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Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie is the ultimate weeknight comfort food with a creamy filling and golden, flaky puff pastry topping. Made with simple shortcuts like frozen vegetables and store-bought puff pastry, it delivers classic homemade pot pie flavor with flaky pastry in every single bite!
It’s 5:00 on a chilly Tuesday night and your kids are starting the whole “I’m starving” saga. You’ve got leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge and need to whip up a meal quickly…and something your kids will actually eat.
Well say hello to your new leftover chicken go-to meal! Let me tell you why you’ll love this pot pie SO much….
- Uses leftover chicken! Whether it’s leftover grilled chicken, some shredded rotisserie chicken or diced up chicken breasts, it’ll work great in this recipe.
- Kids love it…at least mine do! And I hope yours do, too!
- It’s customizable. Feel free to skip the onions, use mixed veggies, and swap the wine out for chicken broth. Totally up to you!
- No bottom crust! Traditional pot pies can be so finicky and “carby“..I mean, I love my carbs, but also want the meaty filling to be the star of the show! Skipping the bottom crust saves time and calories.
- Beautiful, flaky topping! Okay, this might actually be the star of the show….using puff pastry elevates this pot pie, adding texture and the most beautiful shine & flakiness!
Notable Ingredients
- Chicken – It is a chicken pot pie, after all! Any type of cooked chicken is great – frozen diced chicken (thawed), leftover grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, etc. You could even use leftover turkey! Just be sure to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Onion – I like to keep a bag of frozen diced onion in the freezer for recipes like this! No dicing (or tearing up!) needed!
- Frozen Vegetables – My family prefers using the peas and carrots mixture, but you could also do the standard bag of mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans).
- White Wine – This is totally optional, but if you use it, I recommend a dry white wine such as chardonnay. I love the depth of flavor it brings and a little bit of “ooooh what’s that flavor?!” it gives! Feel free to replace this with additional chicken broth.
- Puff Pastry – You can find puff pastry in the freezer section of the grocery store, typically in the frozen desserts section. Be sure not to confuse it with phyllo dough. Some stores also carry a refrigerated version, which works great as well.
How to Make an Incredible Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
First, be sure to get the oven preheated. When working with puff pastry, you want the oven to be nice and hot when it gets in the oven for the most puffy, flaky result! You also need to remove the puff pastry from the freezer to thaw a bit so it’s pliable enough to work with.
Start by making a roux. To do so, you’ll melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add the onion and cook until fragrant and softened. Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
For this next part, you’ll want to work pretty quickly so the sauce doesn’t clump up. Pour in the chicken broth with a steady stream while stirring or whisking vigorously. It’ll thicken very quickly, so you’ll just keep adding the liquid. Eventually it’ll come together in a smooth, gravy-like sauce. Add the milk and wine and bring to a boil.
Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the seasonings, chicken, and vegetables. Give it a taste – add additional seasoning, if desired. Pour the filling into the pie plate.
You can make the puff pastry chicken pot pie in a pie plate or in a square baking dish. A small foil pie plate is typically too shallow to fit everything, so I do not recommend that; if using a disposable pan, a square pan will work great!
Unroll the puff pastry over the filling and trim the edges. Crimp the edges of the crust, if desired. Use a sharp knife to cut “vents” in the puff pastry. I typically do about 8 slits, cutting from close to the center to about 2/3 of the way to the crust.
Lastly, it’s time to brush the puff pastry with an egg wash. This will give the crust a beautiful sheen!
Bake the pot pie right away. Again, you want the puff pastry to go into the oven while still cold to get the most beautiful height & puffiness! Bake for about 15-20 minutes and then see what it looks like. If the top looks like it’s nice and golden brown, loosely cover the pot pie with aluminum foil to stop the browning while it finishes baking. It should have a flaky topping and a bubbly filling!
Frequently Asked Questions
Let the filling cool then pour it into the pan. Cover with the puff pastry and brush with the egg wash. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and store in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Don’t thaw the pot pie; simply remove the foil, pop it into a preheated oven, and bake! You will need to cover the pie with foil after about 20-25 minutes (once it’s golden brown and puffy) and let it continue to bake until the filling is hot and bubbly. Because you’re starting from frozen, it’ll take at least 10 extra minutes in the oven.
You can make the filling ahead of time, absolutely! Pour the filling into the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, top with puff pastry and bake! Just note, it’ll take a bit longer in the oven when starting from refrigerated filling.
Why Use Puff Pastry Instead of Pie Crust?
There’s certainly nothing wrong with a pot pie using pie crust, but using puff pastry gives it an added touch of elegance without any additional work! It really makes it easy enough for a weeknight meal with the fam or “fancy” enough for serving guests.
And there’s something about the tender, flaky layers that makes that first spoonful into that crisp topping oh-so satisfying!
Tips for Success!
- Keep the puff pastry cold! One thing I’ve learned about puff pastry is that you want to keep it cold until it goes into a very hot oven. Why? Well when the cold butter in the pastry hits the hot oven, it melts and gives off steam, allowing those layers to really puff up!
- Don’t overfill the pie plate. If you don’t have a deep dish pie plate, use a 8 or 9 inch square pan instead! You want to have some room for the topping to puff up!
- Cut vents into the puff pastry. This is key to making sure the puff pastry doesn’t get super soggy! You’ve gotta give the steam a place to go.
- Don’t skip the egg wash! If you want that shiny golden goodness, don’t skip the egg wash!
- Add a pan under the pie in the oven just in case it bubbles over during the baking process! Nobody enjoys cleaning the oven….and if they do, send them to my house, ha!
Other Favorites with Leftover Chicken
- Cheesy Chicken Cobbler
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Poppy Seed Chicken
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
- Chicken Stuffing Casserole
- White Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet
- 1 deep dish pie plate or square baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or additional chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots or mixed vegetables
- 2 cups diced or shredded chicken
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter a bit while you prepare the filling.1 sheet puff pastry
- In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.1/3 cup butter
- Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.1/2 cup diced onion
- Sprinkle the flour on top and stir. Let the mixture cook for 30-60 seconds.1/2 cup flour
- Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the chicken broth. It'll thicken right away and thin out as you add more chicken broth.1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Add the white wine (or additional broth) and milk and bring the mixture to a boil.1/4 cup dry white wine, 1/2 cup milk
- Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, pepper, salt, vegetables, and chicken.1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups frozen peas and carrots, 2 cups diced or shredded chicken
- Pour the filling into the pie plate.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and water to create an egg wash; set aside.1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon water
- Unroll the sheet of puff pastry and lay it over top of the filling; trim the excess puff pastry and crimp the edges, if desired.
- Use a sharp knife to cut some vent holes into the puff pastry.
- Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry.
- Transfer the pie to the hot oven. I recommend putting a rimmed sheet pan below the pie plate in case it bubbles over, just to keep your oven clean!
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry and golden brown and the filling is bubbly. (I like to check on the pot pie after about 20 minutes; if it's nice and golden brown on top, gently place a piece of foil over the pie so it doesn't get too dark on top.)
- Let set for 5 minutes before serving.
