Chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food. There is something deeply satisfying about cracking through a flaky, golden-brown crust to reveal a steaming center of savory gravy, tender poultry, and colorful vegetables. However, making a pot pie from scratch is a labor of love that involves chopping, sautéing, and pastry-making. Because of the effort involved, it makes perfect sense to prepare more than one at a time.
Knowing how to freeze a chicken pot pie properly is a game-changer for busy weeknights. Whether you are meal prepping for a rainy day, sharing a dish with a friend in need, or simply trying to reduce food waste, the freezer is your best friend. But freezing creamy fillings and delicate crusts requires a bit of strategy to avoid the dreaded “soggy bottom” or freezer burn.
Why Freezing Chicken Pot Pie is a Brilliant Idea
Efficiency in the kitchen often comes down to “cooking once and eating twice.” If you are already making the mess to roll out dough and simmer a roux, doubling or tripling the recipe adds very little extra time.
Freezing your pies allows you to have a high-quality, homemade meal ready to go in the oven with zero prep work on the day you serve it. Unlike store-bought frozen pies, which are often loaded with excess sodium and preservatives, your homemade version uses fresh ingredients and allows you to control the seasoning and crust thickness.
Choosing Your Strategy: Unbaked vs. Baked
Before you start clearing space in your freezer, you need to decide at what stage you want to freeze your pie. Both methods have their merits, but the results differ slightly in texture and convenience.
Freezing Unbaked Pot Pies
Most culinary experts agree that freezing a chicken pot pie unbaked is the superior method for achieving a “fresh-from-the-oven” taste. When you freeze the pie raw, the crust only cooks once—right before you eat it. This ensures the pastry stays light, airy, and crisp.
The filling is essentially blanched or cooked during the initial preparation, so it handles the freezing process well. The only downside is that an unbaked pie takes significantly longer to cook from frozen than a pre-baked one.
Freezing Baked Pot Pies
Freezing a fully cooked pie is the way to go if your priority is speed. If you have leftovers from dinner or you want a meal that can be reheated in the microwave or a quick stint in the oven, freezing after baking is the move.
The risk here is the crust. Reheating a crust that has already been baked can sometimes lead to a tougher or drier texture. However, if handled with care, a pre-baked frozen pie is still a fantastic meal.
Step-by-Step Guide to Freezing Unbaked Chicken Pot Pie
If you want that bakery-quality shatter on your crust, follow these steps to prep your unbaked pie for the long freeze.
Prepare and Cool the Filling
The most common mistake people make is assembling the pie while the filling is still hot. Heat creates steam, and steam trapped under a raw crust leads to instant sogginess. Once your chicken and vegetable gravy is finished, let it cool completely to room temperature. For the best results, place the filling in the refrigerator for an hour before adding it to the crust. Cold filling helps the fats in the crust stay solid, which is the secret to flakiness.
Assemble the Pie
Line your pie dish with the bottom crust, add your chilled filling, and top it with the second layer of pastry. Crimp the edges tightly to seal in the moisture. Important: Do not cut vent slits in the top crust yet. Keeping the top crust solid helps prevent freezer burn and ice crystals from forming inside the filling. You will cut the vents right before the pie goes into the oven.
The Initial Flash Freeze
Place the assembled pie (uncovered) in the freezer for about 1 to 2 hours. This “sets” the shape of the crust and hardens the filling so it won’t slosh around when you try to wrap it.
Wrapping for Protection
Once the pie is firm, remove it from the freezer. Wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap is touching the surface of the crust to eliminate air pockets. Follow the plastic wrap with a heavy-duty layer of aluminum foil. Label the foil with the date and baking instructions.
How to Freeze a Pre-Baked Chicken Pot Pie
If you are dealing with leftovers or want a “heat and eat” option, use this method.
Cool Down Completely
Never put a hot pie directly into the freezer. Not only will this ruin the texture of the pie, but it can also raise the internal temperature of your freezer, potentially spoiling other foods. Let the pie cool on the counter, then move it to the fridge until it is cold to the touch.
Wrap and Seal
Wrap the cooled pie tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. If you are freezing individual slices, wrap each slice separately in parchment paper before placing them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. This allows you to pull out exactly what you need for a quick lunch.
Essential Tips for Success
To ensure your pot pie survives the frozen depths and emerges delicious, keep these pro tips in mind.
Use the Right Container
Glass, ceramic, and metal pie pans all work, but be cautious with glass. Drastic temperature changes (moving a glass dish from a 0°F freezer to a 400°F oven) can cause the dish to shatter. If you plan to bake directly from frozen, use a disposable aluminum pie tin or a tempered glass dish specifically rated for “freezer-to-oven” use.
Avoid High-Moisture Vegetables
Vegetables like zucchini or raw tomatoes release a lot of water when they thaw. Stick to the classics: peas, carrots, corn, potatoes, and green beans. These hold their structure well through the freezing and reheating process.
Thickening the Gravy
When making the filling, ensure your gravy is slightly thicker than you think it needs to be. Freezing can sometimes cause the starch molecules to break down slightly, leading to a thinner consistency upon reheating. Using a roux (butter and flour) or a cornstarch slurry works well for freezer-bound pies.
How to Bake a Frozen Chicken Pot Pie
When the craving hits, you don’t necessarily need to thaw your pie. In fact, baking from frozen often yields a better crust.
Baking Unbaked Frozen Pie
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Remove the foil and plastic wrap from the pie.
- Use a sharp knife to cut three or four slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
- Optional: Brush the top with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a teaspoon of water) for a golden finish.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
- Cover the edges of the crust with a pie shield or strips of foil to prevent over-browning.
- Bake for 60 to 90 minutes. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reheating a Baked Frozen Pie
If the pie is already cooked, you can thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes. If you are heating it from frozen, cover it with foil to prevent the crust from burning and bake at 350°F for about 45 to 50 minutes until the center is hot.
Shelf Life and Storage
While a frozen chicken pot pie can technically stay safe to eat indefinitely if kept at 0°F, the quality will begin to decline over time. For the best flavor and texture, try to consume your frozen pot pies within 2 to 3 months. After this point, the crust may begin to take on “freezer flavors,” and the poultry may develop a slightly dry texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze a chicken pot pie with a potato topping instead of pastry?
Yes, you can. Shepherd’s-pie-style chicken pot pies with mashed potato toppings freeze very well. The starch in the potatoes holds up during the freezing process. Ensure the potatoes are cooled completely before freezing, and consider adding a little extra fat (butter or cream) to the mash to keep them from becoming grainy.
Should I thaw my frozen pot pie before baking?
It is generally better to bake an unbaked chicken pot pie directly from frozen. Thawing can cause the bottom crust to absorb moisture from the filling as it sits, leading to a soggy texture. Baking from frozen allows the outer crust to set quickly while the inside gradually heats up.
Can I use store-bought refrigerated dough for a freezer pot pie?
Absolutely. Store-bought pie crusts are very freezer-friendly. Just assemble the pie as directed and follow the same double-wrapping procedure. If using a puff pastry top, it is especially important to bake from frozen to ensure the layers “puff” correctly.
Why did my frozen pie crust turn out soggy?
The most common culprit for a soggy crust is trapped moisture. This happens if the filling was too hot when the pie was assembled, if you didn’t cut enough vent slits before baking, or if you thawed the pie before putting it in the oven. Using a metal pie tin can also help the bottom crust cook more efficiently than ceramic.
How do I know when the frozen pie is fully cooked in the middle?
Since the filling is tucked away under a thick crust, the best way to check for doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. Insert the probe into the center of the pie; it should read at least 165°F. Another sign of readiness is when the gravy begins to bubble through the vent slits in the crust.