Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

How to Make Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

What is Pot Pie? What are Chicken Pot Pies made of?

Pot pie is a savory dish, typically made with chicken, vegetables, and a creamy sauce, covered with a layer of flaky pie crust or puff pastry. Unlike British-style meat pies, there is no crust on the bottom which makes it simpler and easier to make! It is also made in a skillet or casserole dish, so there’s enough to easily feed a crowd. For this recipe, we’re swapping the pastry top for my buttery, flaky Buttermilk Biscuits. The biscuits are quick and easy and make for such a cozy, beautiful and utterly delicious meal.

Ingredients for the Buttermilk Biscuits:

• All-purpose flour – measured correctly! If you add too much flour, you may end up with hard, dense biscuits instead of light, flaky biscuits.
• Baking soda & baking powder – check out my Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder article to learn about the differences between these two leaveners and how to test that they are still fresh!
• Butter – always use unsalted butter in baking. Make sure your butter is very cold before starting!
• A little sugar and salt – for flavor.
• Buttermilk – I recommend using real buttermilk here, and no substitutions or DIY versions, for best and tastiest results. Read more about my experiments with buttermilk and buttermilk substitutions here, just in case you cannot locate real buttermilk where you live! Note that using a substitute will affect the final outcome.

Ingredients for Chicken Pot Pie Filling:

• Chicken or turkey – shredded. This is a perfect use for chicken breast or turkey leftovers, or grab an easy rotisserie chicken from the supermarket!
• Vegetables – a classic pot pie mix of potatoes, onion, carrots, celery and peas. You can alter the mix a little if you like, but keep the total volume/weight about the same. Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Chop the onion, carrots and celery into nice small pieces, and sauté. I recommend using frozen peas for ease and flavor, but canned will work just fine.
• Olive oil – for cooking the vegetables. Swap out for another oil if preferred.
• Garlic – because garlic, really.
• Fresh herbs – use a mix of fresh sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley for tastiest results. I’ve included more info below if you prefer to use dried herbs, but I really recommend trying fresh here. Fresh herbs bring such a wonderfully comforting, deep flavor!
• Butter and flour – just a little of each, to start the roux for the sauce (which will thicken the sauce).
• Chicken stock – the base for our sauce. Swap for turkey stock if preferred (you can usually find it in supermarkets around Thanksgiving).
• Heavy cream – to take the sauce to creamy perfection.
• Seasonings – salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, mustard powder and cayenne. Of course, you can alter these as you prefer, but I love this particular balance of flavor this combination brings to this dish!

How to Make Biscuit Pot Pie:

1. Make the biscuit dough. Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk until just combined. Tip onto a work surface and laminate the dough (directions below). Pat into a rectangle 1-inch thick. Refrigerate.
2. Prepare the vegetables. Par-boil the potatoes until just fork-tender. Set aside and allow to cool. Meanwhile, dice the onions, carrots and celery to about ¼-inch size. Mince the garlic. Sauté vegetables and garlic in a pan until cooked through. Set the vegetable mix aside to cool.
3. Make a roux. Melt butter in a pan. Add flour and whisk to form a roux. Cook for a minute or two, then slowly add the chicken stock. Simmer until slightly thickened. Add the heavy cream, sage, thyme, rosemary and spices. Simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat.
4. Mix the filling together. Carefully fold the sautéed veggie mixture, potatoes, peas, shredded meat and fresh parsley into your sauce. Set the chicken mixture aside.
5. Prepare the biscuits. Pull the biscuit dough out of the fridge. Using a sharp 2-inch round metal biscuit cutter, push straight down through the dough to cut out circles.
6. Assemble the pot pie. Place the biscuits evenly on top of the filling and brush the tops with melted butter.
7. Bake. Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown, and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven.
8. Rest, then serve. Set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes. Brush biscuit tops once more with melted butter, and sprinkle with flaky salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. Serve warm.

What Pan Should I Bake This Pot Pie in?

I used a 12-inch skillet to sauté the vegetables, make the sauce, and then everything gets mixed into the skillet, topped with the biscuits, and then goes straight into the oven for baking. I love this method because it makes for a quicker and easier clean up, and cast iron skillets carry and conduct heat so well. I don’t recommend using a skillet smaller than 12-inches, unless you leave out some of the filling (we don’t want it to overflow!) Alternatively, you can use a 9×13-inch baking dish if you don’t have a cast iron skillet this size!

Can I Make This Pot Pie Vegetarian?

Yes! Just omit the shredded chicken/turkey, and use veggie broth instead of chicken broth. I’d recommend adding another vegetable (or bumping up the quantities of the other veggies) to replace the meat. Corn or par-boiled sweet potatoes might be nice!

Do I have to use fresh herbs?

Fresh herbs are preferred and highly recommended, because they add so much collective flavor and depth to the dish – but dry can be used too, if needed. I have added dried herb quantities in the recipe, to be added in with the cream and all the dry spices. Again, this part is a little customizable, so adjust to your preferences.

How to Laminate Your Biscuits for Tall, Flaky Biscuits!

1. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and dust the dough with flour. I like to use a powdered sugar shaker to dust the perfect amount of flour without using too much. Gently pat the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle using your hands. You don’t need to use a rolling pin if you don’t want to!
2. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Don’t worry if it’s not absolutely perfect. You want to be quick and gentle with the dough and only use as much flour as necessary to prevent it from sticking. Adding too much flour will create dense and tough biscuits. A bench scraper makes easy work of moving the dough without having it stick.
3. Repeat this process two more times, rotating the dough 90 degrees before each fold. By the time you’re done, you will have created layers of butter similar to a croissant so the biscuit bakes up perfectly tall and flaky.

What to Serve with Chicken Pot Pie:

This pot pie recipe is pretty filling on its own, but here are some side ideas that would complement this well:

• Side salad
• Side of roasted vegetables
• Corn on the cob
• Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese

Can I Make This Pot Pie Ahead of Time?

Yes! Make the filling from start to finish up to 48 hours in advance, and refrigerate in an airtight container. Below are the instructions for making the biscuits ahead of time. I recommend adding a few minutes to the cooking time if making ahead to account for the chilled filling.

Do I Need to Let the Pot Pie Rest After Baking?

Yes! Letting it rest after baking is important, as it lets that intense heat cool off a bit, allowing the sauce to cool and slightly thicken a bit before serving. Trust me, it will make serving this dish much easier once that filling has set up a little!

How Should I Store Biscuit Pot Pie?

This Biscuit Pot Pie will keep in the fridge, covered well with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. I like to pull the remaining biscuits off and store them wrapped in aluminum foil in the fridge, and store the filling separately in an airtight container. This keeps the biscuits crisp when reheating.

How Should I Reheat the Biscuit Pot Pie?

Reheat the filling in the microwave until heated through, and warm the biscuits in the oven at 425°F for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through and re-crisped. This method prevents the biscuits from becoming too soggy as they sit on the pot pie filling in the fridge, and crisps the bottoms up as they reheat, too!

Can you freeze Biscuit Pot Pie?

We haven’t tested freezing this Pot Pie, but I don’t recommend it.

How to Make Biscuits Ahead of Time

You can make the biscuit dough and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, if covered very well in plastic wrap (so it doesn’t dry out in the fridge). Simply remove from the refrigerator, shape and place on top of the filling mixture right before the pot pie goes into the oven.