Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
Store-bought buttery biscuits bake over chicken and veggies in a rich, creamy sauce.
Serves4 to 6
Prep15 minutes
Cook40 minutes to 45 minutes
In a ranking of comfort foods, chicken pot pie casserole is at the top of the list. It doesn’t get much cozier than a bowl filled with hearty bites of tender chicken and vegetables baked in a creamy sauce and topped with golden, buttery biscuits. That is exactly what I want to eat all winter long.
Classic pot pies are topped with flaky pie crust, but dealing with the particularities of pastry dough isn’t my idea of casual comfort. By relying on a few smart supermarket shortcuts — like refrigerated biscuits, just to name one — this crowd-pleasing meal is table-ready in about an hour.
Ingredients in Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Chicken: You’ll need 1 pound of cooked boneless chicken (about 4 cups) for this recipe. Use the meat from one rotisserie chicken or bake a few chicken breasts. It’s easiest to shred chicken while it is still warm from the store or the oven. You can also dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces if that feels easier.
- Vegetables: Yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and frozen peas make this chicken casserole an all-in-one meal. Cut the carrots and celery into large pieces so that they maintain texture after cooking.
- Seasonings: Fresh or dried thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper season the casserole.
- Sauce: Unsalted butter and all-purpose flour thicken the sauce made from chicken broth and milk to make a creamy gravy rather than relying on canned condensed soup.
- Biscuits: Skip the pie crust and pick up jumbo- or grand-sized refrigerated biscuits for the topping.
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Sauté the vegetables. Cook the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and seasonings in butter until they begin to brown.
- Make the sauce. Add all-purpose flour and stir to coat the vegetables (this will keep the gravy from becoming lumpy), then add chicken broth and milk, and simmer until thickened.
- Top with biscuits. Open a tube of large, refrigerated biscuits and place them evenly over the top of the filling.
- Bake. Bake until the center of the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are cooked through. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter before serving.
How to Thicken Chicken Pot Pie Filling
This pot pie is thickened with all-purpose flour. Sprinkle flour over the buttery sautéed vegetables to make a roux, then whisk in the chicken broth and milk. You can see flour reach its full thickening power as the sauce comes to a boil.
Test to see if the sauce is ready by dipping the back of a spoon into the sauce, then dragging a finger through the center. If the center line remains clear and the gravy doesn’t immediately fill the space, the sauce is ready.
How to Store Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
Transfer leftovers to a food storage container, making sure the biscuits are placed on top of the filling. The chicken pot pie casserole can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole Recipe
Store-bought buttery biscuits bake over chicken and veggies in a rich, creamy sauce.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes to 45 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
medium yellow onion
- 3
medium carrots
- 3
medium stalks celery
- 2
cloves garlic
- 1/2 medium bunch
fresh thyme (about 10 sprigs), or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 tablespoons
unsalted butter, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup
all-purpose flour
- 2 cups
or 1 (14.5-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup
whole or 2% milk
- 1 pound
cooked boneless chicken (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup
frozen peas (do not thaw)
- 1 (about 16-ounce) can
refrigerated jumbo- or grand-size biscuits, such as Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
Dice 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 1/2 cups). Peel and halve 3 medium carrots and halve 3 medium celery stalks lengthwise. Cut both crosswise into 1/2-inch wide pieces (about 1 cup each). Mince 2 garlic cloves. Pick the leaves from 1/2 medium bunch fresh thyme and coarsely chop (about 2 teaspoons), or measure out 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Melt 4 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and the garlic. Stir to coat the vegetables in the flour and cook until fragrant and no dry spots remain, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly pour in 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 1 cup whole or 2% milk, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred or dice 1 pound cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 4 cups).
Add the chicken and 1 cup frozen peas to the skillet, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt or black pepper, as needed. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Open 1 (about 16-ounce) can refrigerated biscuits, separate the biscuits, and arrange in a single layer over the filling.
Bake until the biscuits are golden-brown and cooked through, and the filling in the center of the baking dish is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes, rotate the baking dish, and cover with aluminum foil if the biscuits are browning too quickly.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Brush the butter over the tops of the biscuits.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.