My fantastic vintage recipe for Chicken Pie. No peas, no carrots, just crust, gravy, and chicken. Very easy and family-friendly!
This recipe is one of those 1960's-70's recipes that I had almost forgotten about until I heard someone mention it recently. I would guess that I made this old recipe hundreds of times "back in the day." It's so delicious and very easy. Especially if you take the fast route and use a purchased rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli.
You probably noticed that there's no "Pot" in the title. It's just plain Chicken Pie, not Chicken Pot Pie. I think that's because there's nothing but chicken and gravy in it. No peas, no carrots, no onions...just chicken.
The only real variation I've seen to this recipe is that some people will include sliced hard boiled eggs. I like it that way, too. However, once you start adding veggies to the recipe, well then you just have a regular old chicken pot pie. Why don't you try this one without veggies and see what you think?
How to Make Chicken Pie
Now, if you're going to cook the chicken for the pie (instead of taking the rotisserie chicken shortcut), start by putting all the ingredients for the chicken (chicken, onion, celery, and seasonings) in a large pot.
Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the whole thing to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer it until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand until the chicken is cool enough to handle. Remove all the meat from the chicken and discard the skin and bones. Shred or chop the meat and measure out three cups for the recipe. Also, save two cups of the broth for use in the rest of the recipe.
Alternatively: Instead of boiling a chicken, you can use a purchased rotisserie chicken and purchased chicken broth. Remove the meat from the chicken discarding the skin and bones and proceed from here with the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Put the shredded meat from the chicken in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish.
Make your "gravy" by combining the broth and cream of chicken soup in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Pour this mixture over the shredded chicken.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Stir in the melted butter and buttermilk. Pour this over the casserole but don't stir it into the soup/broth/gravy mixture.
Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly.
More Recipes You May Like
- Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Chiles
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
- Butter Roasted Chicken
- White Chicken Chili
Have you tried this recipe? I'd love for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments section further down.
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Chicken Pie
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 pound whole chicken
- 1 onion halved
- 1 rib celery cut into 2-3 pieces
- Herb bouquet of fresh parsley, fresh thyme, and a bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 12 whole peppercorns
For the pie:
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, melted (1 stick or 8 tablespoons butter)
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Cook the Chicken:
- Place the chicken, onion, celery, bouquet garni, salt, and peppercorns in a large pot. Add water to cover the ingredients by about 1 inch.
- Add water to cover the chicken by about 1 inch.
- Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (about 35 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and let stand at room temperature until cool enough to handle.
- Remove all meat from the chicken and discard the skin and bones. Save 2 cups of the broth for use later in the recipe.
Make the Chicken Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Put the shredded meat from the chicken in the bottom of a 2-quart (8x8) casserole dish.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the broth and cream of chicken soup. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the shredded chicken.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the melted butter and buttermilk. Pour this over the top of the casserole without stirring it into the chicken mixture.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly.
Notes
- Choose a whole chicken weighing about 3 ½ to 4 pounds. Or take a shortcut and use a purchased rotisserie chicken and use purchased broth.
- A bouquet garni is simply a bundle of fresh herbs. To make a bouquet garni, cut a short piece of kitchen twine (about 6 inches). Place the herbs in a small stack on top of the twine. Wrap the twine around the herbs to make a little bundle and tie the ends to secure. For this recipe I've used fresh parsley, fresh thyme, and a bay leaf. To use dried herbs in this recipe, substitute ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried parsley and of course, the bay leaf is already dried. You can tie them up into a little cheesecloth packet to keep your broth as clear as possible.
- Buttermilk makes the crust rich with a slight tangy flavor. If you don't have buttermilk you can make an acceptable substitute by stirring one tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar into one cup of whole milk.
- If you don't wish to use canned cream of chicken soup, you can easily make your own. A fellow blogger, Gimme Some Oven has an excellent recipe for Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
- Some cooks add sliced hard-boiled eggs in with the shredded chicken. If you'd like to try that, use two or three eggs, slice them about ¼-inch thick and fold them in before pouring over the broth and soup mixture.
- Turn this recipe into a Turkey Pie by using Thanksgiving leftovers in place of chicken.
- This is a great recipe to take to a potluck or to a neighbor who may be under the weather. If cooking for a neighbor, I'd cook the recipe, let it cool, and include instructions for how to reheat (350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.)
- Even though this is an heirloom recipe, you can certainly play around with it to make it your own. I'd recommend adding some poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Or even try making it a curry chicken pie with a teaspoon or so of curry powder stirred in. Or turn it into a Mexican chicken pie with the addition of cumin.
- Keep leftovers well sealed in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
- To freeze, allow to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap covered with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature and warm in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
More Chicken Pie Recipes ...
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping from The Kitchn
- She Wears Many Hats' Chicken Pot Pie
- Country Chicken Pie from South Your Mouth
- Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie from Baking Bites
Leelee says
Thank you for this recipe. I recently read a book that (partially) took place in the 1930s. One of the characters served a meal consisting of chicken pie, green beans, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. It sounded so good to me that I decided to replicate the meal. I came across this recipe and it was really fantastic. My family doesn't care for chicken pot pie but really enjoyed this. The flavors were great and the crust cooked perfectly; no gooey bottom. If anyone reading this is considering side dishes, the green beans, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce were perfect with it.
Lana Stuart says
I'm so glad your family enjoyed the recipe, Leelee! It's so simple to make and I love your side dishes. Perfect!
Jessie Lynn Lovell says
What if you wanted to add mixed vegetables?
Lana Stuart says
Then you would be making Chicken Pot Pie. Chicken Pie is just chicken, gravy, and crust. You can certainly add them if you want, but you'll get a different result.
Justin M says
This looks delicious! Would you mind telling me how you’d make it with the hard-boiled eggs added in? I remember that from my youth and would love to know how to make it that way. Thanks!
Lana Stuart says
Sure, Justin. Just make 2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs, slice them and mix them into the shredded chicken layer. That's it!
Angie says
This is the chicken pie I grew up on.... in fact, I made this last night for my sweet family as we all seek comfort and some peace in these difficult times. My mom who is 84 and suffers from dementia, and although she made this for me my whole life and doesn’t remember that anymore, just said “mmm, this is so good”. My whole heart was lifted in that brief moment. Thank you for sharing a sweet, old recipe and igniting a memory for my mom...
Lana Stuart says
Angie - thank you so much for this comment! You just don't know how much it means to me to know that this recipe was enjoyed by your family, especially your mother. Wishing you and your family peace and comfort in these times.
Doua says
Thanks for this recipe! I needed a crust for my chicken pot pie and did not have time to make one or go to the store and buy one. This worked out perfectly! Not overly bready and browned nicley.
Kelly says
This looks delicious, Lana! Stumbling and pinning for future use. xo
Lana Stuart says
Thank you, Kelly. Hope you enjoy it!
LindySez says
But seriously, Cream of Chicken soup? Seriously?
sylvia says
you bet! Just because it comes ready made, don't knock it. I've had,and made, some pretty incredible dishes using canned soups as an ingredient.
Vicki says
Have to laugh when someone turns their nose up at Cream of Chicken Soup! The South could not survive without it- and Cream of Mushroom & Celery. Every true Southerner know that.
Miss P says
Smithville, Ga has an annual Chicken Pie Festival, which includes a Chicken Pie contest. The entries that are submitted for judging do not include veggies. Thus, you and the festival authorities are in complete agreement. So there.
Looks great.
Miss P
Lana Stuart says
I had forgotten all about Smithville's festival! Honestly, I like this chicken pie even better than a traditional pot pie with veggies. I'd rather have my veggies on the side :-)