Creamy Chicken Pie with Puff Pastry

This creamy chicken pie recipe is pure comfort – and thoroughly deserving of a permanent spot in your dinner rotation! Crispy, golden puff pastry is filled with tender chunks of chicken, bacon and mustard in an irresistibly creamy sauce. A family favourite recipe that can be customised to make individual pies, pot pie or one large pie – the choice is yours!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick and easy – the one-pan pie filling is ready in less than 15 minutes and can be prepared ahead of time. We use store-bought pastry for convenience and you can speed things up even more by using leftover chicken!
• Customisable – assemble in a pie maker, individual tins, ramekins or a large dish, whichever you prefer.
• The creamiest chicken pie filling – the best part of this chicken pie is inside! The creamy filling is loaded with flavour from wholegrain mustard and parmesan, along with tender chunks of chicken and smoky, salty bacon. A double-batch is in order, because I promise you won’t want to stop eating it!
• Freezer friendly – both the pies and the filling store beautifully. So, you can batch-cook and keep them in the freezer for a quick and easy meal.
• Family favourite – served for lunch with a simple salad, Easter celebrations or a family dinner; this simple recipe is a crowd-pleaser that does not disappoint.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

• Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken thighs are recommended for pies, as they are fattier and more flavoursome than chicken breast. The dark meat also stays juicier and more tender when cooked for longer periods. Chicken breast will still work, just make sure you don’t overcook it. This is a great recipe to use up any leftover chicken like air fryer roast chicken. Or, buy a supermarket rotisserie chicken to save time.
• Puff pastry – puff pastry forms the flaky tops of the pies. To save time, use the 25 x 25cm ready-made sheets of frozen puff pastry from the supermarket. Or, make your own homemade pastry if preferred. Choose butter puff pastry for ultra-flaky lids. And make sure the pastry sheets are mostly thawed before using them, so they don’t crack or break.
• Shortcrust pastry – crumbly shortcrust pastry forms the base of the pies. In Australia, pastry comes frozen in ready-made sheets of 25 x 25cm.
• Cheese – parmesan and aged cheddar (called ‘tasty cheese’ in Australia) add seasoning and umami flavour to the sauce. When melted, the cheese also works to thicken the filling. I recommend using fresh cheese that you grate yourself, rather than pre-shredded cheese. Pre-packaged, shredded cheese won’t melt properly, which can cause lumps and a runny sauce.
• Cornflour – cornflour (corn starch) thickens the filling, so that the sauce doesn’t run out of the pie. I use 3 teaspoons, but you can adjust the quantities to achieve your desired thickness. If you want gluten-free pies, make sure your cornflour is gluten-free and use along with your favourite gluten-free pastry.
• Bacon – use a good-quality smoked bacon or pancetta for loads of flavour.
• Cream – heavy, thickened cream or cooking cream makes the sauce rich, thick and creamy. Cooking cream is recommended, as it won’t curdle or split when heated. I don’t recommend light or low-fat cream, as it won’t thicken as nicely and is more likely to split.
• Mustard – wholegrain mustard is the secret ingredient for the most gorgeous, savoury and flavourful pie filling. The acidity helps to balance the richness of the cream sauce and adds so much flavour. Taste the sauce and adjust, if needed. I don’t recommend skipping this ingredient, but Dijon mustard could be used instead, if required.
• Egg (optional) – brushing egg over the pastry before baking will give the pies a crisp and golden crust. Egg is not required if you are using a pie maker.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a large frying pan and individual pie dishes, a pie maker or a large pie dish, depending on how you want to make them.

Step by step instructions

You’ll find the detailed step-by-step recipe card below, but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect;

Make the filling;

1. Cook the chicken. Brown the chicken pieces in a large frying pan with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the pan and drain any excess liquid.
2. Fry the bacon. Using the same pan, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Leave any excess oil from the bacon in the pan for flavour.
3. Return the chicken to the pan.
4. Add the cream and bring to a low simmer.
5. Stir the grated cheeses and mustard into the cream, until the cheese has completely melted into the sauce.
6. Thicken the sauce. Add the cornflour mixed with a little water and stir until the sauce has become quite thick.
7. Cool – turn the heat off and allow the sauce to cool and continue to thicken.

Tip: Make sure the filling has cooled before assembling the pies. Hot pie filling will melt the butter in the pastry, causing soggy spots that won’t puff up or become crisp and flaky.

How to make them in a pie maker;

Using a pie maker is the quickest and easiest option. This version does not require the pastry bases to be blind-baked before adding the filling. And assembly is quicker, easier and less fiddly.

You will need to cook in batches, depending on the size of your pie maker.

1. Cut the pastry to size. If you have one, use the pastry cutter designed for your pie maker to cut the pastry into rounds of shortcrust bases and puff pastry tops. The bases should be slightly larger than the puff pastry tops.
2. Assemble the pies. Press the shortcrust bases into the pie maker holes. Spoon the cooled filling into the prepared bases and then press the remaining puff pastry lids over the top. Gently press to seal the edges of the pies.
3. Cook – close the lid of the pie maker. Cook according to your pie maker instructions, or until the pastry is crispy and golden on the outside and the filling is steaming hot in the middle. Serve immediately with your choice of chips, salad or vegetables.

How to make individual pies in the oven;

1. Prepare the base; gently press the prepared shortcrust base into your chosen pie tins. The pastry should cover the base of the dish and extend all the way up the sides.
2. Blind bake; cover the pastry with a sheet of baking paper and top with baking beads (or dried lentils or beans) to keep the pastry in shape as it cooks. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is firm.
3. Assemble the pies; spoon the cooled filling into the pastry base and top with the prepared puff pastry lid/s. Trim the excess pastry to fit the dish and use a fork to seal the edges.
4. Brush the pastry with egg wash.
5. Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling is steaming hot all the way through (see the recipe card below for full instructions).

Carefully remove the pies from the tins and serve immediately.

Variations

Use this recipe as a base and adapt it to suit;

• An electric pie maker,
• Individual pie tins,
• Ramekins (for chicken pot pies without the pastry base),
• A large pie dish ,
• or even muffin tins, depending on preference!

The filling is already safely cooked through before assembly. So whichever variation you choose, you only need to bake until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling is steaming hot in the middle.

* The quantities provided below are for sheets of ready-made pastry. However, you can adapt the quantities to suit homemade shortcrust and puff pastry, if preferred.

This recipe yields about 3 ½ cups of chicken pie filling, so use the quantities below as a guide;

• Pie maker – when prepared in a standard pie maker, this recipe yields 10 individual pies (⅓ cup filling per pie). You will need 3-4 sheets of shortcrust pastry for the bases and 2 ½ sheets of puff pastry for the lids.
• For individual pies made in 10cm pie tins, this recipe yields 7 pies (½ cup filling per pie). You will need 4-5 sheets of shortcrust pastry for the bases and 3 sheets of puff pastry for the lids.
• A large pie can be made in a 23cm pie dish with 1.2 litre capacity. 1-2 sheets of shortcrust pastry form the base and 1 and ½ sheets of puff pastry are required for the top.
• For chicken pot pie – skip the pastry bottom and make chicken pot pies instead. This recipe will make 7 small pot pies using ramekins with ½ cup capacity, or one large pot pie in a dish with 1 litre capacity. Simply spoon the filling into the dishes. Then, top with puff pastry rounds that are wide enough to seal to the sides of the dish. Seal, brush with egg wash and bake on an oven tray until the tops are crisp and golden.
• For mini pies, prepare the pies in a muffin tin. Making them in a muffin tin will yield 12-14 small pies.

Expert tips

• The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for convenience, ready to assemble and bake when required. This option makes dinner super easy!
• For pies, use thighs! Chicken thighs are more flavourful and will remain juicy and tender when cooked for longer periods. The fat from the chicken thighs also provides flavour and richness to the sauce. Chicken breast tends to dry out when cooked for longer periods and the filling won’t be as flavourful.
• Cool the filling before adding it to the pastry. Hot pie filling will melt the butter in the puff pastry, which results in soggy pastry with less puff.
• Cornflour is used to thicken the cream sauce. Thicken to your desired consistency before adding the filling to the pies. Don’t leave the sauce runny, or it will spill out of the pies when you try to eat them.
• Swap the chicken thighs for leftover cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the shops. Cook the filling (without the chicken) as normal and then stir the cooked and chopped chicken into the creamy sauce at the end.
• To prevent a soggy pastry base, blind bake the pastry bases before adding the filling. This step is not required if you are using a pie maker.

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in May 2019, but was re-published with new information and photos in October 2023.