Turkey Pot Pie
What I Love About This Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey pot pie earns a permanent spot in my holiday leftover rotation because it turns simple ingredients into the kind of dinner my whole family fights over.
- I make the filling completely from scratch, so I control the seasoning and the sauce comes out thick and rich instead of watery.
- I use rotisserie chicken just as often as leftover turkey, so this recipe works whether it’s the day after Thanksgiving or a random Tuesday.
- I bake it with a full top and bottom crust, so every single bite gets that flaky, buttery texture I want in a pot pie.
- I always make extra filling so I can freeze a batch, which means a comforting dinner is already done and waiting on a busy night.
- This is one of my favorite ways to use holiday leftovers, right along with my turkey cranberry brie grilled cheese.
Key Ingredients for Turkey Pot Pie
- Turkey: Use a mix of light and dark meat for the best flavor and texture. Rotisserie turkey or chicken works just as well as leftover holiday turkey. If you want a fresh batch of turkey just for this recipe, my roasted turkey breast with herb butter and gravy gives you plenty to shred.
- Pie crust: A refrigerated pie crust keeps this weeknight-easy, but homemade crust works too if you have the time. Keep both crusts cold until you use them so the butter doesn’t melt into the filling.
- Chicken stock: Chicken stock keeps the sauce neutral and savory. Turkey stock works too, and it adds even more turkey flavor if you have some on hand from the holidays. Choose a low-sodium option so you control the salt yourself.
- Heavy whipping cream: This is what gives the filling its rich, silky texture. Don’t substitute half-and-half or milk here, since neither thickens the sauce the same way.
- All-purpose flour: Flour thickens the filling into a smooth, gravy-like sauce. For a gluten-free version, swap in gluten-free all-purpose flour and use a gluten-free pie crust.
- Frozen peas and corn: Thaw and drain them first so they don’t add extra water and thin out the filling.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds a savory backbone to the filling. Three cloves is my sweet spot, but adjust to taste.
How to Make Turkey Pot Pie
- Prep the crust. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a deep pie dish and fit one crust into the bottom.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the peas and corn. Stir in the thawed, drained peas and corn and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Make the sauce. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until it coats everything evenly. Slowly pour in the stock while stirring constantly, so the sauce stays smooth instead of lumpy.
- Finish the filling. Pour in the cream and add the parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce visibly thickens, then fold in the shredded turkey.
- Assemble the pie. Spread the filling into the prepared crust and top with the second crust. Pinch the edges together to seal, then cut a few slits in the top for steam to escape.
- Bake. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust turns deep golden brown. Tent loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.
- Rest before serving. Let the pie sit for about 20 minutes before slicing so the filling has time to set.
How to Make Individual Turkey Pot Pies
This recipe also works well as individual pot pies if you want built-in portions or a fun presentation for a dinner.
- Yield: this makes about 6 individual pot pies using 10 to 12 ounce ramekins.
- Crust: use pie crust on the bottom and top, or just on top for a shortcut. Using crust on the bottom takes more crust sheets total.
- Assemble: cut circles slightly bigger than each ramekin for the bottom, fill with the turkey mixture, then top with another circle of crust and a slit or two for steam.
- Bake: place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes with bottom crust, or about 20 minutes without it. Tent with foil if the tops brown too fast.
What to Serve with Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey pot pie is a full meal on its own, but a simple side rounds it out even more. My cucumber tomato onion salad or tomato basil corn salad both bring some freshness against the rich, creamy filling. For something with a little more crunch, my broccoli slaw works great alongside it too.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Turkey Pot Pie
- Store: in the refrigerator, covered airtight, for up to 5 days. It’s easiest to just store it right in the pie dish, covered with plastic wrap or foil.
- Freeze: you can freeze turkey pot pie either baked or unbaked. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. If you’re freezing it unbaked, bake straight from frozen and add about 20 to 25 extra minutes to the bake time.
- Reheat: for the crispest crust, reheat in a 350°F oven, covered loosely with foil, until warmed through. This takes about 20 minutes for a full pie or less for individual portions. The microwave works in a pinch, but the crust will soften.
Turkey Pot Pie Recipe FAQs
Yes, turkey pot pie freezes really well. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze it baked or unbaked, just add extra bake time if you’re starting from frozen.
Yes, rotisserie chicken or any leftover cooked chicken works exactly the same way in this recipe. The method doesn’t change at all.
This usually happens when the peas and corn aren’t fully thawed and drained, or when the sauce doesn’t simmer long enough after adding the stock. Give the sauce a few extra minutes over heat until it visibly thickens before folding in the turkey.
Yes, puff pastry works well as a topping for turkey pot pie, especially if you only want a top crust. Keep in mind puff pastry bakes up flakier and puffier than traditional pie crust.
Let the filling cool slightly before adding it to the crust, and bake the pie on the lowest oven rack so the bottom gets consistent heat.
Yes, you can assemble the whole pie and refrigerate it unbaked for up to a day before baking. You can also freeze it unbaked and bake straight from frozen when you’re ready.
More Turkey Leftover Recipes to Try
If you’re looking for more ways to use up holiday turkey, here are a few more of my favorites:
- Turkey tetrazzini
- Thanksgiving turkey sliders
- Creamy spinach turkey enchiladas
- Leftover turkey noodles
- Leftover turkey noodle soup
- Turkey and stuffing waffles
- Leftover turkey breakfast egg muffins
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Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 2-4 garlic cloves smash and minced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed and drained
- 1/2 cup frozen corn thawed and drained
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey meat
- 2 refrigerated pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Grease a deep pie dish and fit pie crust into it. You can choose to cut out little design in the crust that will be used for the top, or simply make little slits in it with a knife. (You will need the cuts for the steam to escape.)
- Dice onions, carrots, and celery. Mince garlic and measure out flour, stock, and heavy whipping cream.
- Sauté onion, carrots, and celery in oil until completely softened. Add minced garlic and cook until it’s fragrant.
- Stir in corn and peas and cook for a few more minutes.
- Sprinkle flour all over the vegetables and stir it to coat all vegetables in flour. Start pouring in chicken stock while slowly stirring. Keep slowly stirring until the mixture is combined and smooth.
- Pour in heavy whipping cream and stir in parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Let it cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Fold in shredded turkey meat.
- Spread turkey and vegetables mixture in the prepared pie dish and cover it with the second sheet of pie crust. Pinch the edges of top and bottom pie crust together and tuck them in.
- Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes. If the top crust is darkening too fast, loosely cover the pie with aluminum foil.
- Let pot pie cool and set for about 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Gluten-free option: use gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free pie crust.
- Storing: store in the refrigerator, covered airtight, for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: freeze baked or unbaked, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil, for up to 3 months.
- Garlic: 3 cloves is my sweet spot, but adjust to taste.
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I added 1/2 cup cooked diced potatoes too. We’ll see how it turns out. I added 1/2 more chicken broth also. Smelling delicious!
Oh yum that sounds delicious! The diced potatoes and extra broth are great additions. I bet it’s going to turn out amazing!
Made this for the 4th or 5th time. Amazing. I didn’t have any fresh carrots this time so I used mixed vegetables instead of the corn and peas and increased it to 2 cups. Turned out great
Oops! I accidentally left that out! I would use 2-3 cloves for this recipe and I have added it to the recipe card. Thanks for pointing that out!
The recipe directions say to add minced garlic, but it isn’t in the ingredient list. How much minced garlic?
I want a double batch, for this recipe would I just double each of the ingredients?
Hi Tammy,
Yes, just double the ingredents!
How much garlic?? Your recipe says to add garlic, but it’s not included in the list of ingredients. 😞
This recipe is amazing and very easy to put together we loved it…I added a can of chicken soup to give it more flavor
I am so glad you liked it, Deanna!
Definitely needs more liquids. I read the reviews and added an extra half a cup of broth and it was still a little too dry. I would say use at least 2.5-3 cups broth. I will probably adjust the seasonings a little to our liking as it was a little bland for us as is. Over all, it was a decent recipe, just needs a little tweaking for our taste. We are definitely going to make it again.
Going to make this today. How do they fair being frozen?
Hi Dawn,
They freeze really well just make sure to use an air tight container or a good freezer bag.
Needs more gravy hence the mid score. Double or at least 1 1/2X liquids would make this much better
It turned out really well with just a couple changes. Instead of corn, I added some canned diced potatoes. I thought a 1/2 cup of flour was a bit too much. 1/4 cup thickened it just as well. I didn’t add garlic which is in your instructions, but not in the ingredients list. It was tasty without it. Anyway, it was my first from scratch pot pie, and it was really easy. Thanks for this recipe!
Michelle
I am glad you liked it, Michelle!
Can you use turkey broth?
Hi Danielle,
Yes, you can! Enjoy!
I made this today, with our leftover Turkey….Only thing I did, was I added some butter with the olive oil for cooking the onion/veggie mixture and sprinkled Marjoram on top of the pie crust. Oh man, this was amazing. Thank you.
Thank you, Bonnie! I am glad you liked it! 🙂
Looks yummy! Will definitely try this recipe! Question though. Have you ever made it using puff pastry for the crust? Or crescent rolls? Just curious.
Hi, Gina! I have not tried either of those but if you do please let me know how it turns out! 🙂