Chicken Pot Pie with Fennel Shortcrust Pastry

This Chicken Pot Pie is a hearty, creamy pie of poached chicken, roasted butternut squash, peas and fresh tarragon, all under the most INCREDIBLE fennel shortcrust pastry you have ever tasted. It is a proper raid-the-fridge recipe, so use whatever is in the freezer, clean out the veg drawer, and end up with something that tastes genuinely next level. Cosy, generous and absolutely DELICIOUS. Let's cook!

Why This Chicken Pot Pie Works

Living in NZ, pies are very much a part of life, and I love that about this place. But the pies here are usually the pastry-all-around bakery kind, and what I have always missed from the UK is a proper homemade pie with a good shortcrust top and a creamy filling underneath. This is that pie.

After more than 20 years cooking professionally, including time at The Ivy in London, comfort food is just something I love and always enjoy making.

The fennel shortcrust is what lifts it. Toasted fennel seeds ground in a pestle and mortar and folded into the dough turn a humble pie into something that feels genuinely special.

The chicken is poached in the milk and cream, and that poaching liquid then becomes the sauce. Nothing is thrown away and every bit of flavour from the herbs and the chicken ends up in the pie.

Roasting the squash before it goes in is the small extra step that adds a caramel sweetness you cannot get from raw.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Serves: 6
• Difficulty: Medium
• Special Equipment: Large ovenproof pie dish (approximately 28 to 30cm long and at least 5cm deep), pestle and mortar, rolling pin

The magic of this pie is the fennel shortcrust pastry, and if you have never made shortcrust pastry from scratch before, this is a very forgiving place to start. The filling is built on a simple no-lump white sauce made from the chicken poaching liquid, which means every single drop of flavour from the herbs and chicken goes straight into the sauce. Poaching the chicken in the milk and cream with tarragon and thyme is the move that takes this from a good pie to an extraordinary one, and it is the step I would never skip. Clean out your fridge, feed your people, and prepare to be completely obsessed!

Ingredients

Fennel Shortcrust Pastry:

• 300g plain flour
• 150g cold butter, cubed
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp toasted ground fennel seeds (for the pastry)
• Scant 1/4 tsp toasted ground fennel seeds (to sprinkle on top)
• 4 to 6 tbsp cold water

Pie Filling:

• 600g chicken thighs
• 300 to 400g butternut squash, diced
• 250g mirepoix (1 onion, 2 to 3 sticks celery, and 1 carrot, diced)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 200g frozen peas
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
• A few sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper, to season

White Sauce:

• 60g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 400ml whole milk
• 200ml cream

To Finish:

• 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
• Small handful of grated cheese, to layer under the pastry (optional)

How to Make Chicken Pot Pie

1. Make the pastry: Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan until dark and fragrant, then grind in a pestle and mortar. Add 1/4 tsp to the pastry mix and reserve a scant 1/4 tsp for the top. In a large bowl, rub the cold butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the ground fennel, then add cold water 1 tbsp at a time, pressing the dough together until it just comes together. It can be a little crumbly and that is fine! Press into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Poach the chicken: Place the chicken thighs in a saucepan with the 400ml milk, 200ml cream, tarragon sprigs, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and poach for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool slightly. Keep the poaching liquid, this becomes your white sauce base and it is full of flavour.
3. Roast the butternut squash: Dice the butternut squash into chunks, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in the oven at 200C (180C fan / 400F / Gas Mark 6) for 20 to 25 minutes, or in the air fryer at 190C for 10 minutes, until golden and tender. Set aside.
4. Make the filling: In a large ovenproof dish or wide pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mirepoix and saute for 5 to 6 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the flour and stir well to coat everything, cooking out for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the reserved poaching liquid, stirring continuously until you have a thick, smooth sauce. Shred the chicken and stir it in along with the roasted butternut squash and frozen peas. Season generously. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Assemble the pie: Transfer the filling to your pie dish if not already in one. If using cheese, grate a light layer over the top of the filling. Retrieve the pastry from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, fold and press it together, then roll out to fit the top of your dish. Lay it over the filling, trim the edges, and press down to seal. Brush all over with beaten egg and sprinkle over the reserved toasted fennel seeds.
6. Bake: Bake at 210C (190C fan / 410F / Gas Mark 6) for 40 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the filling is bubbling up at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• The fennel shortcrust is a game changer: Toasted, fragrant and golden. Once you make pastry with fennel seeds you will never go back.
• Maximum flavour, nothing wasted: Poaching the chicken in the sauce liquid means every bit of the pie tastes deeply, richly delicious.
• A brilliant fridge and freezer raid: Chicken thighs, frozen peas, whatever veg you have. This pie is endlessly adaptable.
• Roasting the squash first pays off: That extra step adds a caramel sweetness that makes the filling taste far more complex.
• Feeds 6 generously: Perfect for a weekend dinner, a gathering, or serious meal prep.

Chef's Tips for Chicken Pot Pie

Don't overwork the pastry: Handle it as little as possible for the most tender, crumbly crust. Less is more when it comes to shortcrust!

Leave the dough slightly crumbly when it goes in the fridge: It will hydrate beautifully as it chills and come together perfectly when you are ready to roll. Trust the process.

Press the pastry into a flat disc before chilling: It cools faster and is much easier to roll out evenly when it is already flat rather than a ball.

Slightly pink chicken is fine at the filling stage: If the thighs look very slightly pink near the bone when you add them, don't panic. They cook for another 40 minutes in the oven and will be perfectly done by the time the pie hits the table.

Make the filling ahead: The filling can be made 1 to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Make and chill the pastry the night before too, then just roll and assemble when you are ready to bake.

Substitutions & Variations

• No tarragon: Dried tarragon works at a pinch, or swap for fresh parsley. Tarragon and chicken are best friends though, worth hunting it down!
• No butternut squash: Potato, sweet potato, or parsnip all work beautifully in the filling.
• Prefer puff pastry: Go for it! Rough puff would be absolutely stunning on this pie.
• Want to add mustard: Stir 1 tbsp of Dijon into the sauce before adding the chicken. Delicious.
• Leftover roast chicken: Skip the poaching step entirely and use leftover cooking juices or a good chicken stock cube dissolved in your white sauce instead.

Storage

Best eaten fresh: This pie is at its best straight out of the oven after a 5 minute rest, when the pastry is still crisp and the filling is properly molten underneath.

Fridge: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes to keep the pastry crispy.

Freezer: Freeze before baking for best results. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months, then bake from frozen at 180C for 55 to 60 minutes.

Avoid: Don't reheat it in the microwave. The pastry goes soft and soggy and you lose the entire point of a shortcrust top. The oven is always worth the extra fifteen minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use chicken breast instead of thighs in a chicken pie? You can, but thighs are far superior here. They stay moist through the poaching and the second bake in the oven, whereas breast tends to dry out and you will notice the difference. Thighs every time for this one.

Do you have to poach the chicken for chicken pot pie? No. You can pan-fry the chicken instead for a quicker result. If you do, use a good chicken stock cube dissolved in the 600ml of milk and cream for your white sauce base, so the sauce still has depth.

Can you use ready-made shortcrust pastry for chicken pie? Absolutely, and nobody will judge you. But please try the fennel shortcrust at least once. It is genuinely simple and it takes this pie from good to something really special.

What size dish do you need for a chicken pot pie? Something roughly 28 to 30cm long and at least 5cm deep works perfectly. You want the filling generously packed so the pastry sits high and proud on top rather than sinking into the sauce.

Why has my white sauce gone lumpy? The key is adding the liquid gradually while stirring continuously, and never walking away from the pan. Add a little liquid, stir until smooth, then add a little more. If it does go lumpy a good whisk will usually rescue it, and my easy white sauce with no lumps walks through the method properly.

How do you stop the pastry on a pie going soggy? Let the filling cool slightly before the pastry goes on, so the steam does not soften the underside before it hits the oven. A light layer of grated cheese over the filling also helps, and a properly hot oven sets the pastry fast.

Can you make chicken pot pie ahead of time? Yes, and it is a good one to get ahead on. The filling keeps in the fridge for 1 to 2 days and the pastry can be made and chilled the night before. Assemble and bake when you want it.

What do you serve with chicken pot pie? Honestly it is a full dinner on its own, but a green vegetable cuts through the cream nicely, so buttered greens or peas work well. For a proper Sunday version, serve it with the crunchiest roast potatoes ever alongside.

You Might Also Like

Whole Roasted Greek Chicken - Easy Weeknight Dinner - More incredible chicken cooking that the whole family will absolutely love!

Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Bake - Easy Sunday Side Dish - A brilliant way to use up any leftover butternut squash from this very recipe!

Easy Homemade Shortcrust Pastry - The plain version of the pastry on this pie, and the one to learn first.

A good chicken pie is one of the most comforting things you can put on a table, and this one earns its place with the pastry alone. The fennel gives the crust a warmth you do not expect, the poaching liquid means the sauce tastes of the whole dish rather than just flour and milk, and the roasted squash keeps the filling from ever being bland. Make it once on a cold weekend, feed six people properly, and it will go straight into your regular rotation.

Enjoy!

Del x

A creamy chicken pot pie under a toasted fennel shortcrust that turns a humble pie into something special.