Easy Chicken and Vegetable Pie is a real family favourite and completely delicious. Made with a creamy sauce and topped with a crisp, buttery pastry top. A comfort food meal if ever there was one and a great opportunity to use up any vegetables to suit.
This creamy chicken pie is absolutely gorgeous. The sauce is velvety and packed full of flavour, something that is sometimes difficult to create in a white sauce.
Chicken and Vegetable Pie Recipe.
It is a very simple recipe that anyone can make their own, even the most novice of cooks. And throw in any vegetables that you want to use up that are lurking about in the fridge all moody and with nothing to do.
I use shop bought puff pastry ready rolled as I just love the stuff. Super easy and delicious. Pastry boom.
Can Puff Pastry Be Used For Pies?
Absolutely. I top most of my pies with with ready rolled puff pastry to keep the whole vibe easy but shortcrust would be just as welcome here.
It always looks beautiful when glazed with egg wash and baked golden brown and tastes wonderful, especially the all butter stuff.
You can also stick it on the bottom of your dish too if you want to go the whole pie hog. You may need a couple of the rolled sheets though and will have to bake the bottom of the pie blind.
There is a recipe card at the bottom of this post with the full instructions and ingredient list.
Ingredients and Substitutions
650 grams (23 oz) Chicken - I use chicken breast meat because that is what my family prefers, but you can use thigh meat too. I also sometimes use chicken breast fillets. It really doesn't matter it's whatever works for you. Leftover roast chicken would be good too.
2-3 Carrots - 2 or 3 peeled carrots and chop finely or you could use swede instead
Large Onion - 1 large brown onion or 2 smaller ones and again chop finely. Shallots would work too.
2 stalks Celery - 2 large stalks washed and chopped finely
You could use 500 grams ready chopped mix of the above 3 vegetables. Supermarkets sell bags of them in the frozen sections. It makes the whole pie much quicker to prepare. A whole lot of chopping bores the big pants off me. Plus my knives are never seem to be sharp enough.
50 grams ( 1.8 oz) Peas - I use frozen but fresh is fine.
50 grams ( 1.8 oz) Sweetcorn - Again I use frozen but fresh or tinned is fine.
75 grams (2.65 oz) Flour - plain or self raising
100 mls Dry White Wine - I use what I have in the fridge which is always dry. A sweet wine would make the sauce too sweet but a medium wine would be ok. The alcohol will burn off in the cooking so it's fine to feed the kids. You can use the juice of a small sized lemon instead though if you would rather.
300 mls Milk - semi skimmed or full fat but not skimmed (fat free) just because it would make the sauce to watery I think.
300 mls Chicken Stock - I make it with a whole stock pot which is meant for 500 mls even though it is only 300 mls.
3 tbsp Cream - Double Cream is what I always have in the fridge but single cream, creme fraiche or Elmlea will do. It is completely optional and just adds another velvety level which is never a bad thing in my tubby book.
375 grams (13.2 oz) Ready Rolled Puff Pastry - My preference is always the easiest option of ready rolled. I simply refuse to roll midweek but if you wanna then of course do. Shortcrust pastry would also be just as delicious.
Recipe Steps
- Fry the chicken for a couple of minutes in a very large frying pan in olive oil.
- Add the chopped vegetables in there.
- Cover and fry over a gentle heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to release their water.
- Sprinkle over the flour and mix through until all the flour has been absorbed.
- Add in the stock, milk and wine and bring to a simmer whilst stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken. Leave to bubble away for ten minutes uncovered. Stir intermittently.
- Taste for seasoning.
- Add your frozen vegetables and mix into the sauce mixture.
- Empty in to your pie dish. My pie dish is 27 cm x 19 cm. If you are using a round one then a 23 cm would be perfect.
- Let your mixture cool for 10 minutes before topping with your pastry. I simply cut the shape of my pie dish out of the pastry sheet roughly and trim off any excess. I put it straight on top of my filling as my dish is difficult to use the rim for the pastry because of the side handles. But if your pie dish is round then here are a couple of pastry tips for topping pies.
- I like to cut 3 diamond shapes out of the leftover pastry and place in the centre of the pie.
- Make two 0.5 cm slits in the centre of the pie for steam to escape.
- Glaze generously with egg wash.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown baby.
Serving Suggestions
Potatoes are this pie's besties. Any which way you wanna go is fine by them. Mashed Potatoes are the most obvious option and perhaps my favourite. All buttery and gorgeous, hell yessssss.
Roast Potatoes are another fabulous way to go, all crispy and immense.
A Jacket Potato would be perfect here too and what about the best buttery red cabbage evers.
This pie is kinda a complete meal with all the veggies included but some broccoli or green beans would be delish on the side.
Can I Make This Pie Ahead?
You can make the pie ahead, cover in cling film (plastic wrap), then keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours until you are ready to glaze and bake.
Just add 10 minutes to the cooking time but watch that the pastry doesn't darken too much. I use a silver foil hat on the top to protect it if it starts to catch.
Can I Freeze This Pie?
Yes you can. Simply bake and then cool completely before covering well with a double layer of silver foil and then freezing for up to 3 months.
Defrost completely still covered in the fridge. Bake covered with silver foil to prevent the pastry top browning too much for 30 minutes at 180 C /360 F/ Gas Mark 4. Remove the silver foil for the last ten minutes of baking.
Can I Make This Chicken Pie Vegetarian?
Yes you can. Use Quorn pieces instead of the chicken pieces and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
If you liked this recipe then you may like these pie beauties.
Easy Chicken and Vegetable Pie
Ingredients
- 650 grams chicken breast (about 4 breasts) cut into 2 inch chunks
- 3 medium carrots peeled
- 1 large onion
- large celery stalks washed
- 50 grams frozen peas
- 50 grams frozen sweetcorn
- 75 grams plain flour
- 300 mls chicken stock
- 300 mls milk
- 100 mls dry white wine
- 3 tbsps double cream
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium beaten egg egg wash
- 375 grams puff pastry sheet
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Chop your carrots, celery and onion finely if you are using whole vegetables. If using the frozen sofritto mix then let them thaw a while. Add in any other raw vegetables that you are using apart from broccoli as that will break up too much. Put that in when the sauce is complete.
- Preheat your oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6
- Fry the chicken for a couple of minutes in a very large frying pan in 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add the finely chopped carrots, celery and onion in there.
- Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes until the veggies start to release water.
- Add the flour and mix in until absorbed.
- Add in the 300 mls of stock, 300 mls of milk and 100 mls of wine and bring to a simmer whilst stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken. Leave to bubble away for ten minutes uncovered. Stir intermittently.
- Taste for seasoning.
- Add your cream if using and 100 grams of frozen vegetables and mix into the sauce mixture.
- Empty the filling into your pie dish.
- Let your mixture cool for 10 minutes before topping with your pastry. I simply cut the shape of my pie dish out of the pastry sheet roughly and trim off any excess. I put it straight on top of my filling as my dish is difficult to use the rim for the pastry because of the side handles. But if your pie dish is round then place a strip of puff pastry around the pie rim and then top with your pastry. Crimp the edges shut. See above for tips.Out of the leftovers I usually cut out 3 diamond shapes and place those in the centre of the pie.
- Make two 0.5 cm slits in the centre of the pie for steam to escape.
- Glaze generously with egg wash.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown baby.
- Apply To Pie Face
Notes
- Use 500 grams frozen already chopped celery, carrot and onion for ease and speed.
- Use ready rolled shop bought pastry for no faff fabulousness.
- Use your favourite vegetables or those that are left lurking in the fridge.
- Substitute the juice of a small lemon for the white wine.
- You can make the pie ahead, cover in cling film (plastic wrap), then keep in the fridge until you are ready to glaze and bake. Just add 10 minutes to the cooking time and watch that the pastry doesn't darken too much. Use a silver foil hat if it starts to catch.
- To make the pie vegetarian use quorn pieces instead of the chicken and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- To freeze, bake and then cool completely before covering well with a double layer of silver foil and then freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost completely still covered in the fridge. Bake covered with silver foil to prevent the pastry top browning too much for 30 minutes at 180 C /360 F/ Gas Mark 4. Remove the silver foil for the last ten minutes of baking.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is approximate and intended only as a guide.
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