Copycat KFC Chicken Pot Pie

This Copycat KFC Chicken Pot Pie is full of comforting flavor and a creamy sauce all under a delicious flaky crust. 

Tender chicken, carrots, peas, and potatoes are baked together in a seasoned creamy sauce before getting topped with the flakiest crust.

Introduced by KFC in 1995, these chicken pot pies are a year-round carving fix. While historically, chicken pot pies may have been from England, I think we can all agree it is a staple in American fast food places.

These homemade copycat pot pies taste just like the drive-thru of the famous fast-food chain but are much tastier when homemade!

Why You’ll Love Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

• It is a 30-minute delicious meal with minimal prep time and all of the ingredients available at your nearest grocery store. I consider it a quick-bake weeknight dinner recipe.
• This KFC pot pie recipe has good taste just as Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants make it! Tender chicken chunks, creamy filling, and flaky crust – this is one of my favorite copycat recipes. The kids LOVE these pies.
• It is a perfect hungover cure, lazy day meal, or cozy and warm snack on a rainy chilly day. Ultimate comfort foods in pans.
• If you double the recipe you get a perfect batch of potluck pies – already portioned, and mess-free cleanup. They will be gobbled up really fast.

What comes in Copycat KFC Pot Pie? Main Ingredients

It is not a top-secret recipe, the ingredients are very straightforward and they don’t vary much so it is easy to remember and make any time of the year.

Pie Crust

• I use store-bought puff pastry, but you can also use biscuits for the crust cap.
• An egg to make the egg wash for the crust. The egg is what makes the crust golden brown.

The Sauce

• Simple white sauce base with butter, all-purpose flour, milk, and heavy cream. You can use canned cream of chicken soup instead. To make it chic, you can also add some white wine.
• Seasoning: granulated sugar, black pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic salt, and celery seed (or celery salt). The addition of more spices is totally up to you.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

• cooked cubed chicken meat is our main ingredient.
• Veggies: diced potato, peeled, chopped, and boiled; frozen peas; canned carrots.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large skillet to prep the sauce
• 6-inch pie pans (or pie tin) x 4. Technically you can use one large pot to make a family-friendly one-pot pie. Any small oven-safe baking dishes will work, including ramekins or custard dishes.
• Baking sheet, optional but good to have. It helps catch any drippings from the pies and helps with cleaning the oven (something nobody is really looking forward to).
• Pastry brush to apply the egg wash on the crust.
• Rolling pin or a glass bottle to roll the pastry dough

How To Make Copycat KFC Chicken Pot Pie

1 – Start The Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until it starts to bubble.
4. Slowly whisk in the milk.
5. Add the heavy cream and continue whisking until the mixture starts to bubble again. The sauce should be quite thick.
6. Stir in the sugar, pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic salt, and celery seed. If the sauce is not thick enough, add a little bit of flour.  

2 – Cook The Chicken

1. Remove from the heat. Add the cooked chicken, chopped potatoes, peas, and carrots.
2. Gently toss to combine.
3. Divide this mixture between 4 pie pans.

3 – Prepare The Crust

1. If the dough is frozen or still stiff, take it out of the box and let it thaw to room temperature.
2. First, roll the puff pastry dough, remove the parchment paper, and lightly roll it out on a flat floured surface.
3. Cut out circles slightly bigger than the top of your pie pans, around 1 inch.
4. Place a puff pastry circle on top of each pot pie pan with the edges of the pastry hanging over it.

4 – Bake The Copycat KFC’s Pot Pies

1. Whisk the egg in a small bowl with a splash of water.
2. Brush the egg wash over the top of the pot pies.
3. Place them on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
5. Let the baked pies cool down.

Serving Ideas

KFC’s chicken pot pie is a delight to eat on its own but can be served with cooked rice, more cooked vegetables, creamy potato soup, potato salad, or you can simply boil potatoes.

A bottle of the sauce, hot or regular, is a great idea too.

Be careful with your first bite – they come out of the oven really hot!

Make it a combo like at KFC restaurant and pour some diet coke.

Storage Instructions

Store KFC pot pies leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Can I Freeze Homemade KFC chicken Pot Pie?

KFC chicken pot pies wrapped in foil and plastic will last 3-6 months in the freezer.

They are amazing for meal prep and making ahead. You can freeze both uncooked and baked chicken pot pies, with or without crust.

How Do You Reheat Frozen KFC Chicken Pot Pie?

If you cooked and stored them in a foil tin, do not reheat the pies in a microwave.

Use the oven instead to keep the pie moist and the crust flaky and not soggy.

1. Transfer from the freezer to the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 20 minutes until the crust seems crispy.

Tips & Substitutions To Make The Best Chicken Pot Pies

• You can use any cooked chicken you have. I use white chicken meat, but you can use dark meat chicken for the pie too, or a mix, since dark meat is better for stews and slow-cooked dishes.
• If you swap chicken with turkey it immediately becomes an amazing Thanksgiving dinner dish.
• Leftover fried or rotisserie chicken is perfect for this recipe. I heard that is exactly how the pot pies started – to use the leftover fried chicken the restaurant had. Using leftover chicken, make sure to remove all small bones.
• Try switching out the veggies to any ones you prefer. Carrots, potatoes, and peas are just the classic pot pie ingredients but we can improve the recipe. Celery, corn, and broccoli are easy add-ons. I also like the classic chicken mushrooms combo.
• Mix up the seasoning. Popular recipes call for only basic spices, but you can aff turmeric for color, fresh or dried aromatic herbs, or even spicy seasoning.
• Using a butter wash instead of the egg wash gives a nice flavor punch. More butter in this recipe generally means better flavor. Heavy cream is also good for brushing the crust.
• For extra rich pie filling, add a secret layer of cheddar cheese inside the filling or grated cheese 5 minutes before the pies are done.

More Great Ideas

• A simple hack for more flavors is to boil the veggies and the chicken in a chicken broth or simmer them in simple chicken soup (boxed or homemade). It is not how KFC chicken pot pie is made (as far as I know) but it tastes better without a doubt.
• It is one of many copycat recipes. You don’t have to follow it exactly and can switch things up. The best part about homemade food is that we use ingredients we love and just get inspiration from the famous American dinner chain food menu.
• If using fresh ingredients, peel, slice carrots, or dice them beforehand. When cutting make sure chicken chunks, potatoes, and carrots are roughly the same size ~1/2″ cubes.
• When you use any canned ingredients, make sure to drain liquid before cooking. That extra liquid can make baked food soggy.
• Higher oven temperature shortens the cooking time. At 375 F it takes 25 minutes, at 400 F, the pies will start browning and will be ready in about 18 minutes. But I still suggest baking the pie at 350, to avoid the risk of burning the crust.
• If making one large pot pie, use a fork to press down the edges of the pastry, and make a few cuts on top of the pie. It will help the pie cook through.
• Filling each pot pie tin leave some space, do not fill them to the brim.

Popular Questions

How To Cut The Dough For The Chicken Pot Pies?

Once you rolled the dough, turn the pit tins or pans you will use upside down and cut out circles 1-inch slightly bigger than the top of your pie pans.

Is KFC Chicken Pot Pie Healthy?

Homemade KFC chicken pot pie is definitely much healthier than any fast food option since we know exactly what ingredients we use and can adjust depending on our diet.

KFC chicken pot pie has around 700 kcal but it is a large pot pie!

Does KFC Chicken Pot Pie Have A Bottom Crust?

Original KFC chicken pot pies don’t have the bottom crust only the flaky crust on top.

But when making them at home you can of course layer the bottom crust too. You can either precook it and then fill it with the chicken pot pie filling or assemble and bake everything at once.

How To Know When Pot Pie Is Done?

The browned crust is usually a sign that your pot pie is done. If you have a thermometer, you can also check the internal temperature. It should be at 165 degrees F.

If you think the crust is done but the bottom needs more time, cover the crust with aluminum foil to make sure crust doesn’t burn.

If you love this pot pie recipe, you’re going to love these other comfort food recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Dinner Pies

Ham Pot Pie

Steak Pie Recipe

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits

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