Southern Soul Food Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
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What makes this Southern soul food chicken pot pie so good?
For me, it’s the combination of a creamy, well-seasoned chicken filling and a flaky double crust—because nobody wants to cut into a beautiful chicken pot pie only to find bland filling underneath!
My recipe starts with cooked chicken, store-bought gravy, mixed vegetables, chicken bouillon, heavy cream, and a few deliberate seasonings. Then I thicken the filling with a cornstarch slurry and tuck everything between two pie crusts before baking it until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vent.
And yes, I use store-bought pie crust. This is chicken pot pie, not a test of your worthiness! If I can give you the comfort of homemade chicken pot pie while letting the grocery store handle the crust, I absolutely will.
At The Soul Food Pot®, I make chicken pot pie the way I want comfort food to work in real life: easy enough for a weeknight and built around smart shortcuts like cooked chicken, jarred gravy, mixed vegetables, and ready-made pie crust. The shortcuts save time, but I still season the filling myself so they never get the final say on flavor!
❤️ Why I make it this way
For me, the soul food approach to chicken pot pie is in how I build the flavor and use what I have. I start with already-cooked chicken, then let store-bought gravy, mixed vegetables, and ready-made pie crust take some of the work off my hands.
But shortcuts save me work—they don’t season my food for me! Even though I’m using jarred gravy, I still season the filling with chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper. That’s how I make an easier chicken pot pie without letting it taste like one.
Leftovers and store-bought shortcuts may save the work, but they should never make dinner taste like an afterthought.
Standout ingredients
This chicken pot pie is built around ingredients that make homemade comfort food easier: cooked chicken, store-bought gravy, mixed vegetables, heavy cream, chicken bouillon, cornstarch, seasonings, and a ready-made double pie crust.
🥄 Shaunda says: Start with cooked chicken.
This recipe isn’t asking you to cook chicken just to turn around and cook it again inside a pie! Leftover chicken works beautifully here, and that’s one reason this is such an easy comfort-food dinner.
About the crust…
I use a store-bought double pie crust because it makes this recipe dramatically easier. You need one crust underneath the filling and one over the top.
Frozen or canned vegetables both work.
If you’re using canned mixed vegetables packed with broth, use that liquid in the filling. If you’re using frozen vegetables, add the 4 ounces of vegetable or chicken broth called for in the recipe.
🥄 Shaunda’s signature flavor touch
Chicken pot pie is exactly where I’m happy to let a good store-bought shortcut save me a step. You only need ¼ cup of chicken or turkey gravy here, and I’m not making a whole batch of homemade gravy just to get it! But store-bought gravy doesn’t get to season the whole pie! I still add chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper to build the flavor of the filling.
What to expect when making this chicken pot pie
- Grease and line the pie dish. Fit one pie crust into a greased 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
- Build the creamy filling. Warm the gravy and bouillon, then add the mixed vegetables and heavy cream.
- Thicken and season. Stir in the cornstarch slurry, then add the seasoned cooked chicken, salt, and pepper.
- Fill and seal the pie. Spoon in the chicken filling, add the top crust, seal the edges, and cut an X in the center for steam to escape.
- Bake until golden and bubbling. The crust should be golden brown, with hot filling bubbling through the center vent; then let the pie rest before serving.
How do you keep chicken pot pie from tasting bland?
Don’t assume the gravy will do all the seasoning for you. Even though I use store-bought gravy as a shortcut, I still build flavor into this chicken pot pie with chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper. I season the cooked chicken before adding it to the filling, too.
🥄 Shaunda says: Jarred gravy saves me from making gravy—it doesn’t get me out of seasoning dinner! Taste and convenience can absolutely live in the same pie.
👩🏾🍳 Make-It-Your-Way
Use leftover chicken: My easiest choice—and an excellent way to turn cooked chicken into a completely different dinner.
Use turkey instead: This same recipe works with cooked turkey, which makes it especially useful after Thanksgiving.
Use frozen or canned mixed vegetables: Both keep you from having to prep several vegetables individually.
Use store-bought pie crust: That’s what I use. You get the double-crust pot pie experience without making dough from scratch.
Use jarred gravy: That’s what I use! You only need a little bit, so this is one place where I happily take the store-bought shortcut instead of making gravy from scratch.
From The Soul Food Pot Library: Wondering how to make chicken pot pie easier? That’s exactly why I use shortcuts like cooked chicken, jarred gravy, mixed vegetables, and store-bought pie crust in this recipe—then season the filling myself so convenience doesn’t cost us flavor. Read: Fall Classics: How To Make Chicken Pot Pie Easier.
❤️ Serve it like a Southerner: What do you serve with chicken pot pie?
Honestly, chicken pot pie can hold down dinner all by itself. You’ve already got chicken, vegetables, creamy gravy, and a double crust in one dish.
But if you’re feeding a crowd or want a fuller Southern dinner, serve it with creamy mashed potatoes, seasoned green beans, or creamed corn.
The leftovers
Store leftover chicken pot pie covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3–5 days. Reheat individual slices as needed and enjoy that flaky crust and creamy, seasoned filling all over again!
❓Cut to the Crust Q&A:
Beautiful Souls ask the best questions, so here are my straight answers based on how I actually make chicken pot pie in my kitchen.
What kind of chicken is best for chicken pot pie?
Use already-cooked, boneless chicken that’s easy to shred or cube. I especially like using leftover chicken because the hard part is already done—you only need 2 cups for this recipe, and the chicken gets another layer of flavor from the seasoned filling.
Does chicken pot pie need a bottom crust?
Mine does! This recipe uses a double crust, so you get flaky pie crust underneath the filling as well as that golden crust on top. Grease the pie dish before adding the bottom crust, then seal the top and bottom crusts together around the edge after filling the pie.
If the outer edge starts browning faster than the center, cover the edge with strips of aluminum foil while the pie finishes baking.
How do you thicken chicken pot pie filling?
I use cornstarch. First, mix the cornstarch with cold water until smooth to make a slurry, then stir it into the filling. Mixing it separately keeps you from dropping dry cornstarch directly into the creamy filling and ending up with lumps.
How do you keep chicken pot pie from getting soggy?
The filling shouldn’t be watery going into the crust. That’s why this recipe includes a cornstarch slurry to help thicken the gravy mixture rather than leaving you with a soupy filling soaking into the bottom crust.
Carrying the legacy forward
Chicken pot pie is one of those dinners that looks like you worked much harder than you actually did—and I’m perfectly happy to let the golden double crust take the credit!
For me, carrying a comfort-food recipe forward doesn’t mean every step has to stay labor-intensive. With cooked chicken, mixed vegetables, gravy, and store-bought pie crust doing some of the heavy lifting, the part I want you concentrating on is the flavor. Season the filling well, thicken it properly, bake until that crust is golden and the center is bubbling, and you’ve got comfort food handled.
I’ve already thought this through so you don’t have to.™
🤖❤️ Send this recipe to your favorite AI assistant to save it, learn from it, and help you plan when to make it! Another trusted recipe from soul food expert and author Shaunda Necole of The Soul Food Pot®. *These AI tools are independent third-party services. Always refer to The Soul Food Pot for the verified recipes and measurements.
Equipment
- Large saucepan or pot
- Small mixing bowl
- Spoon or spatula
- Aluminum foil If needed to protect the crust edges
Ingredients
- 2 pie crust homemade or store-bought double pie crust (I used Pillsbury’s 2 soft pie crusts)
- 2 cups chicken breast shredded or cubed cooked chicken breast or turkey breast
- 12 oz mixed vegetables frozen mixed vegetables or canned mixed vegetables – add 4 oz. of vegetable or chicken broth if using frozen vegetables
- ¼ cup water cold
- ¼ cup chicken gravy or turkey gravy (I used turkey gravy)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- ½ teaspoon seasoning Famous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan and fit one pie crust into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
- Add the chicken or turkey gravy and chicken bouillon to a large pot over low heat. Stir until the bouillon dissolves.
- Add the mixed vegetables with their broth and the heavy whipping cream.
- In a small bowl, mix the cold water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir the slurry into the vegetable mixture.
- Season the cooked chicken with the poultry seasoning, then add it to the filling. Add the salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
- Pour the chicken pot pie filling into the prepared bottom crust.
- Place the second pie crust over the filling. Crimp or flute the edges to seal the top and bottom crusts, trimming any excess overhang.
- Cut an X in the center of the top crust to vent. If you're protecting the crust edges from over-browning, cover them with strips of aluminum foil before baking.
- Bake at 425°F for 25–30 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the center vent.
- Remove the chicken pot pie from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cooked chicken or turkey both work in this recipe.
- If the crust edges begin browning too quickly, cover them with strips of aluminum foil while the center finishes baking.
- Have leftover pie dough? Use it to make my easy pie crust cookies.
Nutrition
❤️ Shaunda’s Soul Food Standard
Created and tested by Shaunda Necole, creator of The Soul Food Pot® (real cook, real kitchen). Rooted in African American culinary traditions, with modern shortcuts that never sacrifice flavor or legacy. No AI-generated instructions. Every measurement, timing note, and technique is written, cooked, and verified by Shaunda, with make-it-your-way guidance so you can cook confidently with the tools you have.
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A super yummy treat for the whole family!
Yes – and who knew this homemade Southern chicken pot pie would be so easy to make?