Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Here’s a recipe for the next snow day, or rainy day, or unseasonably chilly day in whatever part of the world you happen to be reading this: comforting, warm, and easy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole.

It was a biting-cold, early spring rain last year that incited my craving for comfort food, specifically, some sort of casserole dish. I wanted Chicken Pot Pie, but I wanted it in a 9×13-inch pan to feed plenty of mouths… with plenty of leftovers. So, I spent the next year working through several iterations of the classic recipe until I landed on something that struck a chord between delicious and easy, with more store-bought ingredients than other recipes, several hot make-ahead tips, and definitely a lot more lemon.

This Chicken Pot Pie Casserole utilizes a rotisserie chicken so that you don’t have to cook any poultry— your only challenge is to refrain from eating all the best, juiciest pieces as you slip the meat off the bone. It’s topped with store-bought puff pastry, so there’s no need to deal with sticky biscuit dough or pie crust. It’s not a weeknight recipe, but it makes a wonderful Sunday dinner that’s an easy sell to the whole family. Make it a comforting, yet healthy, meal by pairing it with a simple green salad.

this recipe

Here’s what you need; it may look like a long list but you probably have most of these ingredients in your house right now:

• Butter
• Onion, carrots, and celery
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic
• Ground or fresh thyme
• Flour
• White wine
• Chicken broth
• Rotisserie chicken
• Frozen peas
• Lemon
• Egg
• Frozen puff pastry

How to make Chicken Pot Pie Casserole:

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. 

Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and thyme to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour, and stir until the vegetables are fully coated and the flour cooks slightly, about 1 minute.

Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits that may have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the pan is almost dry, about 3-5 minutes.

Add in the chicken broth, followed by the shredded rotisserie chicken, and stir gently. Cook until the broth comes to a simmer and thickens, about 5 more minutes.

Off heat, add in the frozen peas, and cook until just warmed through. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Transfer the filling to the prepared baking dish. 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water; set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 10×14-inch rectangle. Lightly roll up the puff pastry onto your rolling pin, then unfurl it over the casserole.

Brush the pastry with the egg/water mixture until evenly coated. This will help the pastry get nicely golden brown, so be sure it touches every part of the surface. Cut 5–6 small slits in the center of the puff pastry so steam can escape. Bake until the pastry is deeply golden brown, even mahogany around the edges, 20-25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

A few make-ahead tips:

• Chop the onion, carrots, and celery a day before (you can chop in a food processor for even greater ease). Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The vegetables all go into the pot at the same time, so they can be stored in one container. Do the same for the garlic, but save it in a separate container.
• Pick the meat off the rotisserie chicken as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store, as it is much easier to pull the meat off the bones when the chicken is warm. Store the meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before using.

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Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

(17 votes, average: 3.88 out of 5)

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Dinner – American

By Samantha – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 45 minutes – Cooking Time: 25 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling

This family favorite features all the best flavors of the classic recipe, with some fresh lemon to make things a little bit brighter (and a whole lot more yum).

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 whole carrots, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, and chopped or crushed with a garlic press
• 2 tsp ground thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out puff pastry
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 4–5 lb rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded into large bite-sized pieces
• 1 10 oz bag frozen peas
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 egg
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Instructions

1

Melt 5 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.

2

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400ºF. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. If you have any butter leftover, just add it to the pot with the vegetables.

3

Turn heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and thyme to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour, and stir until the vegetables are fully coated and the flour cooks slightly, about 1 minute.

4

Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits that may have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the pan is almost dry, 3-5 minutes. The mixture will seem a bit thick at this point, this is where you want it.

5

Add in the chicken broth, followed by the shredded rotisserie chicken, and stir gently. Cook until the broth comes to a simmer and thickens, about 5 more minutes.

6

Turn off heat and stir in the frozen peas, followed by 2 tablespoons of the fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice as desired. Transfer the filling to the prepared baking dish.

7

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water; set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Lightly roll up the puff pastry onto your rolling pin, then unfurl it over the casserole. Brush the pastry with the egg/water mixture until evenly coated. This will help the pastry get nicely golden brown, so be sure it touches every part of the surface (just make sure it doesn't pool). You can save any remaining egg mixture and make a scramble in the morning.

8

Cut 5–6 small slits in the center of the puff pastry so steam can escape. Bake until the pastry is deeply golden brown, even mahogany around the edges, 20-25 minutes. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. For leftovers, store puff pastry and pot pie in separate containers so that the puff pastry doesn't get soggy. Reheat puff pastry in oven, toaster oven, or skillet.

Notes

Make Ahead: Chop the onion, carrots, and celery a day before (you can chop in a food processor for even greater ease). Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The vegetables all go into the pot at the same time, so they can be stored in one container. Do the same for the garlic, but save it in a separate container. Pick the meat off the rotisserie chicken as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store, as it is much easier to pull the meat off the bones when the chicken is warm. Store the meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before using.