A true comfort classic, this simplified skillet chicken pot pie has all the familiar flavours you remember but without the fuss of a traditional pie pastry. Easy, from-scratch buttermilk biscuits create a delicious topping and are perfect for swiping up every last bit of the creamy filling from your plate.
With 25 minutes to make the filling and another 25 in the oven, this cozy little number will be on your table in under an hour. Or better yet – with a bit of planning – the filling can be made ahead of time for an even faster in-the-door meal.
This recipe started with one we enjoyed for years, given to us by a beloved Aunt. It was the best homemade chicken pot pie I had ever had, even if it was a tad labour intensive. Her recipe involved poaching a whole chicken, which conveniently created the stock to use in the recipe. An excellent idea for a Sunday meal, but our cravings for chicken pot pie would not be bound to the weekends.
To simplify the process, I leaned on a store-bought rotisserie chicken, a good homemade chicken stock from my freezer, and a simple drop-biscuit topping instead of a fussy, double-crust pastry.
The result was impressive in its simplicity: A delicious, savoury filling, loaded with chicken and veggies, crowned with perfectly tender, golden biscuits – and everything cooked in just one skillet and in under an hour.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to share this recipe again. It’s one of the fan-favourites from my previous website and blog that I originally posted way back in January 2015. I’ve made this meal countless times, and I’m thankful to know that it’s been a much-loved recipe by other families over the years.
Re-writing my recipes has proved to be an interesting process. I’ve learned so much about how to write a successful recipe through freelance recipe development work and, of course, creating my recipes to share.
Recipe creation isn’t as easy as you might think, and on occasion, I find the most challenging part is accurately measuring the timing for you. There’s nothing worse than jumping into a recipe that claims to take 30 minutes to make, but in reality, it ends up taking an hour. (I’m looking at you, Instant Pot recipes!)
I’m happy to report this one has been tested until perfect, making only minor adjustments to how the ingredients are listed. Now, instead of writing measurements of their prepped form (such as, “1 cup diced carrots”), you’ll see the item listed in their whole form, prepped as needed (such as, “2 large carrots, small dice to yield about 1 cup”). A small detail, maybe, but I think it helps. I also added timing to various parts of the recipe to help guide you through making the filling.
Now, we all have our own ideas of an acceptable amount of fussiness with a recipe, so if the homemade biscuits seem like one step too many, rest assured that store-bought frozen puff pastry works brilliantly as well. My little one prefers it that way while the rest of us thoroughly enjoy the biscuits. So, whether you’re team “biscuit” or team “pastry,” you’re gonna love this one.
Let’s get to then, shall we?
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
All the cozy comfort of a Sunday dinner but made with enough ease for a weeknight. Fluffy buttermilk drop biscuits with crisp, golden crowns top a creamy, from-scratch chicken and vegetable filling. A truly comforting and satisfying dish the whole family will love.
Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
- 2 medium celery stalks, small dice ((about ½ cup))
- 2 large carrots, small dice ((about 1 cup))
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp dried thyme or ground sage ((or two whole sprigs of fresh thyme))
- 1 tsp celery seed
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces ((1 medium store-bought rotisserie chicken yields about 3 cups))
- 1 cup frozen peas ((or a frozen vegetable medley))
Buttermilk Biscuits
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper ((or to taste))
- ¼ cup salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk ((see recipe notes to make buttermilk with lemon juice and milk))
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 425ºF degrees. In a deep oven-safe skillet (about 8-10" in diameter) or a medium dutch oven, warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat until melted and sizzling.
While waiting for the butter and oil to heat, chop the onion, celery, carrots and add them to the skillet along with the bay leaf, celery seed & thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and carrots are just beginning to soften. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken by cutting into bite-sized pieces.
Stir in the flour cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock while stirring constantly until well blended. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens – about 5 minutes. Taste and season well with salt and pepper.
While the filling is simmering, prepare the biscuit crust: Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter pieces using a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork until almost blended – you will still see bits of dry flour. Add the fresh parsley and stir until just combined. Let the mixture rest for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat to the skillet and remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, if using. Add the frozen peas and cubed chicken. Fold all of the ingredients gently until coated with the sauce. At this point, the filling can be frozen for another day.
Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, drop the biscuit batter in large dollops onto the filling. Brush the top of the biscuits with an egg wash. Sprinkle with a touch of flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbling nicely around the edges.
Enjoy!
If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet or dutch oven, the filling can be cooked in a skillet or pot, then transferred to a suitable baking dish.
To make the buttermilk instead of buying some, put 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup. Add milk until the measure reaches 1 cup and let sit for 5 minutes. Use as directed in the recipe.
The filling can be made ahead and stored in the fridge. The biscuits prepped up to the point of adding the buttermilk. Once ready to bake, remove the filling from the fridge while the oven preheats and prepare the biscuits. Finish and bake as directed, allowing a few extra minutes if the filling was cold.
This pot pie is also excellent topped with frozen puff pastry instead of the biscuits. Simply lay the pastry on top of the filling and brush with the egg wash. Bake as directed or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
I’ve made this with success subbing the AP flour with spelt flour, and I love loading up the biscuit with a mix of chopped fresh herbs if I have them on hand.
If preparing the filling to freeze, transfer the cooked filling to an appropriate container (freezer-to-oven safe would be best). Allow the filling to thaw completely before topping with the biscuits and baking.
Thanks for reading and if you make this simplified, comforting skillet chicken and biscuit pot pie, let me know! Drop a comment below and share your creation on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag #myfamilyfoodlife!
xo
Gayle
My Family Food Life 
4 responses to “Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust”
IF YOU ARE EVER IN NEED OF RECIPE, use one of Gayles! I am a serious lover of GOOD FOOD and like to search out both simple and hard recipes. Sometimes I have go to recipes & go to people. Gayle is one of those people. ALL her recipes are absolutely delicious and actually simple. I LOVE this recipe and every time I have made it for simple gatherings – everyone asks me for the recipe. Gayles recipes are delicious and trusted. I have never gotten one recipe from her i didn’t absolutely love and all the recipes of hers that I have tried – are now fully part of our regular repetoire! I highly recommend you try any of her recipes!
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Ahhhhhh! You’re the sweetest, Petra! I can’t thank you enough for all of your support and of course, for making my recipes!!
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I’ve just made this for the second time tonight and it’s even more delicious than I remembered. With a bit of chopping ahead of time this is such a quick and easy weeknight dinner, and it’s quickly becoming my favorite way to use up leftover roast chicken. I love how many vegetables are packed into it, and that it’s a one-pan meal – it’s a definite ‘busy family’s winner.
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Hi Nina! I’m so happy to hear this is a winner in your house too! Thank you so much for making it and sharing a review!!
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