A cast iron skillet with a chicken and vegetable mixture inside. There are biscuits on the top. There is a plate in the foreground with a scoop of the mixture and a biscuit on top.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

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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!

A cast iron skillet with a chicken and vegetable mixture inside. There are biscuits on the top. There is a plate in the foreground with a scoop of the mixture and a biscuit on top.

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.
A close up of a chicken and vegetable bake with biscuits on top.

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.

A brown floral plate with a meat and vegetable mixture on it. There is a biscuit on top. There is a cast iron skillet in the background with more of the mixture inside.

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.

A skillet with a cooked chicken and vegetable mixture inside. There are baked biscuits on top. Beside in a brown floral plate with a scoop of the mixture and a biscuit on top.

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.

A half chopped white onion on a counter top. The knife is beside the onion. There are chopped potatoes and carrots to the side.
Chopped onions in a large metal pot.
Celery and fried onions in a large metal pot.
A mixture of chopped veggies in a large metal pot.
A mixture of veggies in a large metal pot.

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

A chicken and vegetable mixture in a large metal pot. There is flour sprinkled on top.
A woman pouring water onto a mixture of cooked vegetables and chicken in a large metal pot.
A white floral plate with shredded cooked chicken.
A large metal pot with a chicken and vegetable mixture inside. There is a large grey spoon stirring it.
A creamy saucy mixture of chicken and vegetables in a large metal pot being stirred by a large grey spoon.

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

A woman adding salt to a pot of chicken and vegetables.
A cast iron skillet with a chicken and vegetable mixture inside.
A woman pouring salt into a bowl of flour.
Woman pouring milk into a bowl of flour.
Woman mixing dough in a bowl with her hands.

Method

  1. In a large pot add the chicken breast, bay leaf, and enough water to cover. (If you are cooking the chicken fresh)
  2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  3. Cook the chicken until fully cooked and tender. Add more water if needed.
  4. Meanwhile, wash peel and dice the veggies.
  5. Heat a large pan or Dutch oven, to medium-high.
  6. Add in the butter and oil.
  7. Add in the onion and stir until just start to soften.
  8. Add in the celery and stir to soften.
  9. Add in the carrots, parsnip, and potatoes. Stir and fry to add colour and soften the veggies.
  10. Stir in the mushroom and tarragon. Fry along with the veggies until cooked down and starting to colour.
  11. Remove 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.
A woman patting out some dough with her hands.
A woman holding a glass cup over a round of dough.

For the biscuit topping

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cream of tartar, and salt.
  2. Stir the baking soda into the milk.
  3. Add it to the flour mixture.
  4. 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!
A woman holding a circle of dough. There is more dough in the background.
A cast iron skillet with a cooked mixture of chicken and vegetables in side. There are unbaked disks of dough on top.
A baked skillet of chicken and vegetables with a biscuit top crust.
A cast iron skillet with a chicken and vegetable mixture inside. There are biscuits on the top. There is a plate in the foreground with a scoop of the mixture and a biscuit on top.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

flour and filigree
A cozy homecooked comfort food! A rich and creamy mixture of tender chicken and veggies. Topped with crown of warm and flaky biscuits!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 12 people
Calories 198 kcal

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!
Keyword casserole, chicken, Fall, pie

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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