This recipe for skillet chicken pot pie uses one pie crust as a healthier way to enjoy this classic comfort food.
Lately, I’ve been rambling on and on about how great pre-made pie crusts are. The first time I ever played around with it was last week when I tried it with a chicken pot pie casserole I was planning to post. It even had the words ‘deep dish’ in it which made it sound all grand.
But while the playing around with the crust experiment worked, the filling got watery. I had tried a cheat using soups instead of making a bechamel sauce from scratch to make it easy and approachable.
But when it was all baked and stuff, the soups seemed to have evaporated. Where did they go? That kitchen fail was that much sadder because I actually knew how to make the sauce from scratch. Use a cheat and BAM. Fail.
So today I decided to make it from scratch and scrap the deep dish casserole idea, replacing it with a skillet. While having double the amount of crust tastes great and all, it’s really not that good for you.
So here’s a recipe to have your pot pie with just the top crust. And because the white sauce is made from mostly milk and chicken stock instead of heavy cream, it’s that much healthier. I won’t go so far as to say it’s clean eating, but it’s better for your gut than it would be. Let’s start cooking.
SKILLET CHICKEN POT PIE TIPS AND TRICKS
Making the sauce is pretty much the same concept I used in cauliflower au gratin. Melt some butter with onions, add some plain flour to form a roux, something that will thicken up the sauce.
Cook it for some time to get rid of the floury taste and then slowly pour in milk and stock. You’ll want to whisk it at this stage to make sure everything blends well and the sauce is smooth.
All this is done on medium-low heat so the milk doesn’t curdle. And then more gentle simmering with an occasional whisk until the sauce thickens. And this is your base!
If you want your sauce slightly on the goopy side, combine some flour or cornstarch with enough cold water to dissolve it and add it in to thicken it some more. Then keep on simmering till it thickens. Or you could just add less chicken stock.
Then we add some veggies and poached chicken cubes, pour them into a skillet and top with a 9″ pre-made pie crust. And we bake! And during the downtime, you can do other stuff. I usually wash my dishes because it really sucks coming back to a sink full of them later on.
My pie crust shrank a little in the oven but it doesn’t really bother me. I’ve just been having a hard time resisting making bad jokes of “Honey, I shrunk the pie crust!” here. So don’t freak out if yours does.
It might have something to do with the pre-made pie crust or the high heat I cooked it at. I read somewhere that high heat of 425 degrees F encourages shrinking while 350 is still a good bet. If you decide to go with the lower heat, try baking it a little longer to make up for it or eyeball the time until the crust is golden brown. See, this is why baking scares me!
Also, the sauce tends to be a little runny if you cut the pie too early. The longer it sits, the more it sets and thickens. I found popping it in the fridge to keep until dinner time and reheating it later set the filling pretty well.
And lastly, if you want more seasoning, you can add garlic or garlic seasoning or additional herbs like rosemary and thyme. I think those will work well.
As usual, enjoy and happy cooking!
MORE COMFORT FOOD CLASSICS TO TRY
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Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This recipe for skillet chicken pot pie uses one pie crust as a healthier way to enjoy this classic comfort food.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 yellow onion, diced
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups frozen mixed carrots and green peas
- 1/2 cup celery, sliced (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 9” pie crust
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, add chicken breasts to a pot of water and bring it to a gentle boil.
- Reduce to medium-low heat and poach the chicken breasts 15-18 minutes, skimming foam from the surface when needed.
- Meanwhile, over medium-low heat, melt butter and stir in onions, cooking until onions are translucent.
- Add in flour and whisk for 2 minutes to combine and form a roux.
- Slowly pour in chicken broth and milk and whisk till smooth. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens, whisking occasionally.
- Add peas, carrots and celery to the sauce and season with celery seed and salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain and remove chicken and dice into cubes.
- Place the chicken in a 10″ skillet and pour sauce over, coating evenly. Stir to combine.
- Roll out the pie crust to fit over the skillet, tuck in the edges and make several 1″ slits to let steam escape.
- Place the skillet on a baking sheet to catch drips and bake at 425 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes minimum before slicing and serving warm.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
Comments & Reviews
Linda says
Make this all the time and is a family & Friends Favorite!
Sometimes I use phylo dough for top, buy mostly pie crust!
Love, Love, Love!!!
The Cooking Jar says
Oh wow, thank you for trying out an older recipe of mine back when I first started blogging. I had pretty much given up on this recipe until your comment! 🙂
Darrell says
Absolutely delicious. I don’t get in the kitchen much, but I do love to when I can. If you can follow directions, you will absolutely love the outcome. Great job putting this recipe together. I have made this twice and got perfect results BOTH TIMES!
Andy Vaughan says
Thank you for not encouraging the use of store bought pie crust. I appreciate “9″ pie crust” in your recipe.
Wendy says
I had hoped this would also have the pie crust recipe 🙁 Anyone have a healthy easy recipe to make it from scratch? 🙂
Cheri says
I save lots of fat and calories by using my mother in laws crust recipe just on top. It is a different type but so yummy. Mix 1/2 stick melted butter with 1 cup milk and one cup selfrising flour. It wii be soupy. Pour on top of pot pie ( preferably room temperature). Cook until set and browned.
The Cooking Jar says
Thanks for chiming in, Cheri! Hope it helps others out there. 🙂
Mary Webster says
Have you tried this without milk as I am lactose intolerant
The Cooking Jar says
Hi Mary! No, I’m sorry to say I haven’t tried to make it without milk.
Alana says
Could you sub something like almond milk for the milk? My husband and Sister in Law who lives with us are both lactose intolerant so I need to leave out the milk.
The Cooking Jar says
I’ve done some research and I’ve read some accounts of people making bechamel sauce (the base sauce for the pie) from unsweetened almond milk with some success. I personally have not tried it, but if you are brave enough, give it a go. Just make sure to use unsweetened and unflavored almond milk.
Dee says
My family loves my chicken pot pie (and veggie pot pie). I use my grandma’s cast iron (from the 1940s) to bake it in. I have a tip for you. To help prevent the sauce from getting too runny, sprinkle the bottom crust with some flour – a couple Tablespoons – to help keep it thicker. And then again on top of everything after you pour it into the crust.
The Cooking Jar says
Thanks for the tip, Dee! It doesn’t taste too floury with all the uncooked flour mixed in there? I’ll have to try this out when I get around to making this again.
Dorcas@feelgoodfoodblog says
Made this last night. Pure yumminess! I used boneless pork loin (I didn’t have chicken 🙂 and it was a quadruple thumbs up from the fam. Thanks!
The Cooking Jar says
Thanks for letting me know Dorcas! So glad your family liked it. 🙂 Also good to know it works with other meats!
Anita says
Love the cast iron use. Looks amazing.
The Cooking Jar says
Thank you, Anita. I really love playing around with it. It’s a good prop!
dina says
this is a great comforting dinner that everyone loves!
The Cooking Jar says
I agree, Dina!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love cooking in my skillet so this recipe is perfect for me! Looks delicious.. pinned!
The Cooking Jar says
I’m really starting to love my cast iron too 🙂 It’s so versatile!
Susan says
My family loves chicken pot pie in the winter, and I like that you added celery seed, really adds a nice flavor.
The Cooking Jar says
I really love how small quantities of it can stretch a lot. I also put it in my egg salad sandwiches and it takes the flavor profile up a notch.
Betty Lee says
In your chicken pot pie in the cast iron skillet. nstead of throwing out the broth that the chicken was cooked in use it instead of a can of chicken broth (won’t have so much salt either!!!)
The Cooking Jar says
Great tip, Betty! Thanks so much 🙂