Learn how to make a delicious chicken pot pie in the cast iron skillet. Everything is made in one skillet, the effort is minimal, and the results are super tasty and comforting.
This chicken pot pie in the cast iron skillet is a classic recipe made in just one pot. Less working steps and less clean-up, but the same yum and comfort you associate with a chicken pot pie.
The creamy chicken and vegetable filling and the buttery and crispy puff pastry crisp make a cozy, warming dinner perfect for these cold winter days. And if you like some more crowd-pleasing pies, check out our Chicken Mushroom and Leek Pie or the Chicken and Ham Pie. Or make a Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry.
Jump to recipe
Why should you make the pie in a skillet?
- Just one pot - a large cast iron skillet (9 inches/ 30 cm). You cook the filling in the cast iron pan on the stovetop, cover it with the crust, and bake the pie in the hot oven.
- Many shortcuts (one skillet, store-bought puff pastry, leftover or rotisserie chicken) make this easy chicken pot pie recipe easier to make. But the flavor and comfort remain the same.
- Puff pastry crust: It is crispier and so easy to use. You can skip the dough-rolling part if you buy a disc or already-rolled pastry.
- Single crust: As much as I love any pastry crust, I was never particularly keen on the bottom crust of a classic chicken pot pie. The top crust is terrific - golden, flaky, and crispy, and the bottom crust can’t compete with that.
- So, why bother? Use just one crust layer to save money, time, and calories. You will not miss anything.
Recipe ingredients
- Chicken: Start from scratch and cook 1 lb chicken breast or thighs.
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
- Make this easy skillet chicken pot pie with leftover turkey or ham.
- Puff pastry: One disc of already-rolled puff pastry from the grocery store’s refrigerator section. If the pastry is rolled in one rectangle, trim it to fit the skillet.
- Frozen puff pastry is also great, but you must thaw and roll it according to the packet’s instructions.
- Vegetables: Mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, and frozen peas.
- Stock: You can cook the breasts in stock or water. You will also need the cooking water or some chicken stock for the gravy. Don’t forget to reserve the cooking liquid.
- Using low-sodium broth or stock is preferable to avoid oversalting the sauce. In this case, adding more salt at the end is better than having too much from the start.
- Roux ingredients: All-purpose flour, butter, cooking liquid or stock, and whole milk. I prefer to use unsalted butter to make the creamy chicken gravy.
- Other ingredients: More butter for cooking the vegetables, one egg and a little milk for the egg wash, a bay leaf, fine sea salt or Kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
How to make chicken pot pie in the cast iron skillet?
- Cook the breasts in water or low sodium stock or broth (1). Reserve the cooking liquid; you will need it for the gravy. Dice or shred meat into small pieces. Alternatively, use already-cooked meat.
- Vegetables: Cook the sliced mushrooms on medium heat until golden (2). Remove them from the skillet. Cook the diced vegetables in a bit more butter until they soften slightly (3).
- Gravy: Melt butter (4), add flour, and sauté for a couple of minutes (5). Slowly add cooking liquid and milk, whisking continuously to avoid clumps (6). Simmer until the gravy thickens (7). Add the mushrooms, meat, and peas and stir to combine. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
- Assemble: Pour the filling into the skillet (8) and cover it with the pastry. Crimp the dough around the edges to seal and cut four slits into the pastry for venting (9). Brush the skillet chicken pot pie with the egg wash.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the creamy sauce bubbles and the crust golden brown. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the egg wash. Sometimes, I think sacrificing an egg for just a bit of brushing is not worth it, but it is… every time. Without the egg wash, the pie remains pale and doesn’t look like much. But, on the other hand, the egg wash makes it golden, shiny, and so appetizing.
- If you notice that the crust gets too brown too soon, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.
How to freeze the unbaked pie?
- I only freeze the unbaked pie if I make it with refrigerated puff pastry (not frozen and defrosted pastry).
- You can’t freeze it in the cast-iron skillet; use a freezer-friendly AND oven-friendly container (like a foil pan).
- Prepare the chicken mixture, pour it into the dish, and cover it with the crust. Don’t brush it with egg wash yet. Cover the chicken pot pie with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Bake the frozen pot pie: Place the dish (still covered with foil) in the preheated oven and bake it for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, brush the pastry with the beaten egg wash, and bake until golden brown and cooked through; it will take between 40 and 60 minutes.
Recipe FAQ
Of course! Cook the filling in a saucepan or a skillet and transfer it to a pie dish or a shallow Dutch oven of a similar size. Cover with the flaky crust and bake as instructed.
The filling should be bubbling, and the crust should be golden brown and crispy. You can check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should be 165°F/ 75°C.
You can substitute the puff pastry with homemade pie crust or store-bought pie crust.
This pie is also great with leftover Thanksgiving turkey or ham.
Yes, leave out the meat and add more mushrooms and vegetables to make up for the missing poultry.
Let them come to room temperature, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days, and reheat them in the oven.
Freeze leftovers in freezer containers for 2-3 months. Defrost in the fridge or reheat the frozen pie in the preheated at 350°F/180°C until heated through.
What to serve with it?
This cast iron chicken pot pie is a meal in itself and only needs something light on the side, like salad or vegetables.
We love to serve it with a green salad with Yogurt Dressing or vinaigrette, Cucumber Salad with Dill, Simple White Cabbage Salad, or tomato and onion salad.
Serve it with steamed or sauteed vegetables like spinach, kale, steamed Swiss chard, sauteed asparagus, buttered peas, or French green beans. Or serve some roasted vegetables on the side, like broccoli, cauliflower, beets, peppers, etc.
For an even more filling meal, serve it with Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Rich Truffle Potatoes, Creamy Spinach Potato Mash, or Homemade Yeast Rolls.
More savory pies
Recipe
Chicken Pot Pie in the Cast Iron Skillet
Equipment
- Cast-iron skillet 9 inches/ 30 cm
Ingredients
Chicken (Note 1):
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast 450 g, Note 2
- 2 cups chicken stock low sodium or water
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or 4-5 peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Filling:
- 9 oz mushrooms 250 g, cleaned and sliced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot diced
- 1-2 celery stalks depending on size diced
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 cup peas 150 g
Roux:
- ¼ cup butter 60 g
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 60 g
- 2 cups chicken stock 500 ml Notes 3, 4
- 1 cup whole milk 250 ml
Crust:
- 1 disc puff pastry Note 5
- 1 small egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Cook the chicken:
- Place the chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with chicken broth or water; add salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.1 lb/ 450 g chicken breast + 2 cups / 500 ml chicken stock or water + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper + 1 bay leaf
- Shred: Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid but reserve the liquid. Once the breasts are cool enough to handle, shred them or cut them into small pieces.
Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
- Cook the mushrooms: Clean and slice them. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the cast-iron skillet. Cook the mushrooms until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the skillet.9 oz/ 250 g mushrooms + 1 tablespoon butter
- Cook vegetables: Dice the onion, celery stalks, and carrot. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet and cook the vegetables until a bit softer, about 3-4 minutes.1 onion + 1-2 celery stalks + 1 carrot + 1 tablespoon butter
Roux:
- Add the butter needed for the roux to the skillet and let it melt.
- Sprinkle the flour on top of the vegetables and stir to combine with the butter and vegetables. Sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the cooking liquid (or stock), whisking continuously to avoid clumps. Slowly add the milk as well. 2 cups/ 500 ml chicken stock + 1 cup/ 250 ml milk
- Simmer for about 10 minutes, often stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly.
- Add the mushrooms, chicken, and peas and stir to combine. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble:
- Cover with pastry: Unroll the puff pastry and place it over the filling in the cast-iron skillet. Crimp the dough around the edges to seal the pie. Cut four slits into the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking.
- Egg wash: Whisk the egg and the milk in a small bowl. Brush the pastry with the mixture.
- Bake: Place the chicken pot pie in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown.
- Rest the pie for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
- Chicken: You can cook the chicken from scratch or make the recipe using chicken leftovers or rotisserie chicken.
- Substitute the breasts with chicken thighs. Or use leftover turkey or baked ham.
- Stock: The reserved stock from cooking the chicken or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock (if using a rotisserie or leftover chicken).
If the cooking liquid is insufficient, top it with a bit of water (or extra milk) to have 2 cups/ 500 ml. - Puff pastry: If the puff pastry is rolled in a rectangle, trim it to fit the skillet. If using frozen puff pastry, thaw it and roll it according to the package instructions.
Leave a Reply