The combo of creamy, veggie and chicken-laden sauce + buttery, flaky biscuits is heavenly! Keep this recipe in your back pocket for using up leftover cooked chicken, Thanksgiving turkey, or Easter ham when the weather's cold.
If you love classic chicken pot pie but are saddened every time you crack open the flaky crust and all the scrumptious sauce spills out - this recipe is for you!
It has all the pot pie flavors you crave - chicken, butter, carrots, cream, thyme, flaky pastry (in the form of buttery biscuits) - except it's much thicker and heartier thanks to the addition of potatoes.
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This recipe is actually an oldie but goodie from my 2013 recipe archives. If you've made my creamy chicken noodle soup, this pot pie is what inspired it (chicken + thyme + cream is a heavenly combo).
I've made it as it was originally written MANY times over the years for loved ones, especially around the holidays (Thanksgiving in particular as it's a good way to use up leftover turkey).
However, today's version has one major modification that I think improves it dramatically: the biscuits are cooked separately.
Why Cook The Biscuits Separately Instead of Using Them as a Topping For Your Pot Pie?
I know it's very popular to open a can of store-bought biscuits and plop them down on your pot pie filling to keep things quick & easy. I get it! But hear me out.I used to cook the filling on the stovetop in a cast-iron skillet, then pop it in the oven to get extra hot while I quickly prepped a batch of drop biscuits.
Then I'd pull the skillet back out, place four big mounds of the biscuit dough on top of the filling, and slide it back into the oven until the biscuits were cooked & the filling was bubbly.
Here's the issue with that technique: the biscuits tend to spread a lot (at least in my case) and you only get a crisp exterior on the top of the biscuits.
When you bake the biscuits separately, they rise higher and form a slightly crunchy golden bottom. So it really comes down to a texture preference thing.
If you don't mind softer biscuits, then my old method works just fine. (Sidenote: That sentence felt very Ina Garten to me. :P)
These days I enjoy the slightly crunchy, craggy exterior more so I fix the filling on the stovetop and the biscuits in the oven.
Another huge perk of doing this is using the leftover biscuits for other meals. If you still have leftover chicken to use up, they'd go well with this cozy chicken ham swiss cheese casserole. However, if you keep the biscuits in the filling, they'll get soggy on the bottom and you're stuck eating them that way. This gives you more options!
Ingredients For Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
This recipe is certainly not FAST, i.e. prep it in five minutes, throw it in a pan, and it's done in less than 30 minutes.However, in terms of skill level, it's EASY. There are no complicated techniques or fussy ingredients. You don't have to make your own crust from scratch like with a classic pot pie (yay).
It's just good, simple, stick to your ribs comfort food. Here's what you'll need:
- Onion, Carrot & Celery: Aromatic veggies that create the base for our pot pie. You can also use sweet peas (frozen or fresh), which is a traditional pot pie ingredient, but I usually leave them out.
- Potatoes: Not typical but it makes the pot pie thicker & more filling. I almost always use waxy potatoes like red or Yukon gold, but russet works also. Important: Make sure you cut the cubes small, so the potatoes cook quickly.
- Cooked Chicken: I almost always use a rotisserie chicken that I shred into small pieces, but any leftover cooked chicken works. If you like your pot pie thinner, make sure to chop your chicken into bigger chunks (the small shredded pieces make the filling thicker). If you still have chicken to use up after making this, try my chicken tortilla soup and chicken naan wraps next!
- Salt, Pepper & Granulated Garlic: I add these spices to the veggies at the beginning so they're well seasoned. After all the ingredients are in, I taste the mixture and add a bit more salt + pepper, then do the same at the very end. You may need more or less depending on the sodium content of your broth + chicken.
- Dried Thyme: This is the herb that makes the dish, so don't skip it!
- Butter + Flour: This combo creates the roux that will thicken the liquids (chicken broth + cream) to create a heavenly sauce.
- Dry White Wine: This adds something extra in terms of flavor and the alcohol cooks off before the dish is finished. I highly recommend using it if you can. You can always use the rest to make white wine spritzers! If not, simply substitute it with extra chicken broth.
- Chicken Broth: For adding extra chicken flavor and thinning out the roux to make a sauce. I like to make homemade chicken bone broth in my slow cooker for recipes like this, but also keep extra store-bought quarts on hand so I can loosen the mixture if it's too thick and for reheating any leftovers, as potatoes tend to soak up all the liquid.
- Milk/Cream (heavy cream, half & half or whole milk): It will taste best & richest with heavy cream, but I've made it many times with whole milk. I don't recommend using anything lower fat that that. If you need a dairy-free option, use canned full-fat coconut milk, so you get more of that richness.
Tips For Making This Chicken Pot Pie
- If you want plenty of room, use a 12-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron or enameled cast-iron (I want to get a Le Creuset skillet to match my Dutch oven soon) in case you want to pop it in the oven. A 10-inch skillet works, but it will be very full.
- Chop your veggies, especially the potatoes, VERY small so they cook faster. Fair warning, if your potatoes are in big chunks the filling may take twice as long to finish! You can also slightly reduce the cook-time but adding chopped cooked potatoes that you boiled/baked separately.
- To make the pot pie even heartier, increase the chicken to 3 cups and the cubed potatoes to 2 cups (about 3 medium potatoes). However, you'll need to add an extra 1 cup (or more) of liquid at the end to create more sauce & compensate for the extra ingredients (you can use all chicken stock or half stock, half cream).
- Once you put the lid on to let the filling simmer, prep and bake the cheddar garlic drop biscuits (grab the link in the recipe card). Those take 25 minutes start to finish (so easy) and the pot pie needs about 40 minutes to simmer on the stove so you have plenty of time.
- This recipe is an excellent vessel for leftover cooked meats like roasted turkey or even carnitas. I even have a version that uses leftover ham and is topped with cubed cornbread! After Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, you could skip the biscuits and use leftover stuffing as a topping. So many yummy options. :)
More Chicken Recipes You'll Love:
- Chicken Hummus Naan Wraps (15-minute recipe)
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce (30-ish minute recipe)
- Mediterranean Salad with Chicken (15-minute recipe)
- Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Whole Chicken (15-minute prep)
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (90-minute recipe)
- Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad (20-minute recipe)
Yield: 6 servings
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Drop Biscuits
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 15 M
In the mood for stick to your ribs comfort food? Fix this thick & hearty chicken pot pie in one skillet on the stovetop and while that's simmering away, bake a batch of quick & easy cheddar garlic drop biscuits to serve on top. The combo of creamy, veggie and chicken-laden sauce + buttery, flaky biscuits is heavenly! Keep this recipe in your back pocket for using up leftover cooked chicken, turkey, or ham when the weather's cold.
ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, diced (I use sweet or yellow)
- 1 1/2 cups of thinly sliced carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1 cup of thinly sliced celery (about 2-3 stalks)
- 1 1/4 cups of small cubed potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
- 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken - turkey or ham works, too!)
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (I use olive oil or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt + extra, to taste
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper + extra, to taste
- 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 3 tablespoons of flour (I use unbleached all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine (like chardonnay, pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
- 1 1/2 cups of homemade chicken broth + extra to thin out the sauce, if desired
- 1 cup of heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk
For Serving
- Cheddar Garlic Drop Biscuits (baked separately while the filling is cooking)
instructions:
How to cook Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Drop Biscuits
- First, prepare the onion, carrots, celery & potatoes (and shred or chop the chicken if not already prepped) so you're not bouncing between the cutting board & stove. Make sure to cube the potatoes into small pieces so they cook faster.
- Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil. Let that warm a minute, then add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in the potatoes, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and dried thyme. Add the butter, let that melt for a minute, then sprinkle the flour over the veggies. Stir well to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the cooking wine and chicken broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to incorporate any fond (browned bits) from the veggies. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and cook 3-4 minutes to let the wine evaporate, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks.
- Taste the filling for seasoning and add an extra 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt or pepper if needed. Stir in the milk, followed by the shredded cooked chicken. Bring the mixture to a simmer again, then reduce heat to medium-low, and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, OR until all veggies are fork-tender. The amount of time it takes to finish will depend on the size of your veggies and the amount of liquid you add. If the filling is too thick, you can always add more broth or cream. While the pot pie is simmering, prep & bake a batch of cheddar garlic drop biscuits (they take 25 minutes total).
- When the filling is ready, ladle the chicken pot pie into bowls, top with a homemade drop biscuit, and serve immediately while hot.
NOTES:
Roasted turkey or chopped baked ham works well in place of chicken if you need to use up leftover meat. I'm sure prime rib or shredded chuck roast would be delicious, also! If you don't like biscuits, homemade stuffing or chopped cornbread makes an excellent topping.
The leftovers reheat well on the stovetop (covered with a lid) or in the oven covered with a layer of foil (I typically reheat food at 350 or 375 degrees); however, the potatoes tend to absorb all the liquid, so you'll need to add more chicken stock or water to loosen the sauce.
To make this gluten-free, omit the flour (cornstarch or arrowroot starch *might* work but I haven't recipe tested it yet) and serve with your favorite homemade or canned gluten-free biscuits.
To make this dairy-free, substitute the butter with ghee or coconut oil and use canned full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
© The Rising Spoon. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not reprint this recipe without my written permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please take your own pictures, rewrite the directions in your own words, and link to this post as the original source. Thank you!
UPDATE (November 2019): This recipe was originally published in January 2013, but I've recently rephotographed it, updated the recipe, re-written the post to include more helpful information, and added a printable recipe card.
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