Homemade Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits is Southern comfort food at its best. This recipe combines a creamy, hearty filling with tender buttery biscuits for the best pot pie you’ve ever had.
Homemade chicken pot pie is the perfect dish for any time of year, especially when you’re craving something comforting and full of flavor. You can even make the sauce and biscuit dough the night before and assemble everything the next day.
This makes for a quick dinner if you’re running short on time.
Aside from being delicious, I love that you can make this easy chicken pot pie recipe with ingredients you have on hand. And it’s easy to customize them based on your family’s tastes. You could even make mini pot pies using individual size ramekins, so each person gets their own.
What makes this pot pie one of my favorites is that it’s topped with flaky buttermilk biscuits. You know I’m always looking for an excuse to make biscuits. Since they’re amazing on top of my Guinnes meat pie, I knew adding fluffy biscuits here would be fabulous.
While classic chicken pot pie is made in a pie crust, biscuits work so well with this recipe because they absorb some of the liquid and flavor from the chicken and veggies.
The combination of a flaky buttermilk biscuit with the creamy chicken filling is scrumptious!
If you want to go the pie crust route instead of biscuits, I would go with a galette instead of a traditional pie, you get more flaky pie crust that way.
What is a pot pie?
Pot pie is an all-in-one meal consisting of meat, vegetables and a creamy chicken gravy. The filling is topped with pie crust, biscuits or even mashed potatoes. Then the savory casserole is baked until the crust is piping hot and golden brown.
It’s the ultimate comfort food. While some are made with cream of chicken soup, this creamy filling is made from scratch.
The first meat pie recipes came to America in the 1700s with the settlers who arrived from Europe. In the 1950s they became even more popular when brands such as Stouffer’s and Marie Callender began marketing frozen chicken pot pies.
Looking for more simple one-dish meals? Try Spaghetti Casserole, Shepherd’s Pie, Tamale Pie or Southwest Chicken and Rice.
Why you’ll love it
- This meal is full of tender veggies you’ll feel good about eating
- Flaky biscuits are easier to make and even better than pie crust
- The creamy sauce has a rich flavor from the cream cheese along with garlic and thyme
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey for an even quicker meal
- Assemble the homemade chicken pot pie a day ahead of time to make dinner a breeze
How to make it ahead
Biscuit chicken pot pie can easily be made ahead, you just need to keep the chicken mixture separate from the biscuits. Cook the chicken filling and when it has cooled, cover and refrigerate.
For the biscuits, cut the dough into rounds and place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to bake, let the chicken come to room temperature and then cover with the cold biscuits.
What you’ll need
Chicken – I use breast meat but you can substitute chicken thighs if you prefer the taste of dark meat. You can also use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
Vegetables – yellow onion, celery, carrots and garlic get cooked to perfection. If you want to add more vegetables, try adding frozen peas or corn.
Fresh thyme – fresh herbs add an earthy, savory flavor, try to use fresh for the most flavor. If using dry, just add 1 teaspoon.
Chicken broth – I use bone broth or chicken stock, even better, make your own. If your watching your salt, use a low-sodium chicken broth.
Cream cheese – adding 2 ounces makes for an even richer pot pie. If you don’t want to use cream cheese, you can add whole milk, cream or half-and-half instead.
Butter – I use unsalted butter for the sauce and the biscuits, if using salted, you will need to decrease the salt in the recipe.
Buttermilk – for the biscuit topping, if you don’t have it on hand, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of milk.
Egg – brushed on top of the biscuits for a golden brown finish
Pantry staples – flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt
Simple steps to make chicken pot pie with biscuits
Step 1: For the chicken pot pie filling
Cook the chicken a large cast iron skillet or oven-proof skillet over medium heat. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165° remove it to a separate plate. You can also cook chicken breasts in the oven, or you can use rotisserie chicken and skip this step. If using cooked chicken, add it in step four.
Step 2:
Add onions, celery and carrots to the same skillet and cook until they’re soft, then add garlic and thyme.
Step 3:
Melt butter and add flour, slowly whisk in the chicken broth until thickened. Fold in the cream cheese.
Step 4:
Shred the cooled chicken with two forks and add the shredded chicken back to the skillet. Stir to combine and simmer.
Step 5: For the Biscuits
If this is your first time making biscuits, check out this post for tips and tricks on how to make biscuits from scratch.
Add dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar — to the large bowl of a food processor. Process until combined. Add cold butter and process again, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add buttermilk and process just until the dough holds together.
You can use a pastry cutter instead of a food processor. For tender biscuits, make sure the butter and buttermilk are cold and that you handle the dough as little as possible.
Step 6:
Put the biscuit dough onto a floured surface and pat it into a rectangle. Cut the rectangle into fourths and stack the layers on top of each other. Pat the stack into a rectangle and repeat the process 3 times. Then roll the dough to ½ inch thickness and use a 2 ½ inch round cutter to cut the biscuits straight down (don’t twist the cutter).
Step 7:
Place the cut biscuits on top of the chicken mixture. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg with water or heavy cream and brush on top of the biscuits.
Sprinkle with flaky salt and black pepper and bake the chicken pie for 12-15 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
The result is the most delicious chicken pot pie you’ve ever had with a fluffy biscuit in each serving and tender chicken that will become a family favorite. Total time involved is under an hour.
Substitutions you can make
Pot pie is customizable to suit your taste. If you’d like to use different veggies, there are a lot of options. Try fresh green beans, peas, corn or mushrooms. For an extra dose of vitamin C add in chopped red pepper or broccoli. And frozen mixed vegetables work great when you’re in a rush.
You can experiment with other herbs like parsley, Italian seasoning or rosemary, or add some red pepper flakes for a little heat. Leftover turkey, ground beef or sausage are great protein substitutions. For another variation, try topping the filling with cheese biscuits or cheddar bay biscuits.
If you want to save time, you can use rotisserie chicken, just shred it and add before topping with the biscuits.
FAQs and tips
Yes, it’s easy to make biscuit topped chicken pot pies ahead of time. Cook the chicken a day or two ahead of time in a Crock-Pot or Instant Pot for easy shredding. Chop the vegetables and store them in a container in the fridge.
Make the biscuit dough the day before and store it in the fridge. You can even measure and combine the dry ingredients and keep them in a covered bowl. When it’s time to make the pot pie it will come together even quicker thanks to your prep work.
If your skillet has plastic or wood elements, you won’t want to put it in the oven. Instead, transfer the pot pie casserole dish before topping it with the biscuit dough.
When you’re cutting the biscuits, be sure to punch straight down through the dough. If you twist the cutter it will seal the edges and the biscuit won’t rise as high.
If your time is short you can substitute store bought biscuits for the homemade version. The homemade biscuits taste much better and don’t take long to make, so if at all possible use this from-scratch recipe.
Yes, you can freeze the pot pie before baking. Spoon the filling into an airtight container and transfer it to the freezer. Place the cut biscuit dough on a baking sheet, cover it and place it in the freezer until the biscuits are completely frozen. Then transfer them to a plastic freezer bag and freeze them for up to three months.
When you’re ready to bake the frozen chicken pot pie, thaw the filling and biscuits, transfer it to a baking dish, top with the cut biscuits and bake.
If you want to replace the cream cheese, you can add a little cream, milk or half-and-half to give it a creamy taste. Just decrease the chicken broth by the amount of cream you add so that it doesn’t get too runny. For the best chicken pot pie, it’s better to use cream cheese.
What to serve with chicken pot pie
Pot pie is a complete meal in itself, but be sure to save room for dessert.
Grilled Apples or Apple Crisp topped with ice cream
Banana Cream Pie filled with old-fashioned vanilla custard
Chocolatey Fudgy Brownies and Chocolate Cobbler
Light and healthy Spicy Fruit Salad or Fruit with Honey and Lime
More chicken recipes to savor
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Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 2 ounces cream cheese
TOPPING
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- flaky salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skilled over medium heat, add chicken and cook until browned 3-5 minutes, turn and continue cooking until it has cooked through, 165º. Remove to a separate plate.
- In the same skillet, add onions, celery and carrots and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook an additional minute.
- Add butter to the pan and once melted add flour, stirring until incorporated. Slowly add chicken broth and whisk until it has thickened. Add cream cheese and stir.
- Shred or cut chicken and add back to the skillet. Top with biscuits. Mix egg with a tablespoon of water or cream and brush on the biscuits. Sprinkle with flaky salt and bake for 12-15 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.
- BISCUITS: In a food processor, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Process until combined. Add cold butter and process until it resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and process just until it comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Cut into fourths and stack on top of each other. Pat into a rectangle and repeat 3 times. Roll out dough to ½ inch thickness and use a 2 ½ inch round cutter to cut biscuits. Place on top of chicken mixture.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can use rotisserie chicken, just add at the end.
- You can also bake the chicken first.
- This is easy to make ahead, just wait to add the biscuits until you are ready to bake.
- If you don’t want to use cream cheese, you can substitute milk or cream.
- You can transfer this to a casserole dish instead of baking it in the skillet.
- Feel free to add your favorite vegetables.
Nutrition
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