Homemade Frozen Chicken Pot Pies
Chicken Pot Pie is a hearty and warm winter dinner that your family can enjoy this season. And this particular chicken pot pie recipe is very flavorful and pretty easy to whip together, if you decide to make one for dinner, this recipe makes a little extra so you can make it into a freezer meal and store it for later.
To help you have the most success with your freezer meal, here are some helpful Chicken Pot Pie tips!
How Many Pie Containers:
- This recipe yields two 9″ pies.
- Double this recipe if you want to make multiple containers for freezing.
- A 9″x6″ square foil pan will work as well!
- This recipe is pretty flexible depending on how deep your container is (some pie pans are more shallow… if yours is more deep, then you might not have enough filling to make two 9″ deep dish pot pies).
- Consider how much filling to crust ratio your family likes, and this will help guide you on what container to get.
Easy Chicken Pot Pie Crust:
You can totally use refrigerated pie crusts for this recipe. They work great and are such a good shortcut option! If you want to make the box of crusts go further, consider only putting the crust on top, and not the bottom, as pictured above.
Tips for Cooking the Chicken:
Cook and shred your chicken ahead of time to cut down on prep time. You can reheat the chicken in chicken broth while you are chopping and gathering supplies. This also moistens the chicken again.
- Baked Chicken:Sprinkle with salt & pepper and then brush some olive oil on the chicken breasts. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
- Dutch oven:Place the chicken and 2 cups broth in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is just done (don’t overcook or it will dry out) – about 10-12 minutes. If the chicken pieces are large, you may need to pound them or cut them in half so they will cook more quickly.
- Slow cooker:Place the chicken and 2 cups of broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.
- Instant Pot: Place the chicken and 1 cup of broth in instant pot liner. Cook frozen chicken on high pressure for 30 minutes and let natural release. If cooking thawed chicken, cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and let natural release.
For the pie filling:
When you first start mixing in the flour with the butter, it is pretty dry & thick until the chicken broth & milk is added. But this is important because you want to cook out the flour taste. Once the chicken broth is added, it will become a thick gravy consistency. Slowly add some more milk if it seems too thick.
Assembly Tip:
Measure the crust for the aluminum container by flipping it over & pressing. This allows you to use any size container and have the crust topping match the size perfectly!
Cooking the pie:
If cooking immediately after assembling, then bake time is approximately 20 minutes until crust is golden brown. Consider using aluminum foil around the crust edges so they do not burn.
Freezing the pie:
No need to pre-cook! Simply wrap each loaf pan in 2 tight layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
How Long to Cook After Freezing Chicken Pot Pie:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400. Unwrap frozen pot pies and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush crust with beaten egg, cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until crusts are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let pot pies rest 10 minutes before serving.
Final Thoughts
This is a healthy and delicious chicken pot pie that your family will love! This recipe is flavorful, hearty, and adaptable. If there are vegetables you don’t like, switch it for something else. For example, if you aren’t a fan of peas, just add some extra carrots and celery instead.
Learn More About Freezer Meal Cooking:
Freezer Meals: Make it a Party or Do it Yourself?
24 Hacks for Your Next Freezer Meal Making Session!
Top 5 Reasons You Need Freezer Meal Cooking in Your Life
What Foods Don’t Freeze Well for Freezer Recipes
- Freezer Meal eBook
Adapted fromChicken Pot Pie Crumble recipe and America’s Test Kitchen
Freezer Meal Recipes: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Delicious homemade chicken pot pies that you can freeze for later!
4.73 / 5 ( 55 Reviews )
Print Rate
Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours
Serves: 12
Adjust Servings: 12
Equipment
2 9" Pie Containers
2-3 Disposable aluminum pans (depends on the size and depth)
Ingredients
Chicken and Filling:
- 1 ½ pounds chicken
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
- 1 onion chopped fine (about 1 cup)
- 4-5 carrots peeled and sliced (about 1.5 cup)
- 2-3 large stalks celery chopped (about 1 cup)
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
The Rest:
- 2 boxes refrigerated pre-made pie crust 4 crusts
- 1 large egg for brushing on crust prior to baking
Instructions
Chicken
Stovetop: Place the chicken and 2 cups broth in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is just done (don’t overcook or it will dry out) – about 10-12 minutes. If the chicken pieces are large, you may need to pound them or cut them in half so they will cook more quickly.
Slow Cooker: Or you can place the chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a medium bowl. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve. Return the pot to the stovetop (no need to wash it).
Filling
Heat the olive oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and peas. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, shred or chop the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.
Over medium heat, melt the 4 Tbsp butter in the empty pot. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Remove from the heat and stir the chicken, vegetables and peas into the sauce. Transfer to medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about an hour (only if freezing the pies and not cooking immediately).
Crusts:
Unwrap and unroll pie crusts onto lightly floured surface. Cut out 2-3 pastry toppings by cutting around the edge of an overturned pan.
To Assemble:
Divide mixture among the number of disposable aluminum loaf pans you have. Top with pastry and use fork to seal edges.
Using a paring knife, make 3 steam vents in each crust.
Preparing For the Freezer:
Tightly wrap each loaf pan in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Prepare after Freezing:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400. Unwrap frozen pot pies and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush crust with beaten egg, cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until crusts are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let pot pies rest 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Sodium: 283mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g
