Costco Chicken Pot Pie is a comforting classic dish. A flaky pie crust around creamy chicken and vegetables. You may use leftover turkey in this pot pie. I provide instructions for both large pies and individual Chicken Pot Pies. Gluten free option included.
Years ago I bought one of those HUGE Costco Chicken Pot Pies. We really liked it, but it was hard for us to finish considering it was mainly just the two of us eating it. A few years later when I was in a MOPS group, one of my MOPS friends would bring her famous Chicken Pot Pie to group dinners and for meal trains. It reminded me of Costco's version, but much better!
The original recipe is from Allrecipes and calls for leftover Thanksgiving turkey. My friend's version uses a rotisserie chicken breast. I have only made it using rotisserie chicken, but I think it would be delicious with leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
This recipe makes enough for 2 full pies. That's way more than our family will eat, so I experimented with turning it into a freezer meal by making the filling ahead of time and freezing it. It turned out great! I've also made it into individual portions using ramekins.
You can make this using store bought pie crust, or make your own crust. My favorite crust is this all butter pie crust. For a gluten free version, I use this recipe for gluten free all butter pie crust.
The first step to making these pot pies is to make the filling. First the vegetables are simmered until tender. The original recipe calls for celery, frozen green beans, and a mixture of frozen peas and carrots. My friend uses celery, frozen mixed vegetables, and diced fresh potatoes. Just use whatever you like!
After the vegetables are soft, they are drained and set aside. Next, onions and leeks are cooked in butter until softened. I added in leeks because I love the flavor of leeks in my Panera Copycat Sonoma Chicken Stew. They are completely optional.
Once the onions and leeks are cooked, flour and seasonings are added, then chicken broth and milk are slowly whisked in. The mixture is cooked until thickened, then the chicken or turkey and vegetables are stirred in.
At this point, the filling can be added to prepared pie plates or frozen for later use. I have instructions for both methods.
This filling recipe makes enough for 2 full size pies. If you only want to bake 1 pie, you can either cut the recipe in half, or make the full amount of filling and freeze half of it. I have tips for freezing the filling below.
To fill the pot pie, the bottom crust is rolled out and fit into a pie plate.
The filling is added into the unbaked pie crust.
For the top crust, I like to roll it out on a piece of waxed paper, especially when using gluten free pie crust. It is more fragile than traditional pie crust, so using the waxed paper to transfer the top crust on top of the pie is helpful.
After the top crust is placed on top, the waxed paper is carefully removed.
The edges of the crust are crimped or fluted, and slits cut into the top to allow steam to escape.
The pies are baked until golden brown.
I bake the pie until the edges look brown, then place a foil ring on top to protect the edges from further browning while the center cooks longer.
Rather than making full size pies, another option is to make individual Chicken Pot Pies in ramekins. Making the pot pies this way gives you more filling and less crust per serving. For this batch, I used half of the filling recipe that I had frozen and reheated and divided it among 4 ramekins. A full batch of filling would make 8 ramekins.
I then rolled out pie dough for a single layer pie (a half batch of the gluten free pie crust). Then I flipped a ramekin over to use it as a cookie cutter to make 4 equal circles.
I transferred each circle on top of the filling, then I used the remaining pie dough to create a border crust. I brushed the crust with some cream (half and half or milk also work).
I added foil rings to each ramekin to get some color on the crust before removing them to allow the edges to brown.
Alternatively, you can bake them uncovered and add the foil ring once the edges begin to brown. I have had trouble with my foil sticking to my gluten free pie crust, so I recommend the latter option if using the gluten free crust.
The pies are baked until golden brown on top.
There are several options for making Chicken Pot Pie into a freezer meal. One option is to freeze the filling alone. This can be done by making the full recipe of filling and dividing into two portions: half to use immediately in a pie and half to freeze. I have also frozen both portions of filling in two separate freezer bags.
The easiest way to freeze the filling is to let it cool then transfer it into a gallon sized resealable bag, press out the air, seal, and lay flat in the freezer. This will take up minimal space in the freezer.
Here is a side view of the bag to show you how thin it is!
Another method is to pour the filling into a pie dough lined pie plate, cover with the top dough and freeze the entire thing with aluminum foil on top. I have not tried this myself, but it seems like it would work.
One of my favorite recipes for roasted turkey is this Herb Roasted Turkey Breast. The leftover turkey would make great turkey pot pie! While we're on the subject of Thanksgiving leftovers, save your turkey carcass to make Homemade Turkey Soup! If you've never tasted a homemade turkey soup before, you definitely need to try it!
Use a cup for cup gluten free flour blend, such as Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour, in place of all purpose flour in the filling. I recommend this all butter gluten free pie dough for the crust.
