastry
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