Classic Chicken Potpie

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A buttery pastry crust and a rich filling of chicken and vegetables makes this a much-loved dinner on a chilly night.

Prep Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Servings:
6

Chicken potpie is a cozy, classic dinner on a chilly night—it's a favorite comfort food for good reason. The perfect combination of buttery potpie crust over a rich filling of chicken and vegetables makes it ever so satisfying. This one-dish dinner has it all. 

There are many different takes on this classic dish. Other recipes use frozen puff pastry for their topper, but ours is a nostalgic and delicious traditional style potpie made with homemade all-butter pastry. Filled with chicken, carrots, onion, and frozen peas in a soothing sauce made with chicken broth. It's a great way to use up any leftover rotisserie chicken, chicken breasts, or whatever chicken you have on hand. This dish can go a long way for a group of six—or save to indulge in leftovers the next day.

Classic Chicken Potpie

Grant Webster

Make Ahead

To make chicken potpie ahead of time:

  1. Make the pastry and filling and let the filling cool completely.
  2. Assemble the potpie but do not bake.

Freeze the unbaked pie for up to four months. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 1/4 hours for a large pie, and about 1 hour for small pies.

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Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

  • ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

  • 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced small (1 ½ cups)

  • 4 medium carrots, diced small (2 cups)

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 cup frozen peas

  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (15 ounces)

  • cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Ingredients for Classic Chicken Potpie

Grant Webster

  1. Make the crust:

    In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt.

    Step 1 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  2. Add butter and pulse:

    Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.

    Step 2a Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

    Step 2b Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  3. Add ice water and pulse:

    Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water); do not overmix.

    Step 3 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  4. Form dough:

    Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).

    Step 4 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  5. Preheat oven and cook carrots and onions for filling:

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the filling: In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and carrots and cook until softened, 8 minutes.

    Step 5 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  6. Add garlic to filling:

    Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

    Step 6 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  7. Add flour:

    Add flour and stir to coat vegetables.

    Step 7 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  8. Add broth slowly and simmer to thicken sauce:

    Slowly add broth, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.

    Step 8 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  9. Stir in peas, chicken, and parsley:

    Stir in peas. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in chicken and parsley.

    Step 9a Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

    Step 9b Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  10. Transfer filling to baking dish:

    Pour filling into a 2-quart baking dish.

    Step 10 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  11. Roll out dough:

    On a floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness.

    Step 11 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

    Roll your dough a couple of inches larger than your dish so you can make a decorative edge: Folding it up and over, pinching as you go, forms a beautiful crust.

  12. Fit dough and crimp edge:

    Place dough over dish and fold overhang inward while pinching to crimp edge.

    Step 12 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  13. Make vents:

    Cut vents in dough.

    Step 13 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  14. Bake pie:

    Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling around the edge, 45 to 50 minutes.

    Step 14 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

  15. Cool before serving:

    Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

    Step 15 Classic Chicken Potpie

    Grant Webster

How to Store and Reheat a Chicken Potpie

If you have leftover chicken potpie, make sure it has completely cooled before transferring the remaining portions into an airtight container. If there is more than half of the potpie left, you can cover the remaining and store it in the refrigerator. 

Reheating Leftovers

To reheat a potpie in the oven: The oven is the best method for reheating chicken potpie. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cover the pie dish with aluminum foil. If you are not using the original pie dish, place the portions of the potpie in a dish just large enough to hold them and cover them with foil. It will take about 20 minutes to warm the pie through.

To reheat a potpie in the microwave: If you are heating one or two portions, the microwave is a quick and easy option but the crust will not be as delicious when the pie is heated in the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why is my chicken potpie so watery?

    Your chicken potpie is watery as a result of not cooking the filling for long enough or adding too much liquid to the filling. Another possible reason for the pie being watery is if you add watery vegetables like spinach or green beans to the filling rather than starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots, which soak up the liquid.

  • Can you reheat a chicken potpie more than once?

    Yes, you can reheat a chicken potpie more than once, but the quality of the pie will suffer. Reheating a dish like a potpie several times will dry it out. If you don’t expect to use all the remaining potpie, we suggest you do not reheat all of it. Instead, cut the portions you will use, reheat those, and return any others to the refrigerator.

  • Is it possible to make chicken potpie vegetarian?

    Yes, it is possible to make chicken potpie vegetarian. YSubstituting the chicken with mushrooms, tofu, or any of your favorite hearty vegetables. And use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

  • Can I use frozen vegetables for the potpie filling?

    Yes, you can use frozen vegetables for the potpie filling. They are a great shortcut for prepping this recipe. You can use frozen vegetables in the pie without waiting for them to thaw out. 

Other Potpie Recipes to Try

Originally appeared: Everyday Food, March 2012
Updated by
Victoria Spencer
Victoria Spencer, senior food editor, MarthaStewart.com
Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.

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