Chicken Pot Pie With Puff Pastry Shells
A delicious twist on a classic, this chicken pot pie with puff pastry might just be the most delicious, cozy dinner you can make in under 40 minutes. The filling is made from scratch, It’s thick and creamy with tender pieces of chicken breast and mixed vegetables, and it goes straight into buttery, flaky puff pastry shells that bake up golden while you prepare the filling. It’s a proper homemade dinner that brings the family around the table.
What makes this recipe stand out is that there’s no shortcut on the filling, yet it still come’s together fairly quickly . It start’s with butter-softened onions, a simple roux, and a good chicken broth. It’s an easy method that turns a handful of simple pantry ingredients into something seriously delicious.
I’ve made a lot of pot pies over the years, and this is the version I keep coming back to – mostly because it’s quick enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for company. My slow cooker chicken stew is perfect if you ever want something even more hands-off on a busy night.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- ready in about 35 minutes from start to finish
- scratch-made filling that doesn’t start with soup; it’s rich, creamy and full of flavour
- uses simple pantry and freezer ingredients you likely already have
- great way to use up leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken
- no pastry making required – frozen shells do the work for you
- easy to scale up or down depending on how many you are serving
- great for feeding a crowd or a simple family weeknight dinner
Ingredients You Will Need
- puff pastry shells – look for these in the freezer section of your grocery store; they bake up beautifully golden and flaky and create a buttery edible bowl for the pot pie filling
- chicken or vegetable broth – either works well, and I recommend using a good quality broth for the best flavour in the filling
- chicken bouillon cube – adds a nice flavour to the broth and seasons the filling without any extra effort or ingredients
- butter – this is what we use to cook the onions down low and slow, and it creates the base of the roux for thickening; don’t swap it out with oil or margarine
- yellow cooking onion – cook it low and slow until translucent for the best flavour in the finished filling
- all purpose flour – combined with the butter, this is what thickens the filling into that classic creamy pot pie consistency
- heavy cream – just a splash, but it makes the filling feel rich and velvety; you can use a splash of milk, but you’ll notice the difference
- frozen mixed vegetables – corn, peas and carrots work beautifully and go straight in from frozen, no thawing needed
- cooked chicken breast – use leftover roast chicken, rotisserie chicken, or quickly poached or roasted chicken breasts; any of these work well
How To Make Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry Shells
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
Bake the pastry shells – preheat oven and bake according to package directions. They will usually take 20-25 minutes, so get them into the oven and let them bake while you prepare the filling.
Soften the onions – melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes, until soften and translucent.
Build the broth – add broth to a sauce pan with the bouillon cube and heat over medium-high heat until bouillon is fully dissolved. Reduce heat to low to keep hot until read to add to roux.
Make the roux – add flour to the onion/butter mixture, cooking over stirring constantly over low heat for 2 minutes.
Thicken the filling – slowly add the hot broth to the roux, stirring constantly with a wire balloon whisk for one minute, until mixture thickens. It does thicken quickly as soon as the broth hits the pan.
Add the good stuff – add chicken, frozen veggies, cream, salt and pepper, stir to fully combine. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes to allow veggies to and chicken to be heated through and flavours are well combined.
NOTE: If you have used broth and/or butter with salt you can omit or decrease the amount of added salt the recipe calls for. Don’t skip the pepper though!
When the shells come out of the oven, gently push the centre down into the shell. Or, carefully remove it and place it on top of the filling before serving.
Use a soup ladle and scoop a generous amount of filling into each baked pastry shell right before serving.
Tips From The Red Cottage Kitchen
- cook the onions slowly over medium-low heat as this is were all the delicious flavour starts to develop
- keep the broth hot after bouillon is dissolved, as adding other broth to the roux ensures a smooth sauce that thickens quickly, while cold broth can cause lumps
- whisk continuously while slowly adding the hot broth to the roux, as the sauce thickens quickly and whisking ensures a smooth, creamy sauce
- only fill number of shells you want to serve, as the leftover shells and sauce should be stored separately (see notes on recipe card)
- use a good quality broth whenever possible as it will result in a richer flavour, or use a homemade chicken stock if you have it on hand
- rotisserie chicken is the perfect shortcut if you don’t have any leftover chicken breast on hand, and don’t feel like cooking chicken from fresh
If you love a more traditional style chicken pot pie, this version is a wonderful recipe to have in your recipe box. It’s sauce a little different and starts with cream cheese! You’ll find more weeknight-friendly options over in the mains and sides recipes section of the site as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Puff pastry shells are fairly easy to find in the freezer section near pie shells and puff pastry. However, you can cut regular sheets of cold puff pastry with a round cookie cutter. Use a smaller round cookie cutter just to “score” a smaller circle in the centre (but don’t cut right through). Brush with beaten egg and bake according to puff pastry package instructions.
Absolutely you can. Prepare it a day ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bake the pastry shells and reheat the filling in a saucepan over medium heat when ready to serve.
Yes, 2% or whole milk can be used I a pinch. The filling will be slightly less rich, but still delicious!
Fill just the amount of shells you intend to serve right before serving to prevent filling sitting too long and softening shells.
Storage Tips
Always store the shells and filling separately
- filling – transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often, before serving
- pastry shells – store at room temperature in an airtight container lined with paper towel for up to 2 days; if they soften, pop them in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes to crisp them back up before filling
- freezing – the filling freezes well for up to one month; thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop; bake fresh shells when ready to serve
Serving Ideas
These chicken pot pie in puff pastry shells are little on the small side. I find a single pastry served alongside a salad or steamed broccoli makes a perfect meal, but bigger eaters may prefer two. Try it with a spoonful of cranberry sauce for a delicious sweet and savoury flavour combination.
More Chicken Recipes
Chicken Pot Pie With Puff Pastry Shells
Equipment
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 dutch oven or large sauce pan
- balloon whisk
- wooden spoon
- paring knife
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 8 puff pastry shells
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- â…“ cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- â…› cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables corn, peas and carrots
- 2 large chicken breast, cooked and cubed about 2 cups
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven and bake puff pastry shells according to package directions.
- While shells are baking, combine chicken or vegetable broth and chicken bouillon cube in a small saucepan, heat over medium heat until bouillon is dissolved. Reduce to low heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook over medium low heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until translucent. Add flour, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add hot chicken broth and using a balloon whisk, stir continuously for 1 minute, until mixture is thickened and smooth.
- Add mixed vegetables, cubed chicken breast, cream, salt and pepper, stirring well. Heat over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- When pastry shells are done remove from oven, allow to cool slightly and press down centre to create a well. Divide chicken pot pie filling between pastry shells and serve.
Notes
