Here’s How to Make Chicken Potpie from Scratch
Updated: Jun. 11, 2021
Learn how to make chicken potpie from scratch with this easy-to-follow guide. It's the ultimate American comfort food—and it's worth making at home.
I’ll teach you how to make chicken potpie from scratch, along with some tips and tricks to make it your own. This recipe is a classic chicken potpie; however, there are plenty of other chicken potpie recipes variations out there!
How to Make a Chicken Potpie, Step by Step
This recipe for our Favorite Chicken Potpie was contributed by Karen Johnson of Bakersfield, California.
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced peeled potatoes
- 1-3/4 cups sliced carrots
- 1 cup butter, cubed
- 2/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1-1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 4 sheets refrigerated pie crust or homemade Classic Butter Pie Pastry
Directions
Step 1: Cook the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan, then add water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Then drain.
Step 2: Make the filling
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the mixture has thickened—it will take about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, corn and potato mixture. Then, remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 3: Assemble the potpie
Unroll a pie crust into each of two 9-inch pie plates; trim so it’s even with the rims. Add half of the chicken mixture to each pie plate. Unroll remaining crusts and place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in tops.
Editor’s Tip: You can cover and freeze unbaked pies. To bake, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (but do not thaw them). Preheat the oven to 425°. Place pies on baking sheets; cover edges loosely with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake 70 to 80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.
Step 4: Bake
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
How to Make a Quick Chicken Potpie
While the recipe above already makes certain steps of this chicken potpie simple, there are ways to make the process even quicker—and still delicious.
Use a store-bought crust
It’s easy enough to learn how to make pie crust from scratch, and there are plenty of homemade pie crust recipes to choose from. But for a shortcut, check out the best store-bought pie crust. This will easily save you 15 minutes.
Use rotisserie chicken
Another way to cut time in the process of preparing this chicken potpie is to use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own. Rotisserie chicken is such a versatile ingredient and will eliminate the need to roast or poach your own for this recipe.
Tips for Homemade Chicken Potpie
How do you thicken chicken potpie filling?
The process of adding the milk and broth to the floured onions should create a thick mixture, but if it still seems runny, use a bit of cornstarch to thicken it further. Stir 1 to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into cold water and gradually add to your mixture to thicken. Be sure to stir the mixture well after each addition to avoid lumps.
How do you keep the bottom crust of chicken potpie from getting soggy?
To keep your bottom crust from getting soggy, you might try blind baking the crust before adding the filling.
Why is my chicken potpie runny?
If your chicken potpie seems runny after it’s baked, chances are that it wasn’t baked long enough. The ingredients need enough bake time to set up and create a thick filling. If your crust is getting too golden or dark before the end of your bake time, place a sheet of foil over the top to keep it from burning.
