This chicken & pumpkin pot pie is the perfect fall savory pie with chicken and veggies in a thick pumpkin gravy covered with an herby sourdough crust.
I recently roasted and puréed my fall pumpkins in this post, and now I have a bunch of pumpkin ready to use from my fridge.
I’ve already made pumpkin spice lattes, and now it’s time for a savory application of pumpkin.
My family loves this chicken pot pie recipe with or without the pumpkin, but something about adding pumpkin to this recipe gives it all the fall feels and flavors.
Plus, I love seeing that beautiful orange filling inside, and I think it goes so well with this tangy sourdough crust.
As I was writing the recipe out, I realized there are a lot of steps to the pot pie, but you can make each component separately ahead of time and just assemble and bake when you’re ready to eat it.
Ingredients for Chicken & Pumpkin Pot Pie with a Sourdough Crust
To make this recipe you’ll need a few simple ingredients.
- cold butter
- avocado oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
- celery
- carrots
- onions
- pumpkin purée
- flour
- cooked shredded chicken (I use rotisserie chicken, but you can bake two chicken breasts ahead of time or chop the chicken and cook them with the vegetables if you want.)
- chicken broth
- sourdough discard
- dried sage, basil, and parsley (my favorite combo, but feel free to adjust to your preferences)
- white cheddar (optional)
- sea salt or herb salt
Make the Herb Sourdough Crust
I love making this crust with mature sourdough discard because it gives it a nice tangy, almost cheesy, flavor. If you want the sourdough flavor to be more mild, use a younger discard or fed starter. But I think the tanginess pairs really well with the rich flavors of the filling.
First, cut or grate cold butter and add to a bowl with all-purpose flour, dried herbs and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until you get coarse crumbs. Alternatively, give the mixture a whir in a food processor with the dough hook.
Next, add the sourdough discard and mix until it comes together. I’m using 100% hydration starter (equal amounts of flour and water). If the dough is too dry, add a splash of water.
Add shredded white cheddar cheese if using.
Finally, dump the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc or rectangle. Wrap up the dough tightly and refrigerate while you make the pot pie filling.
Make the Chicken & Pumpkin Pot Pie Filling
In a skillet, add 1 Tbsp of avocado oil and 1 Tbsp of butter and warm over medium heat.
Sauté chopped celery, carrots, and onions and season with salt to taste.
Once the aromatic vegetables are soft, add all-purpose flour and cook for a couple minutes. Next, add the chicken broth and pumpkin puree and bring to a boil until the sauce has thickened.
Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Lastly, mix in the shredded cooked chicken. Sometimes at this point I’ll add peas or other vegetables that I’m needing to use up, but this time I didn’t have any other veggies to add.
If you cooked the filling in an oven-proof skillet, you can just put the crust on top and bake it directly in the skillet. I’m actually going to use my little toaster oven to bake the crust today, so I have to transfer the filling into a pie plate so that it can fit in the little oven! Otherwise I would totally use the cast iron skillet and not dirty another dish.
Roll Out the Crust and Bake the Pot Pie
Once the filling is made, set it aside and get the crust out of the refrigerator.
Unwrap the crust and sandwich between two sheets of plastic wrap. This helps keep the crust from sticking to the rolling pin and countertop without having to add extra flour. It also makes it so much easier to transfer the crust to the pan.
Roll the dough out to 1/8″ thickness. I like my crust to be a touch thicker than 1/8″ and definitely not any thinner.
(Why do I have two rolling pins out? Good question. I decided halfway through rolling the crust that I should probably measure the thickness of the crust to write out this recipe properly, and the second rolling pin has the measuring guides on the ends to keep you from rolling dough out too thin. And now you know why I had two rolling pins out in this picture.)
Carefully pick up the plastic wrap with the crust on it and transfer the crust to cover the top of the pan containing the chicken & pumpkin filling.
Trim the overhanging dough so it all fits in pie plate or skillet. Then crimp the edges and make them look nice if you know how.
I do not know how to make it pretty, so this is the best I can do! It’ll still taste good!
Finally, bake the pie in a preheated oven at 375°F for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Start checking on the pie around the 20 minute mark to make sure the crust isn’t browning too quickly.
Once the crust is looking beautiful and crusty, take the chicken & pumpkin pot pie out of the oven and let it rest for 7 minutes. Then cut into it and enjoy!
FAQs for Chicken & Pumpkin Pot Pie
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, make the crust and leave it wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator up to two days ahead. You can also make the filling separately and keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble and bake the pot pie.
Can I freeze this pot pie?
I have not tried freezing this recipe, but I have frozen the uncooked crust dough wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag. To use, remove from the freezer the night before and allow to defrost in the refrigerator. The uncooked dough can stay frozen for up to a month.
How can I make this pot pie recipe dairy-free?
It’s easy to make a dairy-free version of this pot pie. Just omit the cheese from the crust and substitute the butter with lard, vegetable shortening, or coconut oil. Omit the butter from the filling and use an equal amount of oil instead.
How can I make this pot pie recipe vegetarian?
Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and replace the shredded chicken with an equal amount of your favorite vegetables and/or legumes. Simmer the filling for a bit longer to cook out any extra liquid added from the vegetables.
How can I make homemade pumpkin puree from roasted pumpkins?
The recipe is in this post.
Full Recipe for Chicken & Pumpkin Pot Pie with Herb Sourdough Crust
Chicken & Pumpkin Pot Pie with Herb Sourdough Crust
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 stick cold butter (113g)
- 1 c all-purpose flour (120g)
- 1/2 c sourdough discard, 100% hydration (120g)
- 1 tsp each of dried sage, basil, parsley
- 1 c shredded white cheddar optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Pie Filling
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 c celery chopped
- 1/2 c carrots chopped
- 1 c onions chopped
- 1 1/2 c pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 c cooked shredded chicken
- 1/2 c chicken broth
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Herb Sourdough Crust
- Cut or grate cold butter and add to a bowl with all-purpose flour, dried herbs and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until you get coarse crumbs. Alternatively, give the mixture a whir in a food processor with the dough attachment.
- Add the sourdough discard and mix until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a splash of water.
- Add shredded white cheddar cheese if using.
- Finally, turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc or rectangle. Wrap up the dough tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Chicken & Pumpkin Pot Pie Filling
- In a large skillet, place 1 Tbsp of oil and 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat and warm until the butter has melted.
- Sauté chopped celery, carrots, and onions in the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the aromatic vegetables are soft, add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and cook for a couple minutes. Next, add the chicken broth and pumpkin puree and bring to a boil until the sauce has thickened.
- Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Turn off the heat and mix in the shredded cooked chicken.
- If you cooked the filling in an oven-proof skillet, set it aside to bake directly in the skillet. Otherwise, transfer the filling to a pie plate or other oven-proof dish.
Assemble and Bake the Pot Pie
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the crust dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap the dough and sandwich between two sheets of plastic wrap to keep it from sticking.
- Roll the dough out to 1/8" thickness.
- Carefully pick up the plastic wrap with the crust on it and transfer the crust to cover the top of the pan containing the chicken & pumpkin filling.
- Trim the overhanging dough so it all fits in pie plate or skillet. Then crimp the edges if desired.
- Bake the pie for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Start checking on the pie around the 20 minute mark to make sure the crust isn't browning too quickly.
- Once the crust is looking beautiful and crusty, remove the chicken & pumpkin pot pie from the oven and let it rest for 7 minutes. Then cut into it and enjoy!