Cracker Barrel chicken pot pie is diced chicken, potatoes, peas and carrots in a butter and half-and-half sauce, baked inside a double pie crust at 375F for 50 minutes. That makes this Cracker Barrel chicken pot pie recipe a one-dish dinner that feeds 8 from a single 9-inch deep dish pan.
Whisking the broth and half-and-half into the flour slowly is the step that decides whether you get a sauce or a lumpy paste. The flour goes onto the sautéed vegetables first and cooks for a few seconds before any liquid touches it, which is a roux built right in the skillet. Pour the liquid in all at once and you seal raw flour inside clumps that no amount of stirring will fix.
The restaurant serves pot pie as a single portion with the crust laid over the top of a bowl. This version uses a full bottom and top crust, which makes it sliceable and feeds a family instead of one person. Half-and-half instead of milk gives the filling body without the heaviness of straight cream, and poultry seasoning with thyme is the only spice combination you need.
Cracker Barrel Chicken Pot Pie
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings25
minutes50
minutes441
kcalCooked chicken, boiled potatoes, peas and carrots folded into a butter roux sauce with chicken broth and half-and-half, poured into a pie crust, topped with a second crust, egg washed, and baked golden. One skillet for the filling, one pie plate for the bake.
Ingredients
1 small potato, peeled and diced (Yukon Gold recommended)
3 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
14.5 oz chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Directions
- Boil the potato:Fill a saucepan halfway with cold water, add the diced potato and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until fork tender, then drain and set aside.
- Build the sauce:Melt the butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir in the flour until the vegetables are coated, reduce to medium, then slowly whisk in the broth and half-and-half until smooth. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes until thickened.
- Combine the filling:Stir the chicken, potatoes, peas and carrots into the sauce.
- Assemble the pie:Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray and press one crust into it. Pour in the filling. Lay the second crust on top, let it hang over the edges, and cut slits in the centre for steam.
- Egg wash and bake:Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and brush over the top crust. Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool slightly before slicing.
FAQs
Can you use rotisserie chicken for this?
Yes, and the author recommends it as a shortcut. Pull the meat from a store-bought rotisserie and you skip the poaching step entirely. Shred or dice it, and stir it into the sauce along with the vegetables. Two cups of packed pulled chicken is roughly what you get from half a rotisserie.
Why did my filling come out runny?
The roux did not cook long enough before the liquid went in, or the sauce did not simmer for the full 5 minutes. Flour needs heat and time to thicken properly, and the filling also sets further as the pie bakes and rests. If it is still loose when you slice, let it sit another 10 minutes and it will firm up.
Can you swap the potato for frozen hashbrowns?
A commenter tested this and said it works perfectly. Use a cup of plain frozen hashbrowns instead of the diced potato and skip the boiling step. They cook through during the 50-minute bake and end up the right size and texture for a pot pie filling.
How do you store and reheat leftover pot pie?
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, which is longer than most cooked chicken dishes because the crust and sauce insulate the meat. It freezes for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or in an air fryer at 300F for 5 minutes if you want the crust to crisp back up.
What is the difference between this and the restaurant version?
The restaurant serves a single-serving pot pie with the crust laid over the top of a bowl, so there is no bottom crust. This version uses a full double crust in a 9-inch dish and feeds 8, which makes it sliceable like a pie. The filling ingredients are the same: chicken, potatoes, peas, carrots, onion and celery in a creamy sauce.
