Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients List

Metric measurements

Check off ingredients as you prepare them. Converted amounts are rounded.

About these measurements

Metric is the default. US cups are 236.588 mL, not 250 mL. Flour, sugar and other supported dry ingredients use ingredient-specific weight conversions; they are not treated as water. Displayed conversions are rounded.

Where a reliable weight-to-volume conversion is unavailable, weighed ingredients use ounces or pounds in the US view; spoon-measured ingredients use millilitres in the metric view. Ounces (oz) mean weight, not fluid ounces. Counts, pinches, and “to taste” remain unchanged.

For baking and very small quantities, a kitchen scale is more reliable than estimated cups. Changing units does not adjust the recipe for a fan oven or a different pan.

Ingredient conversion reference Conversion notes

The Vegetable Base & Aromatics

Olive oil: 59 mL
Large yellow onion: 1 whole onion
Fresh garlic: 5 cloves
Small carrots: 5 whole carrots (not baby carrots)
Vodka: 1 splash (The chef's secret flavor trick to enhance the sweetness of the onions and garlic)

The Creamy Gravy Base (Roux)

All-purpose flour: 40 g
Chicken broth: 500 mL
Whole milk or heavy cream: 150 mL

The Seasoning Blend

Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning: 15 mL
Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning: 15 mL
Onion powder: 29.5 mL
White pepper: 15 mL
Tajín seasoning: 29.5 mL
Red chili flakes: 5 mL (or more to taste)
Your favorite grocery store grill seasoning: 15 mL
Your favorite smoked seasoning: 15 mL
Garlic powder: 15 mL

The Meat, Mix-Ins, & Crust

Whole chicken: 1 chicken, fully cooked and pulled completely off the bone (A store-bought rotisserie chicken can be substituted to save time)
Frozen green peas: 237 mL
Homemade butter pie crust: 1 complete recipe (double crust for base and top)

Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

1. Sauté the Veggie Foundation

Place your Instant Pot inner liner into the unit and turn on the Sauté function.
Measure and pour 59 mL of olive oil directly into the bottom of the hot pot.
Peel and chop your large yellow onion, 5 garlic cloves, and 5 small carrots into uniform, rustic pieces.
Drop the onions, garlic, and carrots straight into the hot oil. Stir continuously to let the vegetables sweat, soften, and develop a beautiful color.

2. Deglaze with the Vodka Trick

Pour a generous splash of vodka directly over the hot, frying garlic and onions.
Keep stirring as the alcohol cooks out entirely. The heat strips away the harsh alcohol elements, meaning you will not taste vodka in the finished pie; instead, it leaves behind an incredibly sweet, enhanced bite on your aromatics.

3. Build the Roux and Creamy Gravy

Dust 40 g of all-purpose flour evenly over the glistening, cooked vegetables. Stir aggressively to coat the vegetables in the oil and flour paste before introducing any main liquids. This builds a French-style thickening base called a roux.
Slowly pour in 500 mL of chicken broth.
Crucial Instant Pot Hack: Grab a wooden cooking spoon or spatula and aggressively scrape up any caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the liner pan while pouring the broth. Cleaning the bottom surface ensures your machine will not trigger a frustrating "Burn Notice" message later.
Notice how instantly thick and glossy the broth becomes as it binds with the floured vegetables.
Stream 150 mL of milk or heavy cream into the thick mixture, stirring to let the liquids merge into an ultra-creamy sauce texture.

4. Shred and Add the Whole Chicken

Pull all the meat off your cooked whole chicken, discarding the bones and skin.
Drop the massive pile of shredded chicken pieces directly into the simmering cream sauce. Using a high volume of a whole chicken ensures that every single bite of your final deep-dish pie is packed with satisfying meat rather than just empty gravy.

5. Execute the Big Seasoning Moment

Bring the meat and sauce mixture to a gentle simmer.
Dust your heavy spice profile evenly across the entire surface of the thick chicken filling: add 15 mL of Slap Ya Mama, 15 mL of Creole seasoning, 29.5 mL of onion powder, and 15 mL of white pepper.
Follow with 29.5 mL of Tajín, 5 mL of red chili flakes (add more if you enjoy a kick of heat), 15 mL of your preferred grocery store grill seasoning, and 15 mL of smoked seasoning.
Conclude the seasoning with 15 mL of garlic powder. Stir the dense mixture thoroughly from the bottom up to integrate the spices, and perform a quick taste-check before moving to the final assembly.

6. Fold in the Peas and Prepare the Oven

Measure out 237 mL of frozen green peas and dump them directly into the seasoned chicken pot. Fold them in gently so they scatter evenly throughout the thick filling.
Turn off the Instant Pot sauté function completely.
Set your standard kitchen oven or countertop mini oven to preheat to a high temperature of 218 °C.

7. Assemble and Bake the Pie

Roll out your homemade butter pie crust dough flat. Lay the bottom crust shell securely into a deep-dish pie pan or baking form.
Ladle the incredibly thick, richly seasoned chicken filling straight into the raw pastry shell.
Drape the second sheet of butter crust over the top of the filling. Crimp the edges together tightly to seal the juices inside, and cut a few small slits in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape while baking.
Slide the assembled deep-dish pie into your preheated oven at 218 °C.
Bake at this high temperature for an initial baking window to crisp the outer pastry layer.
After that initial sear, immediately turn the oven dial down to a lower setting of 175 °C.
Leave the pie inside to bake continuously at this lower temperature for a remaining baking window to let the center set completely.
Remove the finished pie from the oven when the top crust turns beautifully flaky, crisp, and golden-brown. Let the dish sit until the thick cream gravy cools and sets up before slicing into satisfying wedges. Serve hot.