Classic Chicken Pot Pie with Homemade Biscuit Topping

I've been making this homemade chicken pot pie recipe on repeat whenever the weather calls for classic comfort food. It features a colorful array of tender vegetables and roasted chicken enveloped in a creamy sauce and topped with flaky buttermilk biscuits. One recipe feeds the entire family.....and leaves enough for the best lunch leftovers the next day.

Why This Chicken Pot Pie is the Ultimate Comfort Food

• Flavorful creamy filling....buttery flaky top: Creamy mixed vegetable and chicken filling topped with a buttery crust of flaky herbed biscuits. Read that again.
• The quintessential hearty and cozy meal: This easy recipe is filling and satisfying enough to stand on its own as a weeknight meal for the whole family
• Homemade > store bought: Raise your hand if you grew up with the individual frozen pot pie in the aluminum tin that took forever to bake. Me too. Well, my homemade version of the traditional chicken pot pie has a filling that is more flavorful, a generous biscuit crust, and a shorter baking time. Bonus: My version makes enough for leftovers.

Pro Tips for making the Best Chicken Pot Pie

1. Make a thick and creamy filling: The chicken and vegetable filling for this easy chicken pot pie should be chock-full of mixed vegetables and shredded chicken so that is is more of a hearty stew consistency as opposed to a soup that spreads all over your plate. When adding extra chicken broth (see recipe), add a little bit at a time, simmering the sauce so that it coats the back of a spoon in thick layer.
2. Don't overcook your chicken!: When I cook chicken to have on hand for easy chicken casserole recipes, I roast breasts at a high temperature (450F) for 15-25 minutes, depending on their size. To get moist and tender chicken, drizzle the pieces with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until the juices run clear when pierced with a knife.
3. Use homemade biscuits: For best results, top your chicken mixture with my herbed homemade biscuit recipe. Yes, it adds a few more steps to the process, but fluffy and buttery homemade biscuits make are worth it. I promise!

Ingredients and Special Equipment

Check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for specific quantities.

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: Substitute olive oil if you don't want to use butter to saute the vegetables.
• Chicken: I use roasted boneless, skinless chicken breast that I either dice or shred after the cooked chicken has cooled. You can use store bought rotisserie chicken to save a step!
• Leeks: Leeks should be trimmed and rinsed well before using, as the layers usually contain dirt. If you can't find leeks, sliced yellow onion or even pearl onions are a good substitute.
• Potatoes / sweet potatoes: I use diced (unpeeled) red skinned or white potatoes. For the sweet potatoes, use peeled red-skinned sweet potatoes or garnet yams or substitute peeled and seeded butternut squash.
• Chicken broth: Recommend low sodium chicken broth/chicken stock.
• Smoked paprika: I add this to create a little extra depth of flavor in the sauce. Add more, less, or none at all, depending on personal preference.
• White wine: A splash of white wine in the sauce adds another layer of interesting flavor. Use a dry wine over a sweet wine.
• Heavy cream: Substitute half and half or whole milk.

Special Equipment

• Stock pot or deep large skillet
• 9X13 inch baking pan or casserole pan
• Pastry brush: For brushing egg wash onto biscuits.
• Rolling pin
• Biscuit cutter

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

1. Preheat your oven to 375℉/190℃.
2. Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the leeks and sauté until softened, 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes (or butternut squash), and carrots. Sauté 6-8 minutes more, until the vegetables start to soften.

4. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes more.

5. Add the wine, stirring constantly to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

6. Slowly add 4 cups of the chicken stock while stirring.

7. Stir in the smoked paprika, 1-½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Simmer, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender. Stir in the cream, half and half, or milk.

8. Mix in the frozen peas, chicken, and parsley and simmer 2 minutes more. Add up to 1 cup more stock if the mixture is too thick (it will thicken more as it cools.)

9. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the filling into a 9X13 baking dish.

Prepare the Flaky Buttermilk Biscuit Topping

1. Prepare one recipe of my Flaky Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit dough. Or see "Variations" section, below, for options using pre-made biscuit dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it out into (about) a ¾-inch thickness. Using a 2½ inch round cutter, cut rounds from the dough and place them on top of the pot pie filling, fitting as many on top as possible. I usually fit about 15 on top (five rows of three.)

3. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash.

4. Bake the pot pie in the center of your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the biscuits are puffed and a rich golden brown on top and the filling is bubbling. Serve hot!

Variations on Chicken Pot Pie

Filling Variations

The creamy pot pie filling allows for improvisation with the ingredients.  Instead of using leeks, try onions or fennel.  Use butternut squash as a substitute for sweet potatoes.  Cut green beans or asparagus into 1-inch sections and add them at the end along with frozen sweet corn. Substituting leftover shredded turkey is also common practice with shredded chicken recipes.

Topping Variations

Instead of using homemade biscuits as a topping, use a homemade pie crust (or a store-bought pie crust.) Line a pie dish or a pie plate with a bottom crust, add the filling and then a top crust. Use a sharp knife to cut slits in the top crust before baking to a deep golden brown, about one hour. You can also use store-bought (canned) biscuits if you don't want to make my homemade version.

Serving Variations

Instead of making one large savory pie, make mini pot pies. Fill ramekins or small dishes with the filling, and top each with a biscuit or your homemade crust. Place pies on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling and the tops are deep golden brown, 25-35 minutes.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make Ahead

Pot pie filling can be made one day in advance and refrigerated in the baking dish, covered tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil storage. Top with the biscuit dough the next day and bake as directed.

Storage

Store leftover chicken pot pie in the baking dish or in an airtight container, tightly covered. Reheat servings in the microwave or, for a crispier biscuit topping, in a 325F oven for 15 minutes.

Make it a Meal! Suggestions for what to Serve with Chicken Pot pie

• The BEST Spinach Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing
• Thick and Chewy Cowboy Cookies with Toasted Almonds
• Homemade Butterscotch Ice Cream

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!